Aerospace students put their skills to the test in a competition aimed at highlighting their technological talents – and once again Swansea University lifted the top prize.
The University teamed up with ST Engineering Antycip (Antycip), in collaboration with Merlin Flight Simulation Group, to host the IT FLIES UK 2025 Aircraft Design and Handling competition.
The annual event gave students a unique opportunity to display their creativity and technical expertise while testing their aircraft designs on state-of-the-art flight simulators. Using Merlin's Excalibur flight simulation software, participants experienced how their concepts perform in various flight scenarios, with evaluations from seasoned test pilots.
Swansea team FlyGrow Butterfly emerged victorious after taking on fellow students from the Faculty of Science and Engineering as well as teams from the University of South Wales and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.
The winners were:
- Best Aircraft Design – FlyGrow Bumblebee, Swansea University
- Best Innovative Aircraft – Little Red Dragon, University of South Wales
- Best Presentation – FlyGrow Bumblebee, Swansea University
Ben Evans, professor of aerospace engineering, said: “We are delighted that once again a Swansea University team has done so well in the competition. We thoroughly enjoy hosting the event and having a chance to highlight our long-standing relationship with Antycip and the suite of Merlin flight simulation tools that it has provided.”
“We are enormously proud of our aerospace degree programmes and giving students – from Swansea and further afield - the chance to use our facilities and simulators is always exciting. Once again, they showed great skill and ingenuity throughout the competition which we hope will help prepare them for successful careers in aerospace engineering.”
Amir Khosh, Merlin Manager at Antycip said: “Congratulations to Swansea University on an outstanding performance at the 25th edition of IT FLIES UK. Your commitment to innovation and applied learning came through in every design and presentation. At Antycip, we are proud to support your journey through simulation-led learning and to see the impact of the Merlin flight simulator in shaping the next generation of aerospace engineers.”
Find out more about studying aerospace engineering at Swansea University