After four very successful but very long days at Farnborough International Airshow manning the Cranfield Aerospace stand, I must admit that I wasn’t exactly jumping for joy at the prospect of a busy Friday. ‘Pioneers of Tomorrow Day’ would see thousands of children and young people walking through the gates. It turned out to be the most enjoyable day of the week and, dare I say, the most inspiring day I’ve ever had working in aviation. Here’s what I learned from the pioneers.

These kids could land our hydrogen demonstrator flight sim better than most A380 pilots

I was somewhat anxious that our intricately developed flight simulator, which simulates our hydrogen-electric powered demonstrator aircraft, might prove too difficult for our young visitors. However, my apprehensions vanished when the first boy – who had arrived before our team just to be the first on the sim – jumped on. With feet barely reaching the rudder pedals, he instantly knew how to use all the controls without any help from our engineer. His landing, and this is no joke, was the smoothest we’d seen all week, even compared to the many fully grown pilots who had shown us their skills.

The next generation of AvGeeks

Having worked in aviation for almost six years, one of the things I enjoy most is seeing the passion people in the industry have for technology. But what’s fascinating about these kids is that they’ve grown up entirely immersed in technology. When you combine that with a passion for aviation, you get a super breed of AvGeek who is knowledgeable in topics like hydrogen, fuel cells, and electric aircraft – all at secondary school age. This is amazing for the future of aviation, given the challenges our industry faces with reaching net zero and revolutionising our aircraft, infrastructure, and mindset.

Breaking Stereotypes: The Passionate Youth of Today

It was equally great to see university students and graduates being so proactive in talking to us about opportunities. They were knowledgeable, passionate, polite, and confident. Perhaps most inspiring was the fact that they weren’t just doing the rounds of every exhibit at Farnborough: they carefully selected those that shared their ethos, which centred around aviation sustainability.

Simplifying the complex for curious minds

On the other end of the spectrum, there were groups of inquisitive young children, like one Girl Scout group that took an interest in the scale models of our hydrogen-electric propulsion systems.

Suddenly, it hit me: how do I explain what a hydrogen propulsion system is to a seven-year-old, and will they care? I started with, “We’re developing hydrogen-powered planes…” and before I could continue, the youngest, a foot shorter than our propulsion system model, asked, “What’s the difference between hydrogen planes and normal planes?” I was taken aback by the simplicity of the question and realised that not one single adult had ever asked me that at a conference or exhibition before. I responded with “the planes we’re developing don’t harm our planet like the ones we currently fly in.” And that really is why we’re doing what we do at Cranfield Aerospace in its simplest form.

What I learned at that moment was that not every action needs to have a tangible business outcome. This day was about educating and inspiring the next generation, letting them know that companies like Cranfield Aerospace are doing things now, not tomorrow, to ensure there’s a brighter future for them. Likewise, they give us the reassurance that aviation is in safe hands for the exciting, greener future to come.

Thanks to Annie Stone, Marketing & Communications Executive, Cranfield Aerospace Solutions Ltd, for writing this blog for us.

You can read a recap of our partner activity at the Airshow here.