Society News
Name: Umer Mahmood ARAeS, 26.
Location: Bedford, UK.
Job title: Senior Inspector.
What inspired you into aviation? I wanted to be involved and participate in models for future aircraft programmes. I also wanted to get the hands-on experience which would enable me to develop my career and gain plenty of knowledge. I am interested and keen to work within different parts of the engineering process such, as design and manufacture, inspection and the testing phase. I wanted to experience a variety of environments and technologies while working with multiple cross functional teams to deliver projects. The aerospace sector offers a wide variety of opportunities and is often at the cutting edge of technology.
What is the best thing about your current role? The role of Senior Inspector is a critical point in the manufacturing process, where I get to see and check, the high quality, precision engineering produced by my colleagues. Working as a key part of a small but highly skilled team of people is extremely rewarding. As well as working with a great bunch of people and seeing the final model assembled and inspected, I also get the opportunity to liaise with the final customer. Being able to see and appreciate the skill and detail of all the hard work that has gone into each model, from start to finish is very satisfying and makes me proud to be part of the team.
What made you join the Royal Aeronautical Society? I’ve always been keen to develop my skills and career through personal development and when I was invited by some work colleagues to an open day event for the RAeS I understood the opportunities it could offer. I enjoyed the presentation and wanted to know a bit more about the qualifications and professional registration. Joining the Society seemed to offer a route to registration with support from a large network of engineers, an opportunity too good to miss. With several colleagues from work actively involved in the local Branch, there is lots of support easily available to me.
What do you hope to get out of your membership with the RAeS? I hope that membership and registration will give me a higher profile and level of recognition for my skills than I had before I achieved them. I believe that it will also open up other opportunities for my career and development. As well as progressing through IEng towards CEng, I want to develop as a mentor to help others with their professional registration. Membership of the RAeS will give me access to a wide network of engineers with a huge variety of skills, raising my awareness of the aerospace sector and the opportunities available.
What three items would you take with you to the space station? I would like to take my mobile phone as it would let me take photographs, have my music collection with me and pictures of family and friends. I would also like to take a book as I enjoy reading. A set of juggling balls because I can’t juggle on Earth but maybe in zero gravity I stand a chance!
What’s your favourite aircraft? My favourite aircraft is Concorde, as I like the design and shape of it. It is beautiful to look at and it was a fantastic engineering achievement. The collaboration across two teams from different countries also inspires me in what is possible. I love many types of aircraft and I love travelling. Travelling is an emotional and spiritual experience. The more I see the world the more experience I get and to enjoy different cultures. I would have loved the opportunity to travel on Concorde and experience travelling at Mach 2 in such an iconic design of aircraft.
Who is your biggest inspiration? My biggest inspiration in aerospace/aviation/space is Neil Armstrong, as he was the first person to walk on the Moon and had a significant impact on the aerospace sector. I admire the dedication, skill and perseverance required to train to be an astronaut. I also admire the courage required to put your faith in the hundreds of other scientists, designers and engineers who build the rocket and supporting technology to get you safely to the Moon and back. To work so closely for so long with a large multiskilled team and put your life in their hands while achieving a first in human history is inspirational.
Piece of advice for someone looking to enter your field? Just do it and enjoy yourself! Whether you choose to focus on developing a career in inspection, aeronautics or take your career ‘out of this world’ as an astronautical engineer. A career in aerospace engineering offers hundreds of potentially rewarding paths. Aerospace is a very exciting and challenging sector to work in, offering great development and learning opportunities. If you find good people to work with and make the most of each chance to learn a new skill or experience a new area you will have a fun and rewarding career. Just set your ambitions high. The universe is the limit!