Young Aviators Club - Engineering an Airline

Guest Speaker: Neil Baker, British Airways Flight Operations Engineer

Written by Oscar Bitek – 7B1  | Favourite plane – Concorde   | Dream job - Pilot 

On Wednesday 5 November, twenty-six students from the GHC Young Aviators Club met Neil Baker, a Flight Operations Engineer with British Airways. The Young Aviators Club welcomes students from all year groups who are interested in careers in aviation or who simply share a passion for flight.

With a room full of aviation enthusiasts — including several budding engineers — Neil shared insights into the range of engineering scenarios he encounters daily when assisting Airbus A320 pilots mid-flight.

Neil has been an engineer for 25 years, beginning his career with Air Canada, where he earned his first engineering licence, before moving to the United Arab Emirates and later the UK, where he has worked for EasyJet and now British Airways. His favourite aircraft is the A380, which he described as “scarily big.” He explained that it has a special onboard computer accessible only to engineers, allowing faults to be diagnosed without having to physically inspect the aircraft.

Students then took part in a practical activity, discussing the real-life scenarios Neil faces and coming up with questions and possible solutions.

• The first scenario involved an A380 losing hydraulics mid-flight, where students suggested checking whether nearby airports in Ireland could accommodate the large aircraft.
• The second scenario focused on an A320 that had struck a flock of birds on take-off; students agreed that the safest course of action would be to return and land for a damage inspection.
• The final scenario featured a Boeing 777 with a scratched cargo door; the group concluded that if the damage was minor, the aircraft could fly home for repairs, but if more serious, it would need to be repaired on site.

The Young Aviators Club runs every two weeks (Week 1 Wednesdays, 15:15–16:15 in D211) and has an exciting programme of guest speakers and practical activities planned for the year. Students are welcome to drop in to any sessions that interest them.

Schedule: 

Wednesday 19 November – Presentation by the World’s biggest aviation influencer, Jerry Dyer, Founder of Big Jet TV.  

Wednesday 3 December – Presentation by Ret’d Captain Steve Durrell FRAeS FRMetS AFRIN – Warden to The Honourable Company of Air Pilots. 

Wednesday 17 December – Christmas Aviation Quiz. 

January 2026 (date TBC) – Practical Flight Planning Workshop with Ret’d Executive Jet Captain Nick Glover. 

January 2026 (date TBC) - Aviation Show and Tell – run by the students. 

Spring and Summer term schedule of trips:  

• Friday 6 February - Trip to the Lufthansa landing gear workshop in Hayes and visit to the British Airways Headquarters. 
• Spring Term (Date TBC) - Air-side trip to Terminal 5.

If you are a parent/carer working in the aviation industry and would like to support the club, please contact Miss Jarvis at l-jarvis@garthhillcollege.com    

We always look forward to welcoming new students to the club.