College engineers are flying high

YOUNG engineers from Warrington’s Priestley College soared to success in a recent competition to build the best model aircraft.
Two teams from the college took part in the British Model Flying Association (BMFA) contest, which challenged each to build a radio controlled plane that could carry a load around a course at Elvington Airfield.
Despite being up against colleges and universities with dedicated aeronautical departments, Priestley’s ‘Team Piranha’ and “Team Stingray” both finished second in their respective competitions.
Tutor Steve Pennington said: “It is an amazing achievement considering the competition we faced.
“We were up against some top universities, including one from Germany, so to rank so highly is a great achievement for the students.”
Priestley has entered a team into the competition for the past two years to give students interested in engineering an opportunity to hone their skills.”
The BMFA Payload Challenges require students to design, build and fly a load-carrying radio controlled model. The pilot must be grade B qualified.
Each team is expected to display design flair, technical knowledge and teamwork.
A panel of professional engineers judge the contest, which also enjoys the support of BAE SYSTEMS.
Team Piranha’s plane managed to carry 130 tennis balls in its fuselage propelling Priestley into the runners-up spot.
Team Stingray managed eight circuits carrying a fixed load in five minutes placing them second in the country.
Two retired engineers, Arthur Griffiths and Colin Rider from the Warrington Model Flying Club, worked with the teams to develop theories and build their planes.
“We are so grateful to Colin and Arthur for offering their expertise to our students who have taken a lot from the experience,” said Steve.
Picture: Mike Hudson, Olivia McDonagh, John Perry, John Fletcher and Abbie Hunt receive some guidance from Arthur Griffiths of Warrington Model Flying Club.