Description

🎧 Episode Summary

What if aerospace students could take their classroom equations and turn them into real, flyable aircraft designs—without ever cutting balsa wood or stepping into a wind tunnel?

In this episode of The Future in Flight Podcast, host Shawn Staerker sits down with Amir Kosh and Gordon McClymont to explore ST Engineering Antycip’s IT FLIES—a groundbreaking design-build-fly competition powered by high-fidelity, physics-based simulators.

Unlike traditional competitions, students don’t just design aircraft on paper—they fly them in professional-grade simulators and receive real-time feedback from experienced test pilots. From sixth-generation fighters to humanitarian aid drones, teams bring bold concepts to life and experience the full aerospace engineering cycle: briefing, flight testing, debriefing, iteration, and refinement.

With competitions hosted in the U.S. at University of Dayton and in the UK at Swansea University, IT FLIES is shaping the next generation of aerospace engineers by bridging theory and real-world application.

This episode dives into simulation fidelity, the power of iteration, the importance of engineer–pilot collaboration, and why feeling lift and drag—even virtually—changes everything.

If you’ve ever wondered how today’s students become tomorrow’s aircraft designers, this is the inside look you’ve been waiting for.

What Makes IT FLIES Different

• Students design aircraft and fly them in real-time, physics-based simulators.
• Professional test pilots evaluate each design.
• The competition mirrors real aerospace development cycles.
• Brief → Fly → Debrief → Revise.

Why Simulation Matters

• Turns equations into physical motion.
• Allows rapid iteration before major investment.
• Prevents “negative training” from entertainment-based simulators.
• Helps students feel aerodynamics instead of just calculating it.

Lessons Students Learn

• Iteration is essential to engineering success.
• Communication between engineers and pilots is critical.
• Not every bold design works—but every flight teaches something.
• Real-world aerospace is collaborative, not siloed.

Competition Highlights

• Hosted twice yearly (U.S. and UK).
• Open to international university teams.
• Awards for Best Flight Performance, Best Presentation, and Most Innovative Design.
• Winning university holds the traveling trophy until the next competition.

Careers & Real-World Impact

• Students have earned internships following the competition.
• IT FLIES strengthens resumes with practical, applied experience.
• Participants gain exposure to real aerospace industry processes.

0:00 – 1:17 | Introduction: What is IT FLIES?
1:18 – 5:00 | Origins of the Competition & Why Simulation Matters
5:01 – 10:57 | The Test Pilot Perspective: Real-World Design Cycles
10:58 – 16:26 | Aerodynamics Comes to Life: Feeling Lift & Drag
16:27 – 20:17 | Design Surprises & Iteration in Action
20:18 – 23:56 | Skills That Translate to Aerospace Careers
23:57 – 28:30 | International Competitions: U.S. & UK
28:31 – 32:09 | Awards, Innovation & Student Experience
32:10 – 39:52 | Fun Questions: Dream Aircraft, Destinations & Flight Legends
39:53 – End | Final Reflections: Iteration, Courage & the Future of Aerospace

IT FLIES Competition (ST Engineering Antycip):
https://steantycip.com/events/

AviNation USA:
https://www.avinationusa.com/

Creative Relay Media:
https://creativerelaymedia.com/

Blue skies, smart designs, and remember—great aircraft aren’t built in a single pass. They’re built through iteration, collaboration, and the courage to test your ideas.