Amy Wilder is a private pilot with more than two decades of experience as a writer and editor in a career spanning journalism, marketing, and communications. 
She has worked in aviation journalism since 2023, combining a lifelong passion for flight and a love of the aviation community with a penchant for storytelling. As a licensed pilot, she brings firsthand insight to the stories she covers, lending an authentic, on-the-ground perspective to industry coverage.
She holds a Master of Arts in Eastern Classics and a Master of Arts in Liberal Arts, both from St. John&#039;s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, along with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Culture.

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Cessna 208 Caravan and 208B Grand Caravan

Amy Wilder

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) named Cambridge High School of Milton, Georgia, the first-place winner of its 2026 Aviation Design Challenge. Corona del Sol High School of Tempe, Arizona, placed second, and Greenville Technical Charter High School of Greenville, South Carolina, placed third.
The project required teams to redesign the airplane to carry maximum cargo weight at maximum speed between two remote, high-altitude locations in the French Alps. Judges evaluated entries on simulated flight performance, a design-change summary, a video presentation, and a test-flight checklist.
Cambridge High School’s team—Clark Benner, Adam Gould, Morgan Smith, and Christian Seawright—adjusted the airplane’s wing aspect ratio, adopted a V-tail configuration, and fitted a larger propeller along with redesigned landing gear. More than 70 high school teams from 31 states entered the competition. Participants used the “Fly to Learn” curriculum to study flight principles and airplane design, then applied that knowledge to modify a Cessna 208 Caravan for a mission flown in X-Plane simulation software.
“The 2026 GAMA Aviation Design Challenge participants showcased some very creative and innovative design concepts,” said James Viola, GAMA president and CEO.
The International Aircraft Dealers Association Foundation funded a technology grant program supplying computers and flight controls to participating schools that requested assistance. The winning team will receive a CubCrafters manufacturing experience and demonstration flights.

News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.

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News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

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News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

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News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

In this article

Cessna 208 Caravan and 208B Grand Caravan

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