Salil Gupte, President, Boeing India and South Asia, with Meghraj M., Sathvik Poojary and Sanjana S. who won the Boeing National Aeromodelling Competition 2024. The team is from Nitte Mahalinga Adyanthaya Memorial (NMAM) Institute of Technology, Karkala in Udupi district of Karnataka.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A team from Nitte Mahalinga Adyanthaya Memorial (NMAM) Institute of Technology, Karkala in Udupi district of Karnataka, won the ninth annual Boeing National Aeromodelling Competition, which attracted more than 2,350 students from 855 institutions in India.

This year, the competition saw an increase in female participation, with 28% of women participating in the final rounds.

Forty-four finalists from 13 teams made it to the finale that was held in Bengaluru. The team comprising Meghraj M., Sathvik Poojary and Sanjana S. from NMAM Institute of Technology were declared winners of the competition.

The zonal rounds of the competition were held in IIT Kanpur, IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, and IIT Madras. The top 13 teams travelled to Bengaluru for the final round, which was hosted by R.V. College of Engineering.

In addition, 60 students from Shishu Mandir and Building Blocks schools were invited for a learning session on the sidelines of the competition to help encourage and promote awareness, knowledge, and exposure to aviation and aeromodelling.

The Boeing National Aeromodelling Competition for students across India is sponsored by aircraft manufacturer Boeing, and organised in association with IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, and R.V. College of Engineering.

The competition started as an annual event in 2013 to provide a nationwide platform for students who have a keen interest in aerospace engineering and related fields. The competition allows them to demonstrate their skills and creativity in designing, building, and flying fixed-wing aircraft models of different types and sizes.

Salil Gupte, President, Boeing India and South Asia, said, “Over its nine editions, the Boeing National Aeromodelling Competition has become an inspirational platform that complements the aspirations of India’s young aviation enthusiasts. I congratulate the participants and winners for their disruptive ideas that show that the possibilities are limitless in aviation, and I thank our partners for helping build an ecosystem of learning and innovation in aviation.”