Pupils from Calderhead High attended the The Institute of Engineering and Technology’s Christmas Lecture on 12th December 2016 in Glasgow.

The theme of the lecture was ” What Goes Up Might Come Down” and pupils enjoyed hearing Professor Andrew Rae, Professor of Experimental and Applied Aerodynamics,  University of the Highlands and Islands, talk about aviation.

We now take air travel pretty much for granted but the comfort and safety we expect are achieved in a very harsh environment.  At cruising altitude the air outside the aircraft cabin can be more than 50 degrees below zero and the air so thin that oxygen is essential.  A few feet away from the cabin is a jet engine operating at a temperature of 2000 degrees Celsius when the materials it is made from melt at 1300 degrees Celsius.

The lecture used a series of practical demonstrations to illustrate some of the physics exploited in the design and operation of a modern airliner and other transport vehicles, including aerodynamics, materials and propulsion.