Bachelor/Masters of Engineering in Aeronautical Engineering

Niamh Fitzgibbon

Aviation has always been a passion of mine – my eyes have always been turned skywards! It was a natural progression of my love of aviation, maths and design to choose Aeronautical Engineering. I opted to study in the University of Limerick as it is recognised across the globe as one of the leaders in Aeronautical Engineering, with a strong track record in the industry. After graduation, I chose a Masters in Advanced Aircraft Design Concepts, which I knew would be vital to a career as an aircraft design engineer.

My current employer is Aero Inspection and I am work on their Design Team. The company specialises in minor modifications and repairs for cabin interiors, and placards for both the interior and exterior of aircraft. I prepare drawings for certification purposes, carry out detailed analysis of aircraft structures, prepare weight & balance reports, and prepare aircraft manual updates. I then visit the aircraft to support the implementation of the modifications.

UL’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering includes modules like flight mechanics, aircraft conceptual design, structures, and stability & control. These modules have prepared me for the detailed design work that I do every day. The Design-Build-Fly module was very important for my development as a design engineer. This project involved all stages of the aircraft design process; from the initial concept sketches, to detailed design and mechanical analysis, production, and the final test flights. It was a very challenging module, but it was the perfect opportunity to put theory into practice.

Another aspect of the course that sets it apart from the rest, is the eight-month compulsory internship. I was placed in Rolls-Royce, in Derby. The experience I gained here really helped my CV to stand out from the others.

Niamh works with Airbus

John McLaughlin

UL has a long-standing association with the aerospace industry, an industry that I was eager to become a part of. During my research of courses, I saw that UL had a very high percentage of graduate engineers entering the aerospace industry, largely due to the Co-Op work experience with leading aerospace companies. I also saw how UL has many facilities on campus that are relevant to Aeronautical Engineering, such as wind tunnels and flight simulators, so I knew that this was a practical “hands-on” course that did not exclusively involve classroom learning.

Throughout the course, we get to apply “real-world” engineering experiences to projects like stress analysis of aircraft structures using Finite Element Analysis and the designing, building and flying of a radio-controlled (RC) aircraft in my final year.

One of my favourite modules is Flight Mechanics where we get to experience a flight test in a twin-engine turbo-prop aircraft out at Shannon airport, where the pilot performs various manoeuvres to highlight the flight characteristics of the aircraft. This allows us to apply classroom theory to real-life aircraft testing methods.

I undertook my Co-Op with Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company, in Seattle, Washington where I worked on the engineering team of the 777X aircraft. One of my main roles was testing the functionality of the Autopilot which involved many fun hours in a flight simulator. I acquired many skills during my time at Boeing, such as writing Matlab scripts and using CAD packages such as Catia, all of which will assist me in my future career. This was an unforgettable experience in Seattle in which I was exposed to the many opportunities that are available in the aviation industry, not just in Ireland, but around the world.