I missed this thread too but I'll throw my two cents in....
I am a Newcastle graduate. I loved the course however frustrating it may have been.
"Alan" is a genious and you can learn off him, I did alright (97% in aerodynamics).
I think its as simple as a first year psyc class get 300-400 studenta and an aviation class gets 50.
Its probably cheaper to teach one class of 300 that one class of 50.
Maybe Johnny Howards to blame with his uni funding policy?
PS It didn't help with the attitudes of some of the students
"when am I ever going to need to know that?"