Merlin Flight Simulation Group's "IT FLIES" annual design competition

[Stargazer]

A student design which will only ever exist within a flight simulation program. I guess that qualifies as a "theoretical" project...

This year’s Aircraft Design and Handling Competition, also dubbed IT FLIES and organised by Merlin Flight Simulation Group, took place in June at Swansea University’s faculty of Science and Engineering’s Simulation Suite.
Swansea University winner for ‘Best Project Presentation’ was Liam Maloney’s team, which designed an aerial firefighting aircraft, capable of carrying and dropping 2,000kg of water or fire-retardant material.
Merlin Flight Simulation Group is the manufacturer of the world’s most advanced aircraft design real-time engineering flight simulators for use in university schools/faculties teaching aeronautical/aerospace engineering. IT FLIES is the company’s annual competition in which university students are challenged to create an aircraft design, and then to have it flown and assessed by a test pilot in a simulator. It is essential to show students the design/test/fly methodology used within the aircraft industry.
The project presentations were judged by Dr David Philpott and test pilots, Gordon McClymont and Rhys Williams, who flew and assessed the students’ aircraft designs in one of Swansea’s MP521 simulators.
The joint winners were the two teams from Swansea University who had designed an aerial firefighting aircraft, capable of carrying and dropping 2,000kg of water or fire-retardant material. One of the Swansea teams, led by Liam Maloney, also won the prize for the Best Project Presentation.
One of the University of South Wales’ students, Adam Cleaver, won the prize for the Most Innovative Design with his supersonic business jet.
Gordon McClymont said entries were as varied as ever, and of a high standard. “The judges in the 2024 IT FLIES competition at Swansea University were hugely impressed by the quality of the entries and the work that the participants had put into the aircraft design. Dr David Philpott was most impressed with the technical and presentational quality from the students. The flying assessments in the Merlin simulator were of a very high quality and the designs flew – and in some cases – flew very well with only some minor comments from the assessing test pilots. Once again a great success at IT FLIES!’

Author: Marion Neal — Source: AEROSPACE, October 2024

 

[riggerrob]

Good for water-bombing forest fires.
If the cabin profile is big enough for LD3 baggage containers, they would also sell a few hundred to the over-night courier business.
Finally, if the cabin is too meters tall, then they could replace all the aging Shorts Skyvans hauling military paratroopers in training.