Paris. 20 June 2019. Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp., hosts Team Silverwing, from the global GoFly Prize competition, at its Pavilion #344. The team, from the Netherlands, will display a prototype of its all-electric personal flying device. The team is completing its final design and has been named a winner in the first two phases of the GoFly competition. Pratt & Whitney is a sponsor of the GoFly Prize and will also be presenting The Disruptor Award, a $100,000 prize to the team that is truly innovative, who has gone beyond in developing their personal flying device at the conclusion of the competition in early 2020.
“The GoFly competition is a natural fit with Pratt & Whitney’s constant desire to innovate and transform the future of flight,” said Geoff Hunt, senior vice president of Engineering. “The teams are truly disrupting what is possible in personal flight and their curiosity is pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Now their dreams are becoming reality as they have moved past the concept and beginning design phases. Making those prototypes, testing them and managing risks are the things that make innovation fun, challenging and thrilling.”
Launched in September 2017, The GoFly Prize is a two-year competition where teams are leveraging recent advances in propulsion, energy, light-weight materials, and control and stability systems to make the dream of personal flight a reality. The competition will award prize money of USD$2 million to participating teams in a variety of categories. Teams will build a personal flying device that can be used by anyone, anywhere.
Participating in this project provides Pratt & Whitney the opportunity to support the next generation of aviation leaders. As a sponsor, the company has provided mentors and lecturers to help teams around the world develop the future of flight. With curiosity as a major component in the development of next generation of engines, working with inventors from all walks of life on a project that has the potential to make a huge impact on the advancement of personal travel was a perfect fit. The winner of the Pratt & Whitney Disruptor Award will be announced at GoFly’s Final Fly-Off event in early 2020.
