Study in BSc Aircraft Maintenance Engineering for September 2013
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE ENGINEERING FAQs
MAIN HEADINGS
- WHY IS AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE IMPORTANT?
- THE COURSE
- EMPLOYABILITY AND CAREERS
- OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS
- OUR FACILITIES
- EASA AND CAA
- FEES AND FINANCE
WHY IS AIRCRAFT
MAINTENANCE ENGINEERING IMPORTANT?
Aircraft Maintenance
Engineers ensure that aircraft are safe in flight, and are maintained to
rigorous international standards.
Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) accounts for about 20% of the
global aviation industry and is worth about £5bn to the UK economy each
year. The global aircraft fleet is
expected to continue to grow over the next 20 years, and salaries and career
prospects in the industry are excellent.
THE COURSE
Why should I choose
this course?
Aircraft Maintenance
training in the UK is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and a
training provider must have a licence (“EASA Part 147”) from the CAA in order
to offer this training. Our course is
offered under an extension of British Airways’ training licence, so you follow
the same modules as their own staff. Our
facilities are fully approved by the CAA and British Airways Engineering to
their exacting standards.
Aircraft maintenance courses
combine rigorous academic study with the practical and management skills
required for a successful career in the aviation sector. Salaries are good, and the industry is
expected to grow in the UK and globally (particularly in the Middle East and
Asia). Job prospects for graduates are
excellent.
We have excellent
facilities which set a benchmark for aircraft maintenance training in the
UK. For more details see the
“Facilities” section below.
EMPLOYABILITY AND
CAREERS
What are the job
prospects in aircraft maintenance engineering?
100% of Glamorgan’s aerospace
(and aircraft maintenance engineering) graduates were in employment or further
study six months after graduation (Graduate Destination Survey, 2011).
Job prospects in
international aviation are excellent.
According to a recent survey by ADS[i]
the UK Aerospace Industry supports 200,000 direct jobs and 500,000 indirectly. Overall employment levels increased by 4.3%
in 2011 over those in 2010, and the gross median salary in the aerospace
industry increased by 2.7%. The average
annual salary for aerospace employees in 2010 was £34,834, compared to £25,912
for the UK as a whole.
Having the degree as
well as the practical training enhances your employment prospects, as you will
be able to progress more rapidly within the industry. Also according to the survey from ADS,
graduates, engineers, and managers increased their share of the UK’s aviation
workforce from 36% in 2010 to 39% in 2011[ii].
OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH
BRITISH AIRWAYS
What does your
partnership with British Airways mean for me?
British Airways chose
the University of Glamorgan as their sole university partner for aircraft
maintenance training because of our commitment to setting up industry-standard
facilities and our strong background in aircraft maintenance engineering. Our students gain several advantages from the
Partnership:
The training is provided under the licence of British
Airways Engineering, so you are taught the practical elements in exactly the
same way as BA would train its own staff.
Upon successful completion of the assessments you will get
a certificate from BA (as well as a degree certificate) which shows that you
have completed the taught and practical elements of the training to the standards
of British Airways Engineering, and this certificate will be recognised by the
aviation industry around the world.
British Airways Engineering will offer places at their
facilities to up to 50 of our students each year to complete the practical
tasks and hands-on hours, which you need to complete in order to satisfy the
basic training requirements of EASA and the CAA as an Aircraft Maintenance
Engineer.
Senior staff from BA Engineering will provide guest
lectures on the course, giving you expert insight to the challenges of the
modern aviation industry.
What about
on-the-job training?
You will be able to complete
a total of twelve weeks of “on-the-job” training with British Airways during
the summer periods of the second and third years of your degree course. There will be an additional charge for this,
although this is not required for successful completion of the degree.
How many hours per
week will I study?
The course has a high
number of contact hours, approximately 30 hours per week throughout the whole
academic year from September to June.
The course complies with the EASA requirement that you complete a
minimum of 2,400 hours of training over the three years of the degree. Class sizes are also regulated by EASA and
must not exceed 28 students per class.
What modules will I
study?
The content of the
“EASA Modules” is specified by EASA.
“Non-EASA Modules” are part of the university curriculum and contribute
to the award of the BSc(Hons) degree.
You will study modules worth 120 credits in each year, and 360 credits
in total for the BSc(Hons) degree.
Year 1
|
EASA Module
|
Credits
|
Professional Practice
for Engineers (non-EASA)
|
No
|
20
|
Analytical Methods
for Engineers
|
Yes
|
20
|
Physics
|
Yes
|
10
|
Electronic
Fundamentals
|
Yes
|
10
|
Electrical
Fundamentals
|
Yes
|
20
|
Basic Aerodynamics
|
Yes
|
10
|
Human Factors
|
Yes
|
10
|
Aviation Legislation
|
Yes
|
20
|
Year 2
|
||
Maintenance Practices
|
Yes
|
40
|
Engineering Management
& Business Constraints (non-EASA)
|
No
|
20
|
Instrumentation
Systems
|
Yes
|
20
|
Materials &
Hardware
|
Yes
|
20
|
Propeller.
|
Yes
|
20
|
Year 3
|
||
Final Year Project
(BSc) (non-EASA)
|
No
|
30
|
Engineering Project
Management & Business Planning (non-EASA)
|
No
|
20
|
Project Research Methodology
(non-EASA)
|
No
|
10
|
Gas Turbine Engine
|
Yes
|
20
|
Aerodynamics of
Flight
|
Yes
|
10
|
Aircraft Structures
& Systems
|
Yes
|
30
|
What will I receive
after I graduate if I pass all my exams?
There are three
components to this:
A BSc(Hons) degree in Aircraft Maintenance
Engineerin
A certificate from British Airways indicating that you have
passed the EASA modules under BA’s licence and are therefore qualified in the
same way on those modules as a member of BA’s staff.A minimum of 2,400 hours of basic aircraft maintenance training.
Is this sufficient
for me to work as an aircraft maintenance engineer?
To be fully qualified
as an aircraft maintenance engineer to work on live aircraft you must have a professional
licence issued by the CAA. “Licence B
1.1” is the basic licence for the mechanical and structural systems of turbine
aircraft. “Licence B2” is the basic
licence for aircraft avionics.
Upon successful
completion of the EASA examinations, individuals normally need three years of
practical experience in an approved
“EASA Part 145” maintenance organisation before you will be compliant with the
EASA requirements for the award of a basic licence in aircraft maintenance
engineering, either B1.1 or B2. Graduates
of this BSc (Hons) will only need two years of further practical experience.
OUR FACILITIES
Since 2010 we have
invested approximately £2m in the facilities for this course.
Aerospace Centre
This facility houses a Jetstream 31 Twin Turboprop Aircraft
fitted with a 19-passenger configuration. It is equipped with Honeywell TPE331 Engines
and Rockwell-Collins Proline II Avionics. It is equipped with all the general
and specialist aircraft tools in order to carry out the necessary practical
tasks required by the CAA.
EASA Approved Suite of Practical
Training Facilities
Training and practical workshops and laboratories are
provided for the instruction and assessment of practical skills. Each area is
equipped with a range of tools and equipment to facilitate the instruction of
either mechanical or avionic practical tasks as required by the CAA. The
University has a fitting and structural repair workshop, a dedicated composite
fabrication and repair workshop, and two dedicated electrical and avionic
laboratories.
In addition to the
dedicated aircraft maintenance facilities, the department also has a range of
other laboratories to support the delivery of the course. These include the
following.
Gas Turbine Simulator – GT185
The TQ two-shaft gas turbine has a single-shaft main
turbine with an associated compressor. It has a second, free, turbine to absorb
energy from the hot gas exhaust. This system has its own software that allows
students to display and collect real-time data and test information.
Merlin MP521 Flight Simulator
This is a full motion, three axes, single-seater flight
simulator that may be programmed for several aircraft types from the Airbus
A380 to the smallest Cessna 150.
Wind tunnel
Students have access to a sub-sonic Wind Tunnel that may be
used for basic aerodynamic instruction, testing and demonstrations on various
aerofoil shapes and configurations.
EASA AND CAA
What is EASA?
EASA is the European
Aviation Safety Agency which promotes safety and environmental standards in
aviation across the EU and in some other countries. A training provider must have a licence under
“EASA Part 147” and aircraft maintenance engineers must have their own licences
under “EASA Part 66” before they can work on aircraft. An organisation, such as an airline, which
maintains aircraft, must have an “EASA Part 145” licence. See http://easa.europa.eu for more details.
What is the CAA?
In the UK, the EASA
regulations are implemented and monitored by the Civil Aviation Authority
(CAA). For more details see http://caa.co.uk
FEES AND FINANCE
For information about
the fees for the course, please use the “Tuition Fees Calculator” at the
following link:
http://courses.glam.ac.uk/courses/588-bsc-hons-aircraft-maintenance-engineering
For other information
about student finance and bursaries please see the University’s Student Money
website at http://studentmoney.glam.ac.uk/
[i] ADS UK Aerospace Survey 2012, pp. 12, 30,
31; see www.adsgroup.org.uk/pages/35926020.asp
[ii] ADS UK Aerospace Survey 2012, p. 32; see www.adsgroup.org.uk/pages/35926020.asp
