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Aviation History
1931
1931 - 1107.PDF
FLIGHT. OCTOBER 16, 1931 Meeting a Demand The College of Aeronautical Engineering started its first term on October 7 with a full complement of students IN spite of the pessimists who just sit on their haunchesand moan about bad trade and their inability to selltheir goods—in spite of those who still seem to thinkthat the way to sell things is to sit down and whistle for customers to come to them—in spite of all these andmany more such hindrances, the aircraft business is grow- ing. Growing slowly, but surely, and the volume of ourexport trade in both aircraft and engines is steadily becom- ing a matter of some importance. This growth means that more men will be absorbed intothe trade, and so the chance for the properly trained man will become better and better. Unfortunately, it has todate, been comparatively hard for young men to obtain the right training before entering a manufacturer's works,but now, with the establishment of the College of Aero- nautical Engineering at Sydney Street, opposite ChelseaTown Hall, those who wish to get a very good grounding in general engineering and become sufficiently advanced inaeronautical engineering to obtain their Ground Engineer's Licences " A " and " B," will have no difficulty in doingso. Thus equipped, they should far better be able to fill administrative positions than those who lack such atraining. The College of Aeronautical Engineering sets a newstandard altogether. It is closely allied in this enter- prise with the Brooklands School of Flying, and it is atthis latter place that the students will obtain their prac- tical aviation training. A visit to the College shows the care and forethoughtwith which tlie whole curriculum has been laid out. Right from the beginning the students ha\'e inculcated uponthem the necessity for hard and studious application to what is being taught them, and they have little oppor-tunity for simply " scraping through." The course as laid out is very comprehensive, and covers every fieldlikely to be of use to those holding positions of authority in aviation. It is, however, not suggested that on leavingthe College students will immediately be able to command high wages at some job about which they have little prac-tical knowledge ;' far from it, but it' is affirmed, and MACHINE SHOP : Cylinder grinding, shaping and milling machines aremployed in this shop. All the work is done as part of a carefully thought course °f instruction and nothing is left to the pupil to do as he may think fit. (FLIGHT Photo.) THE WELDING SHOP: In this shop the students aretaught oxy acetylene welding of both steel and aluminium. (FLIGHT Photo.) rightly so 1 think, that those who have passed creditablythrough the whole of the aeronautical course should be- come of real value to their emploj-ers far sooner thanthose who have not done so. Instruction is given, not only in general engineeringpractice, but also in aero engine overhaul and mainten- ance, air navigation and meteorology, wireless, light andsignals, aerodrome organisation, aviation law, theory of flight and aeroplane design. In fact, every matter ofengineering appertaining to aircraft is dealt" with. The course includes everything which is necessary to obtainthe Ground Engineer's Licences " A " and " C," though naturally these can only be obtained after due examina-tion by Air Ministry officials. The " B " licence can also be obtained after sufficient timehas been spent in the workshops of an aircraft manufacturer. The College is run as a college,and the students have to conform to rules exactly as they wouldhave to do in any other college. They must not be less than 17years of age, and must have a certain definite standard ofeducation. From what I saw, I should say that the type underinstruction is just the sort re- quired. They were all keenlooking, and "of the kind who gave one the impression that theywere out to prove their worth. It was interesting to hear that,although the College only started its first term on Wednesday,October 7, yet the course is already quite full, and, indeed,more than double the numbers it is possible to take, have appliedto join. Students have come from America, South Africa and India,so there is little doubt that the College is filling an existing want.The College has been started jointly by the Automobile Engi-neering College and the Brook- lands School of Flying. Theformer has had many years' ex- perience of turning out youngengineers who know all about motor-cars, and they are there-fore well qualified to undertake the instruction of students in 1037
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