Simulators save lives!

I think we can all breath a huge sigh of relief that the Boeing 777 that crash landed at Heathrow last week was a 100% survivable incident. This is in no small part due to the superb job done by the British Airways Flight Training team at Cranebank.

We helped the team there revamp their 737 exhibition simulator, and I was particularly impressed by the dedication and skill of all of the staff. Not only the full-cockpit simulators, but also the cabin simulators used to train cabin crew how to evacuate passengers in an emergency.

So while the pilots and cabin crew are absolute heros, we also salute all those in the flight simulation industry for the backroom efforts that really do save lives.

Our own flight simulation work in our teaching and research is aimed at making aviation safer and more efficient, find out how you can be a part of this here by studying Aeronautics.

Southampton Graduates on Pole Position

A new year and another Formula One season is just weeks away! This is just to say congratulations to the Race Car Aerodynamics MSc class of 2007, who ALL got jobs in Formula One. Well, a couple of them stayed at Southampton to study PhDs in aerodynamics, still with a race car aero bent.

This time last year they were working together on their group project designing the aerodynamics for a sports car. This year they're competing against each other in the Formula One championship. What a difference a year makes!!!

And that's not to mention the dozens of other alumni from Southampton who have made it to the very top of Formula One, battling across the globe to win those coveted titles. From Adrian Newey at Red Bull Racing (student project pictured here), to the latest employees to join the reverred ranks of the F1 fraternity, we salute you all, and hope that your years at Southampton come in handy beating all of your alumni competitors!

So whether it's McLaren, Ferrari, BMW, Red Bull Racing, Renault, Honda F1, Williams F1, or any of the other, we know that Southampton has helped to win the driver's and constructors titles !!!

Still at school but fancy joining in? check out our Aeronautics & Astronautics, and Mechanical Engineering courses - to qualify for pole position. If you're at another Uni, never mind, you can always try our Race Car Aero MSc course, the only one of its kind in the world!

So good luck to everyone, you're all winners! Why not join the new Southampton Motorsport Alumni group on Facebook. Maybe we'll see you there?