A top flight career
Give wings to your ambition, literally. That is what aeronautical engineering promises. Though you will not likely be among those who guide those gigantic steel birds through the clouds, you surely will be among those who guarantee them a safe flight and feel proud when the aircraft touches ground safely.
Aeronautical engineering, for which opportunities in India exist with Government agencies such as the Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd., the Indian Space Research Organisation, the Indian Air Force and airlines companies, R&D labs in the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Civil Aviation, is one of the most technologically advanced branches of engineering.
The main thrust in this area is on design and development, which extends even to space and satellite research, testing and operation as well as maintenance of aircraft and aircraft components. It is an exciting field with scope for growth and job satisfaction, with quite attractive remunerations in store.
The basic eligibility is 10 + 2 with a high percentage of marks in science subjects and qualifying exam (JEE). To be an aeronautical engineer one should be a BE/B. Tech in aeronautics. Those who have passed the Associate membership exam conducted by the ASI (Aeronautical Society of India), which is at par with a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering, can also become aeronautical engineers. It is possible to take a degree in electronics or physics to work in this field and leave more options open.
Institutes like the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai, Mumbai, Kanpur and Kharagpur and Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, offer undergraduate courses in the subject, admissions for which are through a Joint Entrance Test (JEE) conducted in January and May every year along with the entrance for other streams. Postgraduate courses and Doctoral (Ph D) programmes are also available. The Madras Institute of Technology offers a three-year graduate programme in Aeronautical Engineering for B.Sc. students, subject to their having passed maths and physics at the graduation stage. The Indian Institute of Science (IIS), Bangalore, has M. Tech and Ph. D. programmes in aeronautics.
Associate Membership of the Aeronautical Society of India: The society conducts associate membership examination, sections A and B of which are recognised by the Ministry of Education, at par with a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from an Indian university. Students passing both the sections are eligible to appear in the GATE or postgraduate studies at IITs. Candidates who have passed Associate Membership Examination of the society are eligible for relaxation of 12 months experience requirements for the Aircraft Maintenance Engineers licence conducted by the Director-General of Civil Aviation. Details can be had from The Aeronautical Society of India, 13-b, Indraprastha Estate, New Delhi - 110 002 and by e-mailing to aerosoc@bol.net.in. The society has information on the field on its website aesi.org as well. The website http://www.allstar.fiu.edu/ is also helpful in this regard.
The VSM Aerospace AME Training School, Bangalore, too has called for applications to its Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) 3-year professional course and the
Associate Member of Aeronautical Society of India (AMAeSI) 4-year professional course. Information on these are available from the Institute's website www.avsmati.com, or by e-mailing to contactus@ avsmati.com.
Institutes that offer a future in this field:
Indian Institute of Technology, Powai, Mumbai, IIT, Kharagpur, Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai, Hindustan Institute of Engineering Technology, Nehru College of Aeronautical and Applied Sciences, Coimbatore, School of Aviation Science and Technology at the Delhi Flying Club near Safdarjung Airport, New Delhi, Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, IIT, Kanpur, Indian Institute of Aeronautics, Patna Airport, Patna, Institute of Aviation Technology, Haryana, Hindustan Electronics Academy, Bangalore, and the Indian Institute of Aeronautical Engineering, Dehradun.
By Dennis Marcus Mathew
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