Nora Fernandez Fernandez
The Aeromodelling team of the Cosmos Aerospace Association organizes the Municipal Kite Contest, together with the Fuenlabrada City Council. The event has the collaboration of other organizations such as the URJC GISAT research group and the Aviation Group aeronautical training institute.
The event will take place on November 4 at the Fuenlabrada campus of the URJC and will be attended by the mayor of the municipality. The participants will have to design, build and fly their kite, which will be evaluated by a jury on the day of the contest.
According to Rocío Villar, secretary of the Cosmos Aerospace Association and director of the 'Fuencometas' project, this project aims to show another vision of kites, “which are usually seen as toys, but we could consider them the most primitive aircraft. To understand why a plane doesn't fall out of the sky, you first have to understand why a kite flies. This is a good way to introduce the aerospace sector to younger students, without the vertigo that comes from directly thinking about designing an airplane without having finished high school”.
The success of the event can be seen in the number of registrations, which amounts to 177 people, divided into 43 teams. The vast majority of the participants come from non-university educational centers in Fuenlabrada, although there is also a large number of students from the URJC.
The Cosmos Association has divided the contest into two categories: the first covers the 3rd and 4th year of ESO, Baccalaureate, Vocational Training and Special Education and the second includes all university students.
The main purpose of the competition, as Villar points out, “is to teach some basic aspects of the aerospace sector in a didactic way, since with it the participants will better understand the simplest characteristics of aerodynamics. On the other hand, we encourage teamwork, creativity and healthy competitiveness”.
In the last edition, where 105 students participated, “really impressive kites were seen and there was a great spirit of camaraderie. In my opinion, the most beautiful part of the event was how students from different centers supported and cheered each other when they saw their rivals' kites flying”, comments Villar.
The jury will be made up of three people, who will score the creation of the students from 1 to 5, adding a maximum of 15 points per kite. The aspects that will be valued will be the resistance of the kite, the originality and its operation and flight.
The winners of the contest will be able to enjoy an F-18 flight simulator and a guided tour of the URJC hangar. The second and third place will be able to enjoy a private tour of the Fuenlabrada Astronomy Classroom.