Aviation careers achieve top flight
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The country, in the middle of an aviation boom, needs 6,000 pilots and 60,000 aircraft-maintenance engineers in 10 years. G. KRISHNAKUMAR takes a look at courses and careers in the sector which has raised the hopes of thousands of stude
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Top gun: The A 380 cockpit. Path-breaking technologies and affordable air travel will sustain the boom.
The demand for aeronautical engineering courses has soared with the country witnessing an unprecedented growth in the aviation sector. The boom has inevitably raised the hopes of thousands of students who dream of pursuing a career in aviation. Estimates indicate that the Indian aviation industry will need investments totalling $120 billion by 2020.
The country will need 6,000 pilots and 60,000 aircraft-maintenance engineers in the next 10 years, C.G. Krishnadas Nair, former Chairman of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), told The Hindu Educationplus.
“The sector is recording 25 to 30 per cent growth every year. Demand for professionals in the sector will go up in the coming years.”
Dr. Nair, who penned a blueprint on the spectacular growth of the aviation industry, along with the aeronautical scientist K.N. Krishnamoorthy, forecasts all-round growth of both the civil and military aviation sectors.
“India’s airlines industry is expected to spend more than Rs. 1,32,000 crore to buy 343 aircraft by 2015. And, while aircraft movement will increase from 10,00,000 in 2006-07 to 15,13,000 in 2020, passenger traffic will go up during the period from around 90 million to 219 million,” he said.
Referring to the increasing opportunities in the field, Dr. Nair said the demand for transport and cargo aircraft and the need for more military aircraft would provide challenging opportunities for growth. The recently introduced offset clause in aircraft and defence procurements (that are valued at over Rs. 300 crore), the investment for airport infrastructure, and training and educating the manpower needed to manage the industry would propel overall development of the aviation sector, he said.
The blueprint forecasts the incorporation of joint ventures in the manufacture of aero structures, aircraft equipment and systems, airport security and aircraft- and passenger-handling equipment. On the setting up of maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities, it points out that overseas aircraft, engine and systems manufacturers will set up joint ventures in India.
Academic programmes
Aerospace engineering programmes, including those offered by some private colleges, have caught the attention of students with many selecting it as their core subject for higher education. Aerospace engineering is a modified branch of aeronautical engineering and both branches are considered similar. Aerospace or aeronautical engineering is a branch of study dealing with the design, construction, development, testing and manufacturing of commercial aircraft, defence aircraft, spacecraft, missiles and so on. Aerospace and aeronautical engineers specialise in propulsion, aerodynamics, fluids, flight mechanics, heat transfer, operations research, aerospace management or in maintenance of instruments, electrical and electronic equipment and navigation, radar and radio communication devices related to aviation.
Four-year B.Tech. and five-year M.Tech. dual degree programmes are available in aerospace engineering for Plus Two students with mathematics, physics and chemistry, biotechnology, computer science or biology. Aerospace or aeronautical engineers are involved in mechanical, electronic and aeronautical work.
Those who successfully complete these courses are eligible to work as flight engineers. The main duty of a flight engineer is to conduct pre-flight inspection and ensure the smooth performance of the aircraft. He is entrusted with the maintenance and overhaul of aircraft.
The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are the best centres offering four-year full-time B.Tech. courses in aerospace engineering. This branch is available at the IITs in Chennai, Mumbai, Kanpur and Kharagpur. They also offer a five-year M.Tech. dual degree course. Admission is on the basis of the IIT-Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).
The entrance examination will consist of two papers, each of three-hour duration. Papers 1 and 2 will each have three separate sections — physics, chemistry and mathematics. Both papers will be of objective type designed to test the comprehension and analytical ability of students.
Those who have passed Plus Two or equivalent examinations and have secured at least 60 per cent marks or grade (55 per cent for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe and physically challenged students) are eligible to appear for the JEE.
The four-year B.Tech. programme include courses in basic and engineering sciences and a number of electives, besides the principal areas such as thermodynamics, aerodynamics, aircraft structures, propulsion, flight mechanics and aircraft design. The Department of Aerospace Engineering of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, offers popular programmes in aerospace engineering. Students are admitted to the research programme and to the Master of Engineering programme. In the research stream, there are two categories: M.Sc. (engineering) and Ph.D.
Students having M.E., M.Tech. or M.Sc. in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronics, chemical engineering, computer science, civil engineering, metallurgy and instrumentation can apply for the Ph.D. programme. The minimum requirement in all cases is a second class or equivalent grade in the qualifying examination. Where B.Sc. with professional diploma is prescribed, the candidates should have passed the degree course with at least second class and with physics and mathematics as subjects in the curriculum.
Some of the areas of research include aerodynamics; theoretical and experimental fluid mechanics; applied aerodynamics; hypersonic and high enthalpy flows; computational fluid dynamics; flight mechanics of aircraft and helicopters; guidance and control; dynamics and control of aerospace vehicles; orbital mechanics; space robotics; guidance; avionics; radar and electromagnetic systems; parallel/distributed processing and applications; genetic algorithms and neural networks for aerospace systems; optimisation and estimation techniques in aerospace systems; and propulsion. Students with B.E. or B.Tech. in aerospace engineering, electronics engineering, chemical engineering, computer science, civil engineering, metallurgy and instrumentation or M.Sc. in physics, mathematics or instrumentation or B.Sc. in physics or mathematics with AMIE or AMAeSI can apply for the M.Sc. programme in aerospace engineering.
Candidates are eligible to initially register only for M.Sc.(engineering) degree. If their performance is outstanding, they will be permitted to convert to the Ph.D. programme at the end of the first year subject to academic assessments. The minimum requirement in all cases is a second class or equivalent grade in the qualifying examination as indicated against each department.
Cusat programmes
In Kerala, the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) has introduced two B.Tech. programmes in aerospace engineering. Professor-Emeritus of Department of Aerospace Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science B. Dattaguru, member of the expert team that formulated the syllabus for the programme, said the B.Tech. programme in aerospace engineering included latest technologies and innovations in aeronautics. The curriculum includes not only the science and technology of aeronautics but also practical aspects related to other disciplines such as materials, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronics and computer science, he said.
The B.Tech. programme in aircraft manufacturing and maintenance engineering will help students understand all aspects of aircraft manufacturing methodologies and maintenance philosophies and materials fabrication processes.
The present intake of students is 30 a year. The capacity will be increased to two batches of 40 students each. In 2007-08, the university plans to have 88 students.
Opportunities
Those who have obtained BE, B.Tech. or equivalent qualifications in aerospace or aeronautical engineering can look for jobs with private airline companies, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., the Defence Research and Development Organisation, the Aeronautical Development Establishments, the Civil Aviation Department, the Indian Air Force, the Army, and the Navy.
Entry-level salary ranges between Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 30,000. For certified aircraft maintenance engineers, companies offer attractive packages in the range of Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh.
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