Bristol Metropolitan Academy students shine at national STEM competition

Two Year 9 students from Bristol Metropolitan Academy, Neal Summers and George Keen, have demonstrated outstanding talent and determination by securing third place at the national finals of the Flying Start Challenge, held at Aerospace Bristol.

The Flying Start Challenge is a prestigious science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) competition. It is organised by leading aerospace companies from the South West of England, and encourages secondary school students to foster science and engineering skills and consider careers in engineering.

Over the past few terms, Neal and George dedicated their efforts to building a hand-powered glider from balsa wood. The glider, designed to carry a 60-gram payload, had to be flown as far as possible. Their journey began earlier this year at the University of the West of England (UWE), where they competed against 24 other local schools in the Bristol regional heats to qualify for the national finals.

At the finals, held last week at Aerospace Bristol, Neal and George faced a series of engineering challenges designed to further test their skills. These included building shock-resistant structures and wind-powered cars. The highlight of the event was the ‘fly-off’, where their glider was launched as far as possible, soaring beneath the world-famous Concorde.

Dave Vince, Design Technology & ICT Teacher, said: “Neal and George were great ambassadors for Bristol Metropolitan Academy, showing exceptional knowledge and understanding as well as behaviour throughout the day.

“They both did brilliantly and ended the day in third place overall and received a £100 cheque as well as some other goodies.”

The school would like to thank Pippa Evans and Charlotte Collins, who accompanied the students on this trip. Their support was instrumental in making this achievement possible.