FAA Airport Design Challenge Registration Opens November 1

Students from Kindergarten through 12th Grade can now replicate an actual airport in Minecraft with the help of experts from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)!

In order to educate and inspire students (K-12) to better understand airports and their leading role in the National Airspace System, the FAA is hosting another run of the acclaimed Airport Design Challenge competition which utilizes Minecraft to help develop a model airport with all of the required airside elements. Individually or in small teams, participants will receive instruction from FAA experts who specialize in specific areas of the airport. With that information, students will research a local airport of their choosing and then recreate that airport in the virtual world of Minecraft!

What you can expect“…

  • Small teams of students work together to learn about their local airport and to complete development tasks in Minecraft
  • Organized lesson plans covering topics from airport layout, pavement, lighting, structures, and innovative growth
  • Knowledge check assignments, which will be turned in accompanied by screen shots of student progress
  • Collaborative work between students, parents, and teachers performed in a virtual environment
  • STEM based applied knowledge in math, engineering, and career development

For more information, visit https://www.faa.gov/go/adc.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.