Tuesday, 17 September 2024
A Spitfire cockpit simulator, designed and developed by engineers from the University of Nottingham, has been officially unveiled at a local gallery.
A uniquely collaborative project led by Associate Professor Mark Jabbal, from the Faculty of Engineering, saw more than 100 students and around 10 apprentice technicians contribute to the development of the Spitfire simulator.
Undergraduate aerospace engineering students voluntarily assisted on the project over a four-year period between 2019 and 2023 as an extracurricular activity, working in teams of four or five at a time before the finished simulator went to the Spitfire Gallery at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent – birthplace of R.J. Mitchell CBE, aircraft designer who led the team that designed the Spitfire aircraft.
Operation Spitfire, a voluntary group wanting to make the gallery more interactive for visitors and become the ideal place for STEM learning for children, launched the idea of a Spitfire simulator and through Mark - originally from Stoke-on-Trent and a member of the group - students from the University of Nottingham were encouraged to get involved.
Engineering students from the University of Nottingham were involved in the construction of the simulator
Despite delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, students from across the engineering faculty were able to get involved with the construction of the simulator. This included a number of individual and group projects supervised by Mark, as well as apprentice technicians responsible for developing specific components in the simulator. Finally, Mark Discombe MBE – one of the most experienced Spitfire pilots in the UK – tested the simulator for accuracy before it left the University. Mark Discombe was impressed by the realism of the simulator.
The simulator was officially opened in the Spitfire Gallery on 15 September, Battle of Britain Day, by Stoke-on-Trent Lord Mayor, Councillor Lyn Sharpe and Stoke-born former Fleet Air Arm’s elite test pilot, Commander Nathan Gray.
“The aim of the simulator is when the public try it, they’ll immediately get a sense of what it’s like to be in a Spitfire aircraft, because we’ve created the cockpit, the layout, the instruments, and the feel of it to be as close to a Spitfire aircraft as possible.
“The gallery has a static Spitfire aircraft on display, but no one can actually sit in it. So it’s that opportunity of being in the cockpit and getting a sense of what it’s like to fly. As well as inspiring future generations, it’s given our students the opportunity to engage in an exciting project and to apply the practical skills gained from their course.”
Operation Spitfire anticipate that the simulator will be a centrepiece of a local schools STEM initiative to inspire more young people from one of the most deprived areas of the UK into careers in aviation and aerospace engineering.
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More information is available from Dr Mark Jabbal on Mark.Jabbal@nottingham.ac.uk or Faith Pring in the Press Office on faith.pring@nottingham.ac.uk
Faith Pring - Media Relations Manager
Email: faith.pring@nottingham.ac.uk
Phone: 0115 748 4411
Location: University of Nottingham, University Park
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About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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