Airbus Inviting Students to Change the Future of Aviation

Innovation can come from anywhere, and oftentimes the best ideas come from some of the least likely sources.  Airbus is embracing this concept by inviting students from around the world  to participate in their Fly Your Ideas Challenge(FYI 2013).  The contest, which is held every two years, asks students to develop ideas for an eco-efficient aviation industry for the top prize of €30,000 with the runners-up receiving €15,000.

This is an awesome competition, because it encourages entries from anywhere, not just aviation.  According to Charles Champion, Executive Vice President Engineering at Airbus and FYI 2013 patron, “Some solutions will require thinking out of the box.  At Airbus we work in a world of unobtainiums, solutions for seemingly impossible challenges that shape the way we live – like those that made air travel a reality.”

Aviation has always benefited from the ingenuity from all types of people.  In case you forgot, the Wright Brothers owned a bike shop before they transformed transportation.  For all we know the next great idea in aviation could come from an engineer, a scientist, or maybe a marketing major.

There is only one real certainty in the future, and that is that we have absolutely no idea what it will hold.  That being said, there are few things that excite me more than thinking about what the future may hold, and how we have no idea what amazing things will inevitably develop.  Aviation is the industry that made people dream about reaching the skies and ultimately the stars, and I hope competitions like this bring that fantasy back to an aviation industry that has become somewhat stagnant and businesslike.