TEKNOFEST Helicopter Design Competition

TEKNOFEST Helicopter Design Competition is an engineering contest held within the framework of TEKNOFEST, Türkiye’s largest technology festival, aimed at encouraging young engineers to develop innovative solutions in the field of rotary-wing aircraft. The competition focuses on the design of helicopters capable of vertical take-off and landing and sustained flight in the air. It aims to enhance participants’ both theoretical and practical engineering skills.

^{TEKNOFEST Helicopter Design Competition (Photo: Akif Yusuf Ekin)}

The primary objective of the competition is to promote the use of rotary-wing aircraft with vertical take-off and landing capabilities and to develop Türkiye’s human resources in this field. Unlike fixed-wing aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft can perform take-off and landing without requiring long runways. This capability enables their effective use in critical missions such as surveillance and search-and-rescue operations in disaster zones, traffic control, friend-enemy distinction like military operations, and providing internet connectivity in areas where communication infrastructure has collapsed. The competition encourages the development of rotary-wing aircraft designs capable of addressing such operational needs.

Aircraft developed under the competition are expected to meet specific technical and performance criteria, including the ability to remain airborne for at least 10 hour at an altitude of 5000 ft and a temperature of 30 °C, carry designated mission equipment, and perform vertical take-off and landing under specified runway conditions. The design must align with the required performance values, capabilities, and design specifications necessary to fulfill the defined mission profile.

Individual participants eligible to enter the competition include undergraduate and graduate students from universities in Türkiye or abroad, as well as recent graduates. Teams with at least one member meeting these criteria may also apply. Teams may consist of up to 20 members; advisors are not included in this count. This structure allows team members to come from diverse engineering disciplines and collaborate in a multidisciplinary environment.

^{TEKNOFEST Helicopter Design Competition (Photo: Akif Yusuf Ekin)}

1. Project Preliminary Evaluation Report (PER): Teams are expected to present their core design concepts and initial technical approaches.
2. Project Detailed Evaluation Report (DER): Technical details, system analyses, engineering calculations, and modeling of the design are assessed at this stage.
3. Final Evaluation Presentations and Tests: Teams present their designs to the jury through theoretical presentations and real-world field tests.

The TEKNOFEST Helicopter Design Competition is directly aligned with Türkiye’s technology development vision, the National National Technology Initiative. Through this competition, the aim is to advance indigenous technologies and reduce dependency on foreign systems in critical domains, while motivating the younger generation to contribute toward these national goals.