Boeing and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), brought hundreds of young Indian engineers together in New Delhi to compete in the fourth annual Boeing – IIT National Aero-modelling Competition.
The competition encourages innovation in aerospace among the next generation of engineers. A total of 28 zonal finalists advanced to the national-level finals.
“It gives us immense pride to see how the National Aero-modelling Competition has grown over the years,” said Pratyush Kumar, president, Boeing India. “The number of students who participate and the sheer talent on display is a testimonial to the immense potential of India’s engineering sector. Initiatives such as this will help shape the coming generations to be the innovators, who drive India’s aerospace industry.”
In conjunction with the competition, Boeing sponsored aerospace workshops across the zonal centers to educate and train students in designing and building radio-controlled planes.
The zonal competitions were organized inMumbai, Chennai, Kanpur and Kharagpur, and over 800 participants from 300 colleges competed to qualify for the final round.
Launched in 2013, Boeing Aero-modelling Competition is designed to educate, increase participation and interest in aviation, and recognise and reward talented aerospace enthusiasts and innovators in India.
“The aerospace sector has seen an increased demand for qualified engineering talent in the past few years,” said Professor PVM Rao from the department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Delhi.“Platforms provided by aerospace giants such as Boeing inspire and motivate students to explore avenues of innovation while honing their skills towards a future in aviation.”
Boeing’s evolved partnerships with academia and industry have resulted in establishing two research centers — Aerospace Network Research Consortium (ANRC) with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) at Bangalore and National Centre for Aerospace Innovation and Research (NCAIR) with IIT Bombay in Mumbai.