27th November 2015
In the summer of 2015 I was offered an engineering work experience placement at Rolls Royce, Filton for a week.
Lauren working hard
The particular gate I was stationed at specialised in repairing old and building new engines for aircraft. I was incredibly surprised and excited when I came through the front entrance to be greeted by the head of an engine repair project carrying a pair of steel-toed boots in my size. It was here I was told I would be on the shop floor, taking apart an engine and putting it all back together again. I was lead to the shop floor where I was put into a team of two veteran fitters who showed me a used, huge typhoon engine. I was instructed which bolts to take out and that the engine was separated into individual modules. The taking apart took around 3 days.
While I was waiting for the damaged modules to be replaced ready to be put back in to the engine again, I was shown the Art and Design department, the 3D imaging lab, I got to sit in a comms meeting with the fitters, and I got to visit the famous Research and Development section of the shop floor (top secret!) Overall it was such a brilliant experience and I would recommend it to anyone, particularly those interested in Engineering, Physics or Art and Design; it was immensely fun!
Article written by Lauren Rupprecht