Aerospace Engineering students from the University of the West of Scotland’s Paisley campus have completed a course assessment onboard an aircraft, marking the first learning experience of its kind in the university’s history.
The third-year students undertook a ‘Flight Laboratory’ mission on a Britten-Norman BN-2B Islander aircraft from Cumbernauld Airport.
During the flight, they carried out real-time aircraft engineering measurements and collected data for analysis at altitudes ranging from 1,000ft to 2,700ft.
The aircraft flew a route past Stirling Castle, performing a series of manoeuvres designed to test the students’ knowledge before returning to Cumbernauld Airport.
UWS already has a full-motion flight simulator at its Paisley campus, allowing Aerospace Engineering students to become familiar with aircraft flight instruments and avionics.
However, this was the first time the university has introduced a real airborne flight experience as part of coursework for third-year undergraduate students. The university hopes it will help bridge the transition from university into the workplace.
Gordon Morison, Dean of the School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of the West of Scotland, said: “The UWS Flight Lab marks a major milestone for the university, as it’s the first time that students have carried out coursework in the sky – helping them gain invaluable insight into professional flight operations, performance analysis, and aerospace systems engineering.
“At the University of the West of Scotland, we are committed to providing the best learning experience possible for our students, and to preparing the next generation of engineers who are fully equipped for careers in aviation and aerospace innovation.”
Social media preview: UWS aerospace students from the Paisley campus have completed their first airborne coursework assessment, carrying out real-time engineering experiments during a flight from Cumbernauld Airport.
Headline photo: UWS Aerospace Engineering students with programme leader Dr Bassam Rakhshani and Cumbernauld Airport pilot George Cormack before their Flight Laboratory assessment
Photo Credit: UWS