HNC Aircraft Engineering

Course description

Aerospace is a high profile industry which focuses on the design and manufacture of a wide range of aircraft, systems and equipment. It also involves the maintenance and repair of aircraft products. Aerospace offers superb career opportunities for those who are technical, practical and genuinely fascinated by flight. It is a key sector within the Ayrshire economy and we work very closely with local employers, ensuring our courses offer the skills and training they look for in employees. If you’d like to work in aircraft engineering, this course could start you off on a great career.

This course will give you a deeper understanding of many aspects of aircraft systems and the processes required for flight. It involves a mixture of theory and practical work. You’ll also have the advantage of learning in our state of the art Aeronautical Engineering Training Centre and being taught by aviation industry experts. You’ll look at modern aircraft construction and the different types of structures and materials used, as well as construction methods of major components. You’ll explore aerodynamics and flight mechanics, and learn about the layout and configuration of different aircraft types. You’ll look at aircraft propulsion systems. Focusing on piston engines and gas turbine engines, you’ll explore thrust production, fuel and lubrication systems, and starting and ignition systems. You’ll learn about pneumatic and hydraulic power within common aircraft systems. You’ll look at aircraft avionic systems, including radio communications, radar, navigation and automatic flight control. You’ll explore physics for aviation, and learn to solve aircraft engineering problems in solid mechanics, thermofluids, wave motion and mechanical vibration. You’ll also develop your maths skills in an engineering context. You’ll also focus on human factors (social, psychological and physical) and how they can affect an individual’s performance in an aircraft engineering maintenance environment. On the practical side, you’ll learn a wide range of skills needed for the manufacture and maintenance of aircraft components and systems, including structural and mechanical assemblies, and electrical and electronic circuits. You’ll also develop skills in Computer Aided Draughting (CAD), learning how to produce 2D engineering drawings, and generate 3D shapes.

Learning outcome

When you successfully complete this course, you’ll have the choice of: Moving onto HND Aircraft Engineering (Level 8)Seeking to start your career in aeronautical engineering, with a Modern Apprenticeship or employment in a role such as a Trainee Mechanic or a B1/B2 Licensed Engineer Local employers including Collins Aerospace, Spirit AeroSystems, Ryanair, GE Caledonian and British Airways Maintenance Glasgow (BAMG) often come to us to recruit students from this course as employees and/or apprentices.