The Aerospace Division Young Members Committee (AeDYMC) represented the Institution at Pioneers of Tomorrow, Farnborough International Airshow’s dedicated careers and STEM programme, on 24 July.
More than 141,580 trade and public visitors attended the Airshow across the week, an increase of 41% on the previous event and almost double the attendance recorded in 2022. Pioneers of Tomorrow sold out in advance, welcoming more than 30,000 people for careers activities, flying displays and opportunities to meet employers and educators.
Committee members organised the Institution’s presence with support from staff, securing space in both the careers fair and STEM zone through a partnership with the Farnborough organisers and the ADS New Professionals Forum.
Asking an engineer
At the careers fair, our volunteers spoke to young people, students and parents about routes into engineering, including apprenticeships, university placements and professional registration.
The stand also promoted the Institution’s student competitions, including the UAS Challenge, Formula Student and Railway Challenge, demonstrating how students can develop practical skills and connect with the wider engineering profession.
A new “Ask an Engineer” activity offered visitors informal, one-to-one conversations with committee members about professional life and routes into aerospace. It provided an accessible way for aspiring engineers to ask questions and receive advice based on volunteers’ first-hand experiences.
Jack Mitchell-Divers, AeDYMC Chair and Aerodynamics Engineer at MBDA UK, said:
“Our debut at Farnborough was really special, and the energy in the conversations throughout the day matched it. Attendees came with question after question, and it was a privilege to spotlight opportunities in mechanical engineering and show them just how many pathways and industries the Institution connects with.
“Both stands ran nonstop all day, a testament to how engaging and passionate our volunteers were. We also left with real interest from schools and other organisations keen to collaborate with IMechE.”
Student engineering on display
Visitors could also see Nova, UCL’s entry into the Institution’s UAS Challenge, up close. The student-built aircraft gave conversations a practical focus and helped volunteers explain the technical challenges, collaborative working and range of skills involved in designing an uncrewed aircraft.
Selena Mehta-Patel, Team Lead at UCL Team Nova, said:
“One of my favourite moments was seeing people’s reaction when they discovered our UAS had been built by university students. It was a great chance to show what students can achieve outside a lecture hall, and how a single UAS project can bring together people from a wide range of backgrounds.”
The aircraft prompted detailed questions from younger visitors, including how its tailless, blended-wing-body design controls yaw, leading to conversations about aerodynamics and real-world design compromises.
Putting designs to the test
In the STEM zone, volunteers ran the “How Much Can You Lift?” challenge using a scale wind tunnel built by Tony Harris from the Aerospace Division.
Visitors built and tested more than 320 paper aeroplanes during the day. They could then adapt their designs and immediately see how their changes affected lift, introducing younger participants to engineering design through experimentation and iteration.
Harry Stringer, AeDYMC Media Lead and an aerospace engineering graduate from the University of Nottingham, said:
“We had lots of students aged 14 to 18, as well as parents, who hadn’t heard much about apprenticeship routes or the extracurricular options available to university students.
“The wind tunnel activity was very popular and, at times, had more than 10 people queueing. We had a real impact on people’s understanding of how to get into engineering.”
AeDYMC intends to return to Pioneers of Tomorrow when the Farnborough International Airshow takes place again from 17–21 July 2028, building on the connections made with young people, parents, schools and other organisations at this year’s event.