I currently 19 years old with a fascination for engineering and flight, and so I am going in for the course mentioned above.
I've applied to Liverpool, Brunel, Bath, Sheffield and Manchester.
Does anyone have any experiences of these Unis and the courses they offer?
Further from that, what kind of employment prospects are there for post grads?
I was particularly interested in working for NATS as a direct entry graduate, but ideally I would love to work for BAE in some kind of research and Development.
Am I naive or just like everyone else with a passion for engineering?
A trivial point of terminology: "postgrad" = somebody doing a second degree, "graduate" = somebody with a degree.
Anyhow, employment opportunities seem to be very good at the moment, and I doubt you'll regret doing a degree at any of those universities.
But (there's always a but) don't for a moment think that the degree itself makes you all that employable, or that getting your first job (with NATS, BAE(S) or any of the miriad of other players). It is an essential for many aero-eng jobs (certainly most of the jobs that I've done), but it is your experience and abilities that'll really make you employable.
So, pick whichever of those universities suits you - there isn't a bad one on your list (although each arguably has its specialisms - for example at Brunel the Aerospace degree is more mecheng for people who want to work in the aerospace industry, and if you really want to do aerospace engineering there you'd be better off on their Aviation degree), but en-route get as much real knowledge, experience and contacts as possible - that is what will get you the job you really want at the end.
I would suggest looking at the places themselves (and which are most likely to suit you as a place to live for 4 years) as well as the specialist subjects taught in the later years - see what is most likely to suit your own lifestyle and career aspirations.
G