At Coventry University, we took part in various sessions as part of our preparation for the next phase. These included a fascinating tour of the department, allowing us to gain further insight into aerospace systems as we explored facilities such as wind tunnels, flight simulators and even what used to be a fighter jet for reconnaissance, the Harrier T4.

We were able to talk to representatives of the Royal Aeronautical Society, who gave us more ideas about the project.  We also had the opportunity to talk to a professor from the Aerospace Engineering department of Middlesex University who helped us with our final design. All of us participated in a mentoring session with the Head of the Aerospace Engineering department at Coventry University, who gave us valuable insight into the career of an aerospace engineer and how to step into the industry; this was an invaluable experience!

The next phase involves all teams working on final designs and assembling the awarded work packages we bid for. It will include collaboration with other winning teams all over the country and a final assembly where we will all be able to build the simulator and see our designs in action as they provide a more accessible flight experience for all.

As part of our prize for our Phase 1 achievements, we were given the opportunity to visit the Aerozone at Stansted Airport. We had a lovely host who explained the history of the airport to us, and we even got to play around the flight simulators! We had some amazing speakers, who explained how the Aerospace industry has evolved over the years and how interlinked all the careers within the industry are. Finally, we did some plane spotting, and we saw lots of Ryanair flights taking off, with a surprise Emirates aircraft at the end!

All of us loved the experience and are grateful to the organisers of the Falcon 2 programme and the teachers who helped to organise this trip!

By Shriyam and Navya, Year 13