The final round of the Fly Your Ride competition is on Saturday, April 11, 2015 in the Museum's Pavilion of Flight. The high school competition will be held at 10:00 AM and the middle school competition will be held at 1:00 PM. Will the participants be able to get their flying cars over an ever-increasing gap?! You'll have to stop by and see!
Build a flying car!
Sounds complicated? It’s not.
Along with SDG&E, we’re looking for students who want to build a vehicle no larger than a shoebox, launch it down a ramp, and see if it can jump a gap. It’s fun, it’s creative, and you don’t have to be a science fair genius to come up with a winning entry. We’ll give you feedback, create opportunities to talk to experts, and give away great prizes.
Students from 6th through 12th grade in San Diego County are encouraged to take part. Blueprints are due January 27, 2015 and competition day is April 11, 2015 --- check below for more details!
COACH’S GUIDE
Welcome to the Flying Car competition! We are looking forward to seeing your imaginative ideas.
The idea, and the rules, are simple. Build a vehicle, let it slide down a ramp, and see if it can jump a gap! Everything else is details – and here are those details.
Vehicle Measurements
Ramp Details
Use of the ramp during the competition
Vehicle Materials and Power
We love creative ideas, and we understand that the rules listed above may not cover every possibility that creative student minds might come up with. We’re hoping, in fact, that the students are so creative that they will come up with ideas that have never occurred to us! The judging committee will evaluate every vehicle from a safety and originality point of view. We encourage you to contact us during your design process if you are unsure whether your design would be allowed.
STAGE ONE (ends January 27, 2015):
You’ll need to form your team – which can be from one to five students. You’ll also need an adult coach (it can be a teacher, parent, or other adult in a role of responsibility in your life). Their role is not to give you ideas or create your vehicle for you, but instead to help you meet and to submit the paperwork. Only one adult can be listed as a coach, although we understand that more than one adult may be involved in hosting meetings, helping with power tools, etc.
STAGE TWO (now until January 27, 2015):
You will need to submit your initial design to us. A person can be on only one team, and only one design can be submitted per team. This is what you will need to submit: Your entry can be submitted via mail to the SDASM Education Department, 2001 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, CA 92101, and must be postmarked by January 27, 2015. It can also be emailed to kkoeblin@sdasm.org. Please make sure you keep the original and send us a copy. We cannot be held responsible for entries lost in the mail or not received via email.
STAGE THREE (January 27 - April 10, 2015):
Our judging team will then evaluate your entry, and choose which teams can move forward to the next stage.
You will then have the opportunity (at your request) to talk to our experts. They may be able to provide advice on modifying your vehicle. This contact must be made via the competition organizers, and not directly with the experts.
STAGE FOUR (April 11, 2015):
The big day! We’ll hold the competition finals at the museum, and see how your car does on the ramp! We’ll then pick the winners and award the prizes!
CATEGORIES:
The ramp will gradually be widened as the competition proceeds. The gap will begin at two feet, then be increased to three feet, then three and a half feet. If necessary, it will continue to be widened a half foot at a time, at judge discretion, to narrow down to a winner.
Distance – We will award a prize for the vehicle that jumps the widest gap and is able to touch the horizontal ramp surface on the other size.
Creativity – What was it about your design that was new, special, or original? We’ll award a prize for original thinking, even if that vehicle does not jump the gap furthest.
COMPETITION AGE RANGES:
There are two age ranges in the competition:
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12.
PRIZES:
First prize (one per age range): $600
Second prize (one per age range): $400
Third prize (one age range): $200
Creativity prize (two per age range): $200
We reserve the option to keep and display your entries in the museum and/or other venues, including online. We would love to show off your success!
Good luck and we will see you at the San Diego Air & Space Museum!
2001 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, CA
Phone: 619.234.8291
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