STUDENT VOICE Student Voice SPRING SUMMER 2017 | Page 36

HIGH FLYING STUDENTS Students are getting their pilot dreams off the ground through the use of a Boeing 737-800 simulator at Ayr. A lecturer with a background in flying has been offering any willing students the chance to get in the cockpit for the first time and experience flying from a simulated Prestwick base. He takes the students through the simulator in his own time after college classes are finished. He is working with two groups - one group of students who have never flown before, and another that has experience of flying. The latter group work towards more advanced procedures. Two students who have dreams of becoming commercial pilots are 17-year-old NC Aeronautical Engineering student Louis Dymond from Largs, and Becky McIntosh, 23 from Dundonald, who is studying HNC Aircraft Engineering. Louis said “I’ve wanted to become a pilot since a very young age and I’ve never deviated from that goal. The simulator’s really realistic and I’m sure it’s going to benefit me in the future. I’m now taking flying lessons at Prestwick Airport and I’m really enjoying it. Becky said “I want to become a commercial pilot so this is all about getting experience in understanding the planes. It helps that we can apply the knowledge gained from our college course here. The simulator is the most experience I’ve had so far, I’ve not had any lessons yet. This has really confirmed that I want to become a pilot, though.”  “Hopefully this experience can help me achieve my dreams of becoming a pilot commercially.” “ Hopefully this experience can help me achieve my dreams of becoming a pilot commercially. “ Learn more about our engineering courses at www.ayrshire.ac.uk 36 THE STUDENT VOICE SPRING/SUMMER 2017