Lift off! for Flying High
Pupils were challenged to build their own magnificent flying machines as part of an annual cross-curricular project aimed at stretching and extending budding engineers.
Flying High is Headington Rye Oxford’s dynamic STEM initiative that launches Year 7 pupils into the exciting world of aviation and creative engineering.
Now a much-anticipated annual event, this three-week programme in 2025 challenged pupils to think, design, and build like real engineers.
Throughout their Science and Maths lessons, pupils dove into aerodynamic research, used algebraic software to model their ideas, engage in hands-on construction of scaled aircraft, and apply mathematical principles to optimise flight performance. The mission? To engineer the most effective propeller-driven plane.
This year’s grand finale—Flight Day 2025—was an unforgettable culmination of weeks of hard work.
With the threat of disruptive breezes, the entire Year 7 cohort gathered in the sports hall for an afternoon of intense (and often chaotic) aerial competition.
Judging categories included longest flight duration, and furthest distance flown. The air buzzed with excitement—and planes.
From smooth long-range gliders to spiralling crash-landers, each design brought a unique take on the challenge.
There were near misses, soaring successes, nose-dives, and mid-air wobbles—but also plenty of resilience, rapid repairs and last-minute reinventions.
As a final spectacle, every pupil launched their aircraft from the balcony in a mass take-off that turned the hall into a whirlwind of wings—a breath-taking storm of paper and propellers.
Winners of the 2025 Flight Day will be announced and awarded in the Autumn Term.
Head of Science Faculty Mr Jason Morris said: “A massive thank you goes to our dedicated science technicians whose behind-the-scenes support made the entire programme soar.”
