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Take off with our amazing Aerospace Engineering facilities
From our flight simulators to incredible space labs, let your studies take off with our amazing Aerospace Engineering facilities. You'll love the hands-on learning which enables you to translate your studies into the field - and sky! With our wind tunnels, teaching jet engine and group design studios - the sky isn't the limit, it's only your first step.
Please note the exact facilities and equipment you will use depends on your specific course.
“Take full advantage of the engineering facilities available to you! From designing and modelling, prototyping and full-scale manufacture on the 3D printers, to spooling up the large aerospace wind tunnel to collect data."
Jack Koch – MEng Aerospace Engineering graduate (Graduate Airframe Engineer, BAE Systems)
Aerospace Labs
Facilities in our Aerospace Labs on University Park Campus include:
Flight simulators
Our ALSIM AL250 flight simulator is one of the only such simulators capable of bespoke flight models – something many UK university flight simulators can't do. You'll be able to fly bespoke aircraft flight models - part of the advanced flight dynamics module (practical activity), and individual student projects.
It's used in teaching sessions along with four Next Level Flight Simulator Cockpits, each equipped with a complete control set and triple monitors for an immersive flight experience. You'll also be able to access our flight simulators as part of optional extra-curricular sessions. These extra sessions are led by aerospace students with piloting experience, and provide even more opportunities to increase your flying skills.
Wind tunnels
As well as our high-quality wind tunnels used in teaching, we're one of a few UK universities to have a closed return wind tunnel (pictured) that has an interchangeable rolling-road facility. This means you can simulate the aerodynamics of an aircraft in flight and even an F1 car as it shoots along the tarmac (simulating near-ground interaction for aircraft and automotive aerodynamics).
Acquired specifically for our aerospace engineering course, it's used in individual student projects across several modules. You can use it to support wind tunnel testing of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV), including testing drone concepts as part of student participation in the IMechE UAS Challenge.
This facility is also being used in our H2020/Clean Sky 2 'WingPulse' research project. This is about developing advanced pulsed jet actuator concepts to control the air flow over aircraft wings, to significantly improve aerodynamic performance.
You can find out more about our teaching wind tunnels and closed return wind tunnel on our virtual tour.
Space Lab
Imagine yourself at NASA mission control. You'll love our incredible Space Lab facility – which tracks a range of satellites. We're one of a handful of UK universities capable of providing this experience.
The lab has space hardware and software to support teaching and projects, including CubeSat simulators (a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites) and a 3-metre cube magnetic resonance simulator, which simulates Earth's magnetic field.
Used on our 'Introduction to Space' and 'Spacecraft System & Design' modules, it acts as a command centre to receive and control satellites developed by University of Nottingham and amateur radio satellite operators.
The Space Lab is the main hub for our active extra-curricular space teams, who compete in a number of international CubeSat and rocketry competitions.
Find out more