Hi,
I'm currently in my second year studying Aeronautical Engineering at Bristol and loving it!
Half the reason I chose Bristol over other universities is that while other unis have combined first and second years with Mechanical/Civil (etc) engineering Bristol separates you from the beginning and hence the course is completely aircraft based. In general terms this means during structures lectures all the examples will be of wing spars rather than a general beam, and computing projects will be based on aircraft passenger data etc. While this may seem trivial it does help keep you on track and remind you of the overall course aim.
Additionally, Bristol has excellent links to Filton and Airbus so undergraduate placements are common and in the third year there is a large project in which you design an aircraft and it is judged by Airbus employees.
For university rankings the accepted list is the Times Good University Guide (see link below). This gives a overall picture of how good a Uni is at a given subject.
http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/tol_gug/gooduniversityguide.php?AC_sub=Aeronautical+and+Manufacturin g+Engineering&x=43&y=6⊂=1
Finally, while the course is extremely important it is also worthwhile thinking about the environment you'll be working in. Not only does Bristol have excellent facilities but the university is located in the middle of the city within easy walking distance of shops etc, something I know others on campus universities miss.
Hope all this helps and if you would like any more information don't hesitate to PM me and if needs be I'll give you my email.
Cheers
Ali Strong