When I came to visit the University at a Visit Day it felt like a place I would really fit in and be comfortable. As I toured the University, I felt compared to others I had visited, Â鶹ֱ²¥ had a balance of great academics whilst also valuing student experience. I have always been fascinated by documentaries focused on aviation, especially Air Crash Investigation! I knew that I wanted to learn more about the engineering behind the aircraft so I could contribute to making aviation even safer, so I wanted to find an aeronautical course that taught as much detail as possible and Â鶹ֱ²¥ specialising from day one made it a valuable choice of University.
My course
One of my favourite projects is where we were put into teams and tasked to design and built a control line aircraft. The best part of this was the entire first year cohort being gathered together to attempt to fly our creations. I really enjoyed the spacecraft module because we got to study a new topic every couple of lectures so I got a large overview of the space sector.
The lecturers and facilities are some of the best in the country. Having Rolls Royce UTC on campus means that we have current industry knowledge being woven into our lectures. This was especially noticeable during my gas turbine design modules, we had a current Rolls Royce employee in each one of our lectures, helping to guide the designs that we created and giving insight from industry.
I would advise anyone considering aeronautical engineering to get involved with any and all opportunities. Take advantage of the placement year option to get hands on experience. It will be one of the most challenging things you do but the subject is such a varied and interesting industry that you'll find something you absolutely love.
Red Bull Soap Box Race
I entered the Red Bull Soap Box Race with a group of friends from the Motorclub society where we could win the young constructors grant! I've always loved watching the replays of previous races and event got to watch is live which was an amazing atmosphere and experience.
The team, Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc, had a range of experience and skills between us. Personally, my time keeping and organisation meant that we built our soapbox within the 3 day time constraint. There were many instances where our plans had to change so we had to be highly adaptable. This skill will be useful within my final year of study and as I move onto a graduate role.
The workshop sessions from first-year became very useful in the construction of the soapbox as I was familiar with the machinary to cut wood and metal. The aerodynamic principles are also just as relevant on land vehicles as aircraft so I enjoyed trying to work out how to make a platypus aerodynamic!
I would highly recommend to any student interested in the race to take part. It is a unique, fun experience with thousands of people cheering you on.
My career
I completed a placement as a guidance, control and navigation engineer with MBDA UK who develop missile systems. This helped me further develop many of my skills including programming, presenting and time management. I also went into local schools and taught them about engineering before holding a competition where students had to build handheld gliders. This placement then led to me being offered a graduate role once I completed my degree.
In the future, I hope to either work in the space industry designing new cutting-edge technology or be part of the air accident investigation to ensure avoidable accidents in aviation don't happen again. Either career path will be aided by my degree as we are taught about a wide range of engineering principles and able to tailor the degree in whichever direction we choose through optional modules and final year projects.