10 years of Nurturing India’s Aerospace Talent

• Boeing supported annual competition marks its 10^th anniversary

• Part of an investment to nurture local aerospace workforce

BENGALURU. Boeing on August 19, announced the winners of the 10^th annual Boeing National Aeromodelling Competition, one of India’s largest and most popular aeromodelling programs. This year, the competition saw participation from more than 1,400 students representing 432 institutions across India, with women constituting 24% of final round participants.

46 finalists from 12 teams were selected for the finale held in Bengaluru. Three teams were declared winners of the competition. In addition, all 46 finalists of this year’s competition will get a chance to participate in the Boeing Apprenticeship program for a year.

Salil Gupte, president, Boeing India & South Asia said, “As one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, India is rapidly building up its aerospace workforce. We are proud that the Boeing National Aeromodelling Competition has provided talented engineers a platform to demonstrate talent in designing real solutions for the aerospace industry for the past decade.”

The zonal rounds of the competition were held at IIT Kanpur, IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, and IIT Madras.

The competition, sponsored by Boeing and conducted in partnership with IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, and R.V. College of Engineering, began in 2013 to engage aerospace engineers in building industry solutions. Participants get to design, build, test, and fly fixed-wing aircraft models under defined performance criteria.

Congratulating this year’s winners and participants, Stacie Sire, vice president, managing director, Boeing India Engineering & Technology Center, and chief engineer, Boeing India, said, “This competition introduces students to the rigor of aerospace design and execution. Working with timelines and performance parameters prepares participants for the practical demands of the industry while fostering innovation and problem-solving skills.”

Over the years, Boeing has strategically invested in helping nurture talent for the aerospace sector in India. Its programs, including Boeing University Innovation Leadership Development (BUILD), and the programs conducted in the past such as the Boeing HorizonX India Innovation Challenge and the Accelerated Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AME) Apprenticeship program, continue to empower entrepreneurs and build a skilled workforce for the country’s aerospace and defence sector.

Details of the winning teams