This century will continue to see revolutionary changes to aircraft design – from environmentally-friendly aeroplanes to space tourism vehicles, there are many challenges ahead for blue-sky thinkers!  Aeronautical, or aerospace, engineers design and develop products such as airliners, helicopters, fighter jets, satellites and space vehicles engineers. They also work on components that make up aircraft such as landing gear, engines and electrical/electronic systems also require highly specialised skills.

Specialist areas include:

Aerospace engineering may also offer some of the best hands-on jobs in the world!  Working for aerospace manufacturers you can become highly skilled in building the airframes or other components which make up the aircraft such as the landing gear, engines or avionics systems. In the UK alone, all the wings for Airbus aircraft are produced in North Wales, landing gear for Airbus and the new Boeing 787 are made by Messier-Dowty, and Rolls-Royce in engine design.

Aircraft maintenance is another exciting alternative – aircraft engineers can travel the world maintaining, inspecting and servicing aircraft to high international safety standards. Specialising in either mechanics (engines, airframes) or avionics (instrumentation, electrical/electronic equipment) , aircraft engineers work for airlines, maintenance divisions of aerospace manufacturers or specialist aircraft maintenance companies.

In this section, we give you more detail on some of the key career areas and how to get there.

STOP PRESS! FREE Ballantyne 2013 Event
 
Apprenticeships vs University - routes into Aerospace and Aviation

Friday 26 April 2013, London W1

The Royal Aeronautical Society’s annual Ballantyne event for young people aged 14-18 will take place this year at our headquarters building in London, No.4 Hamilton Place, W1J 7BQ on Friday 26 April 2013. 

If you are not sure which is the best option for you, come along to the event and talk to current apprentices and graduates to learn more.

The one-day event will include:

• A series of talks from apprentices and graduates from aircraft engineering, manufacturing and design and aviation
  Advice on what employers will be looking for
• Afternoon 'Ask the Expert' break-out sessions where guests can discuss their questions with apprentices and graduates in more detail
• The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators (Gapan) will also be providing free aptitude tests for budding pilots and we will have some fun challenges and prizes on offer during the day.

Attendance is FREE and lunch is provided. The event is open to groups from schools and youth organisations. Please note that individuals are also very welcome but all under-18s must be accompanied by an adult. Timings 9.45-15.00.

The Ballantyne 2013 event is sponsored by Boeing UK.

Registration
We expect this to be a very popular event and places are limited so to reserve your space, don’t delay, contact the Careers and Education Department today for a poster and booking form!

E: careers@aerosociety.com
T: 020 7670 4325/6
M: 07824 512941