The sky’s the limit as Collyer’s hosts final of glider competition

Last week Collyer’s held the grand final of its very own glider competition. Thirty teams of AS level Physics students took part in the event, which has spanned the summer term.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Jul 2014, 12:46 BST
Matt Trenholme (judge); Zayyd Abdulsalam, Martin Yau, Jordan Lee; Henry Haste, Dale Williams, Holly Burn, Daniel Hall, Emily Farr; Dave Emsley (judge) SUS-141007-114307001Matt Trenholme (judge); Zayyd Abdulsalam, Martin Yau, Jordan Lee; Henry Haste, Dale Williams, Holly Burn, Daniel Hall, Emily Farr; Dave Emsley (judge) SUS-141007-114307001
Matt Trenholme (judge); Zayyd Abdulsalam, Martin Yau, Jordan Lee; Henry Haste, Dale Williams, Holly Burn, Daniel Hall, Emily Farr; Dave Emsley (judge) SUS-141007-114307001

The college’s new Duckering Hall was filled with finalists who presented their designs to Dave Emsley and Matt Trenholme, professionals from the field of engineering, who kindly gave up their time to judge the competition.

Collyer’s physics teacher and competition organiser, Matt Horncastle explained: “Students were given the task of designing and building a glider that has the best range and accuracy possible. They were given basic materials and asked to do their own research to decide how to make the most aerodynamic glider.”

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The gliders were marked out of ten for how well they flew and the groups also had to present their designs to each of the judges.

Collyer’s Head of Faculty for Mathematics and Science, Joe Brock said: “This is a great competition that Matt has set up, as it gives the students the opportunity to develop practical and presentational skills.

“In addition, the groups demonstrated analytical zeal when studying their flight data information, which certainly focussed minds on the need for incremental development.

The competition was tough with 1st, 2nd and 3rd place all coming within a few decimal places of each other! However, students Dale Williams, Henry Haste and Jordan Lee pipped the other teams to the post with a brilliant design. The proud winners were then thrilled to be awarded with a remote-controlled quad-copter.

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Collyer’s Vice Principal Steve Nicholls was thrilled: “One of the aims of the project was to give students the opportunity to work as part of a team, preparing them for studying engineering or similar subjects at university. I’m delighted that this has clearly been achieved. Well done to all of the competitors – for them, the sky’s the limit!”

Collyer’s Principal Dr Jackie Johnston was impressed: “We have a strong faculty for Mathematics and Science and it is fantastic to see these talented students show such enthusiasm for their work. The glider designs were extremely innovative! Thanks are certainly due to Matt, his colleagues and our judges for making today possible.”

Report and picture by Izzy Watson.

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