On October 14, 2024, the grand finals of the China International Aircraft Design Challenge and the National Aerospace Model Championship kicked off in Bazhong, Sichuan Province. This exciting event features around 1,750 participants from 80 universities and high schools, including notable institutions like Northwestern Polytechnical University and Chengdu Shishi Chengfei High School, all competing over a span of nine days.
The China International Aircraft Design Challenge stands out as a premier aerospace competition that blends technological innovation, engineering practice, teamwork, and competitive spirit. As the only national event in China that incorporates aircraft design, manufacturing, flight, and control, it has experienced significant growth over the past two decades. According to Feng Qing, Director of the Sports Department at the Aviation Radio Model Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, “Over 200 universities and 16 high schools, with more than 100,000 participants, have taken part in this event.” The competition has evolved to become one of the top three international collegiate aircraft design contests alongside the U.S. International Aircraft Design Competition and the European University Model Payload Challenge, providing a vital platform for students in aerospace-related fields to showcase their innovative practices.
During the nine-day finals, competitors will have the opportunity to demonstrate their creativity, engineering skills, and collaborative spirit through a variety of innovative events. The competition features multiple challenges, including timed cargo air drops, simulated search and rescue operations, solar-powered aircraft, vertical takeoff and landing operations, reconnaissance and strike missions, multi-stage model rocket launches and recovery, as well as micro foldable aircraft contests. Each event is designed to thoroughly assess participants’ overall capabilities and innovative potential.
As the event unfolds, the sky is filled with various model planes and rockets highlighting impressive flying skills and remarkable creativity. Particularly in the multi-stage rocket launch and recovery event, contestants achieve astonishing results by launching rockets high into the sky, successfully recovering payloads after separation and parachute deployment. In another challenge, teams tackle the precision drop of water bags, which can weigh several times the model’s weight, showcasing exceptional flying techniques and accuracy as they release their payloads at targeted heights.
This year’s competition is organized by the General Administration of Sport of China’s Aviation Radio Model Sports Management Center, the Chinese Students’ Sports Association, the China Aeronautical Sports Association, and the People’s Government of Bazhong City.
