Military Man
15th Mar 2003, 21:40
Hi there
Im starting a BTEC Aerospace Engineering course in September (90% sure) at Newcastle Aviation Academy and was wondering if anyone knows of any useful resoucres either on the web or in book stores which would be suited to this type of course.
cheers
MM
Genghis the Engineer
16th Mar 2003, 13:06
In the links page over on tech log, you'll find stacks of stuff that should be useful once you get there, particularly after the first year.
In the meantime however, most of the textbooks you'll need will be recommended by your lecturers and available locally. But to help your startout be as painless as possible I can make a few suggestions:-
- Brush up your maths, however good you think it is, (including A standard A-level marks) you'll struggle. There are a few "Engineering Mathematics", or similar titled books that are very good. If you don't know your course's recommended book could I suggest a very good one of that title by K A Stroud. Especially work on your algebra and calculus - which underly virtually all engineering theory.
- Spend some time getting a feel for the non-mathematical issues behind aircraft design. I'd suggest two books there. One is Kermode's superb "Flight without Formulae", the other is (harder to get hold of) Prouty's "Helicopter Aerodynamics" (not his other more highbrow volume).
- I don't know if you are a pilot or not, but regardless go and borrow the operators manual for an aeroplane, any aeroplane, and find your way around it. The reason here is that by learning the way one areoplane fits together well, it becomes much easier to understand similar issues on anything else.
G
Military Man
16th Mar 2003, 13:37
Thanks for the reply, i will have a look at the books you have suggested. I have just started my PPL and have the Jeremy Pratt books so i have looked at all the Tech side of it but i will get a PA-28 operating handbook or get a Boeing 737 handbook (considering im going to be working on a 737 airframe) lol.
Thanks again mate
Cheers