Career Talk: Aerospace Engineering
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Aerospace engineers design, develop, and test aircraft, spacecraft, and missiles and supervise the manufacture of these products.
Those who work with aircraft are called aeronautical engineers, and those working specifically with spacecraft are astronautical engineers. Aerospace engineers develop new technologies for use in aviation, defense systems, and space exploration, often specializing in areas such as structural design, guidance, navigation and control, instrumentation and communication, or production methods. They also may specialize in a particular type of aerospace product, such as commercial aircraft, military fighter jets, helicopters, spacecraft, or missiles and rockets, and may become experts in aerodynamics, thermodynamics, celestial mechanics, propulsion, acoustics, or guidance and control systems.
Aerospace Engineering Department was established in 1996 in University of Putra Malaysia. National Blueprint for the Development of the Malaysian Aerospace Industry was the backbone for the establishment of Aerospace Engineering Department. The ultimate goal was to develop Malaysia's aerospace industry to be on par with foreign countries. The Department of Aerospace Engineering has been responsible for the teaching, researching and consultants in aerospace field such as Aerodynamic, Thermodynamic, Material Structure and Flight Control, Design and Simulation. In Aerospace Engineering, various disciplines of engineering programmes are emphasized towards the aircraft and spacecraft. These programmes combine knowledge from Aeronautic, Mechanical, Electrical & Electronical, Material, Computer Programming and Industrial Analysis.
In UPM, there are currently 3 Indians in 2nd year. Not many Indians favor this course as not much exposure is given about this course. Often, people tend to recognize Aerospace Engineers as a pilot who maneuver flights. However this perception is wrong as we never involves in piloting but instead the manufacturing of the aircraft and the control systems related to it. The other limelight our department got involved was during the controversial transfer of department to National University of Malaysia(UKM) which resulted in the resignation of our beloved Vice-Chancellor due to the support he threw behind us. Once again, after months of silent protests and rational explanation given, our department was allowed to stay in UPM. ** cheers and kudos to all the parties involved in the crises especially our VC, Head of Department, lecturers, staffs, fellow UPM mates and the public. Online bloggers also helped voiced out our dissatisfactions. Thanks to all of them!**
Currently various researches are ongoing in our department such as "Design of the Autonomous Combined Energy and Attitude Control System for Small Satellites" and” Fabrication of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Autopilot Control System" and etc. As one of the research assistant for the UAV project tea
m, I had learnt a lot of the Aerospace Engineering through which lectures did not teach. We fabricate the medium scale light aircraft and install the autopilot control system in it so that the UAV could fly autonomously without a pilot. This project has been receiving tremendous supports and encouragement from the government and the private sector. Currently the UAV named as "PERMAISURI” has been "adored" by few buyers. It is expected that this technology could be transferred to various sectors such as reconnaissance, surveillance, defense and agricultural purposes. Purchasing of aircrafts or UAV from overseas could cost the government a lot of money as the R&D involved in these projects are often very high. Therefore through Department of Aerospace Engineering, these technologies could be manufactured here and utilized in most proper way.
Another negative perception of Aerospace Engineering is the prospect of a career in this field. Failure to secure a job is often used as an excuse by the pessimist but the reality however differs. As an Aerospace Engineer, one could have the diversity of the career to get involved. Be it the person responsible for everyone to watch World Cup or traveling overseas, an Aerospace Engineer is required to develop the satellites and the airplanes. Besides that, Aerospace Designing Engineering is a must for the maintenance, modification and fabrication of an aircraft according to the standard procedure. This is very important in the context of safety and reliability of an aircraft.
Further information could be attained through Department of Aerospace Engineering, UPM.
Add: Jabatan Kejuruteraan Aeroangkasa, Fakulti Kejuruteraan, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan.
Tel: 603-8946 6400
Fax: 603-8656 7125
Email: aero@eng.upm.edu.my
Together here I enclosed some of the aerial images taken using the UAV.
Services are provided for a reasonable price. Buyers are welcomed.
Question or doubts could be sent to my mail... rehan_vivek@yahoo.com or here.
Those who work with aircraft are called aeronautical engineers, and those working specifically with spacecraft are astronautical engineers. Aerospace engineers develop new technologies for use in aviation, defense systems, and space exploration, often specializing in areas such as structural design, guidance, navigation and control, instrumentation and communication, or production methods. They also may specialize in a particular type of aerospace product, such as commercial aircraft, military fighter jets, helicopters, spacecraft, or missiles and rockets, and may become experts in aerodynamics, thermodynamics, celestial mechanics, propulsion, acoustics, or guidance and control systems.Aerospace Engineering Department was established in 1996 in University of Putra Malaysia. National Blueprint for the Development of the Malaysian Aerospace Industry was the backbone for the establishment of Aerospace Engineering Department. The ultimate goal was to develop Malaysia's aerospace industry to be on par with foreign countries. The Department of Aerospace Engineering has been responsible for the teaching, researching and consultants in aerospace field such as Aerodynamic, Thermodynamic, Material Structure and Flight Control, Design and Simulation. In Aerospace Engineering, various disciplines of engineering programmes are emphasized towards the aircraft and spacecraft. These programmes combine knowledge from Aeronautic, Mechanical, Electrical & Electronical, Material, Computer Programming and Industrial Analysis.
In UPM, there are currently 3 Indians in 2nd year. Not many Indians favor this course as not much exposure is given about this course. Often, people tend to recognize Aerospace Engineers as a pilot who maneuver flights. However this perception is wrong as we never involves in piloting but instead the manufacturing of the aircraft and the control systems related to it. The other limelight our department got involved was during the controversial transfer of department to National University of Malaysia(UKM) which resulted in the resignation of our beloved Vice-Chancellor due to the support he threw behind us. Once again, after months of silent protests and rational explanation given, our department was allowed to stay in UPM. ** cheers and kudos to all the parties involved in the crises especially our VC, Head of Department, lecturers, staffs, fellow UPM mates and the public. Online bloggers also helped voiced out our dissatisfactions. Thanks to all of them!**
Currently various researches are ongoing in our department such as "Design of the Autonomous Combined Energy and Attitude Control System for Small Satellites" and” Fabrication of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Autopilot Control System" and etc. As one of the research assistant for the UAV project tea
m, I had learnt a lot of the Aerospace Engineering through which lectures did not teach. We fabricate the medium scale light aircraft and install the autopilot control system in it so that the UAV could fly autonomously without a pilot. This project has been receiving tremendous supports and encouragement from the government and the private sector. Currently the UAV named as "PERMAISURI” has been "adored" by few buyers. It is expected that this technology could be transferred to various sectors such as reconnaissance, surveillance, defense and agricultural purposes. Purchasing of aircrafts or UAV from overseas could cost the government a lot of money as the R&D involved in these projects are often very high. Therefore through Department of Aerospace Engineering, these technologies could be manufactured here and utilized in most proper way.Another negative perception of Aerospace Engineering is the prospect of a career in this field. Failure to secure a job is often used as an excuse by the pessimist but the reality however differs. As an Aerospace Engineer, one could have the diversity of the career to get involved. Be it the person responsible for everyone to watch World Cup or traveling overseas, an Aerospace Engineer is required to develop the satellites and the airplanes. Besides that, Aerospace Designing Engineering is a must for the maintenance, modification and fabrication of an aircraft according to the standard procedure. This is very important in the context of safety and reliability of an aircraft.
Further information could be attained through Department of Aerospace Engineering, UPM.
Add: Jabatan Kejuruteraan Aeroangkasa, Fakulti Kejuruteraan, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan.
Tel: 603-8946 6400
Fax: 603-8656 7125
Email: aero@eng.upm.edu.my
Together here I enclosed some of the aerial images taken using the UAV.
Services are provided for a reasonable price. Buyers are welcomed.
Question or doubts could be sent to my mail... rehan_vivek@yahoo.com or here.
UPM Mosque
Faculty of Ecology, UPM
Highway in Puchong
[admin's note: Sincere thanks to Vivek for this well-documented article on his course. We welcome more articles on this topic. Kindly e-mail us @ msiswa@gmail.com].
