The National Boeing Aero-modelling Competition held its finals at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi recently. The champions were Vignesh Arul, Tabrez Nadvi and Pavan M.J. from ACS College of Engineering, Bangalore, who won a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh after defeating over 170 other teams.
The team came third in the qualifying rounds of the East Zone at IIT-Kharagpur. The team members then worked night and day at a simulator, perfecting their technique before the finals. Though their model crashed about six times during practice and once in the arena, they did not lose heart and, making repairs, moved on to the next round.
The team members had to go through a qualifying round including climbing and gliding and a manoeuvring round. They focused on the important manoeuvres, the ones that would carry the most points.
“It was tough to judge,” said Ashish Imbah, head of sales, who also looks into Research and Development at Aerotrix, and a judge at the finals, “but the team from ACSCE didn’t lose their nerve. Their focus and patience gave them an edge.”
Pavan Ponnaganti, founder of Skyfi Labs, said that the winning team performed exceptionally well, performing every feat with speed and precision.
All three of the winners are aviation enthusiasts who wish to pilot their own planes. “We want to do many things, we might even set up a company,” says Tabrez Nadvi. “But we also hope to be fighter pilots one day and serve our nation.”
