The manufacturing requires the use of machine tools, for which training is provided. Projects in recent years have included a centrifugal pump, and a cup-anemometer for measuring wind speed. Such courses are more specialist in nature and include subjects like Helicopter Dynamics, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Aircraft Systems Engineering and Systems Analysis. For H401 students, staying at IC for the Third Year, a group design project is offered where the class is split into design teams. Each team has to develop a particular design concept to the stage where the feasibility has been fully explored.
Lectures concentrate on the application of analytical skills to real engineering problems.
The project is carried out in industry or a research establishment, under the supervision of both college and industrial supervisors. H401 students, who have studied the appropriate foreign language, have the opportunity to go to European establishments. The degrees satisfy the academic requirements laid down by the Engineering Council for Chartered Engineer status, and the department has been granted accreditation from the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. The academic staff within the department have very close links with industry, and can assist you in selecting employment. The collaborative projects with industry also provide contact between students and prospective employers.