Studying Aeronautical Engineering

Meet your Course Leader

Martin Fiddler welcomes you to Aeronautical Engineering

Martin would like to welcome you to our BEng (Hons) Aeronautical Engineering course. He is the course leader with extensive experience of human factors, pilot error and flight deck operation. His research focuses on these areas and aircraft flight testing and design. He has a range of licenses on the Boeing 737 allowing him to fly and instruct on a commercial Boeing 737 simulator.

He is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) with strong experience in leading Higher Education course related to Aeronautics. He has significant experience in designing academic courses and related modules in accordance with the standards of relevant international quality assurance and accreditation bodies. In addition to his academic experience, Martin serves the local community as a Justice of the Peace (Magistrate).

Highlights from this year across Aeronautical Engineering

From getting hands on with our wind tunnel, to trips to an Airbus manufacturing facility and experiments aboard the flying laboratory at Cranfield; it's been an exciting and vibrant learning experience for all years of study across BEng (Hons) Aeronautical Engineering.

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Hear from a current student

Hi, my name is Tom, I am originally from Penrith in the Lake District. I am a second-year student studying Aeronautical Engineering here at the University of Staffordshire.

I have always had an interest in aviation and engineering, but my passion is flying. Having researched the course in detail, I found myself drawn to the modules and the structure of the course. Something else which I was keen to get involved with was the University Air Squadron (UAS) based at RAF Cosford.

Having completed my National Private Pilots Licence before I came to university, I was hoping to expand my flying abilities further, alongside all the other fantastic opportunities the UAS has to offer. Being part of the UAS has pushed me out of my comfort zone, helping me develop my skills, particularly leadership. I am now ‘In Command’ of Adventurous Training on the squadron and have taken part in some amazing opportunities in the UK and overseas.

The Royal Air Force as a pilot is the end goal, and everything the university has offered me has massively helped with my progression through the application process.

The University of Staffordshire is a very supportive and welcoming place to be. Everyone wants each other to succeed and enjoy their time at the university. For me, I have found the course excellent with some great chances to push yourself and prove to yourself you can achieve what you thought was not possible. In first year, the Design and Practice module was something which seemed daunting at first, but I really exceeded my own expectations.

Hear from a current Foundation Year student

Hello, my name in Osian, I'm 24 and I'm from a quarry town in Cymru (Wales).  I'm in my foundation year in aero. 

Ever since I was a kid my grandpa and dad always took me to see air shows and look at old aircraft in museums.  It was a lot later that I realised that I wanted to do a course that was meaningful to me and my history.  When covid happened I lost my chance to go to university, I had to go straight into work.  A few years later I took a big jump for my future and applied for the Aeronautical Engineering with a foundation year.  With being out of the education for a while, it's really helped me out with the foundation year - remembering how to do assignments and math.  

University of Staffordshire is welcoming, any person you talk to whether that's staff or student are extremely kind.  Coming back into education I had forgotten all my skills that I had, I'm thankful for all the assignments that we have gotten as I'm learning all the skills again.  One of the key skills I've learned is citing, quoting and reference work - big thanks to Humza for all the help with that.

Experience wise it is amazing to have the flight sim as it's great to be able to learn how to react when aircraft has issues.  

I highly recommend aeronautical as its a growing industry and University of Staffordshire has really good lecturers that will give up their time to help you, they will do everything they can.  Not many other university's foundation year lectures do that.


Frequently asked questions

How big are the classes?

For some of your classes you’ll be in lectures with other engineering disciplines and break down into smaller groups for tutorials. In more specialist modules you’ll be in smaller groups with just your course cohort.

How will I learn on the course?

Your studies will be a mix of practical and theory. Generally, you’ll learn the theory before going on to demonstrate it in a practical experiment in the laboratories. Alongside these subject specific skills, we’ll work with you to develop your employability and transferable skills, so you’ll be able to approach industry with confidence.

Can I do a placement year as part of the course?

Yes, you can look to undertake a year-long industry placement and you’ll be supported by our own placements team and careers staff to highlight your opportunities to apply for placements in industry and help you with your CV, interviews and careers skills to make sure you present yourself and your talent in the best possible way. Students have gained placements previously with Boeing UK and Airbus Helicopters amongst others.

What have graduates gone on to do?

Our Aeronautical graduates have gone on to a range of aviation roles, some as pilots (with further training), some into military roles and others into engineering roles, in both Aviation and other areas of Engineering.  We’ve seen them employed at companies such as Airbus Helicopters, Augusta Westland, Boeing and Red Bull F1.

Can you recommend any books or websites to read before starting the course?

While you’ll be able to access texts either in-person or as e-books during your studies, there’s some good places to get started on your reading.

The following websites are good sources of information.

aerosociety.com

theengineer.co.uk/aerospace

nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics

For books, a good starter is Introduction to Flight by John D. Anderson

Teaching staff

Martin Fiddler

Senior Lecturer

Before working at the university, Martin worked at Lucas Aerospace in Wolverhampton as a graduate apprentice, then as a design engineer.

Martin's profile

Dr Siva Marimuthu

Senior Lecturer

Dr Siva Marimuthu obtained his aeronautical engineering related academic & research experiences from India, Malaysia & UAE. His main area of interest is the implementation of biomimetic surface patterns to solve problems in the fluid regime.

Siva's profile

Debi Roberts

Interim Head Of Department

Debi has a keen interest in Automotive and Aeronautical Aerodynamics, Engine Design and Engineering History (Automotive and Aeronautical).

Debi's profile

Dr Abdul Waheed Awan

Senior Lecturer

Dr Awan is Senior Lecturer in Mechanical & Automotive Engineering and Award Leader for MSc Automotive Engineering and MSc Mechanical Engineering and Sustainable Energy Technologies within School of Digital, Technology, Innovation and Business.

Abdul Waheed's profile

Chris Wayman

Senior Lecturer

Chris worked as a Design Engineer in the automotive sector and in secondary Education specialising in creativity and Product Design Technology. His interests include historical product design, new manufacturing methods & materials and creati…

Chris's profile

Andrew Cash

Senior Lecturer

Andy's research interests include Automotive Propulsion and Vehicle Dynamics (mostly Engine related areas) branching out into Autonomous and Future Automotive.

Andrew's profile

Bhavesh Patel

Lecturer

Dr Alison Griffiths

Associate Professor

Alison's expertise includes smart grids and their protection and renewable integration, smart homes, wireless sensor network design, implementation and optimisation.

Alison's profile

Your next steps

  1. Accept your offer

    An exciting new chapter awaits you here at University of Staffordshire - we can't wait to meet you. Before you can progress with finance or accommodation choices, you'll need to confirm your offer via UCAS.

    Accept your offer

  2. Apply for student finance

    It's best to arrange your student finance before starting University. You can learn more about student finance and make an application at www.gov.uk/student-finance. Our support team is here to help, get in touch if you have any questions about student finance.

    Enquire about finance

  3. Apply for your accommodation

    We have a range of accommodation to choose from to suit all lifestyles and budgets, including en-suite and accessible rooms. Browse rooms and find out how to apply.

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