Designed to support the global Aviation industry, Perth College UHI, in partnership with Air Service Training (AST) has introduced a unique new course. The BSc (Hons) Aircraft Maintenance Engineering and Management degree is the only one of its kind in Scotland. Our Engineering and Aviation Sector Manager, Aidan Henderson tells us all about it:

Meeting modern industry demands

The aeronautical industry requires high calibre engineers and technicians at every stage of the product life-cycle, from conceptual design through to in-service support. This degree aims to produce engineers that have the skills that the sector needs. It has been developed through close consultation with industry, including AST, the oldest aviation training organisation of its type in the world.

Graduates with key management skills

This course will provide students with the opportunity to obtain a training certificate in addition to an honours degree. The programme meets the academic requirements of EASA part 66, and provides modules in leadership, planning and management. Graduates will be work-ready engineers who are exceptionally technically competent, but also future team leaders and managers.

Experienced and knowledgeable staff

The staff in the Aeronautical and Aircraft Engineering department have a broad and varied background. Ranging from Civilian Engineers who have worked on almost every aircraft in the British Airways and Virgin Atlantic fleets, to a previous Chief Engineer of the Red Arrows, to Aerodynamicists who have worked on government projects and with Formula 1 teams. There’s significant industrial experience within the team, and best part of 1000 years of experience between them.

Many of our staff are involved in high profile projects. Our Professor for Engineering here at University of Highland and Islands, Perth College, Andrew Rae has led the design of an aeroplane which is the first ever to be successfully powered by variable-buoyancy propulsion. You can read all about it here. Lecturer for Aircraft Engineering, Calum Aird was also involved in this project, primarily with CAD design and wind tunnel testing. Other high profile projects Calum has been involved with recently are; the development of remote Labs at UHI using National Instruments LabVIEW and the small wind tunnel; including the development of a motion platform VR flight simulator.

World-class facilities

Delivered in Perth, the degree makes use of both Perth College UHI and AST’s world-class facilities. This includes the hangar space, functioning aircraft, fixed base and full motion simulators, along with wind tunnels and research facilities. The Dunne Aeronautical Laboratory gives our Aircraft Engineering students access to state-of-the-art learning and research facilities in aerodynamics, propulsion and flight. In addition, Perth College UHI is the lead partner in the new Aviation Academy for Scotland, a multi-million pound investment in the region by the Tay Cities Deal. This will bring together commercial, academic and industry partners all under one roof. Further information on this can be found here.