Work experience at Inzpire: a fantastic week with Mission Systems
22 Aug 23
Mission SystemsInzpireSTEMYouth EngagementCareers
Hi, my name is Zak Baldwin, and I am a Year 13 pupil and head boy of Physics at Carres Grammar School, Sleaford, studying for my A levels in maths, physics, and geography.
I have had a fantastic week’s work experience working with the Mission Systems Team at Inzpire, Lincoln, led by Andy Woodrow. From the outset everyone was very friendly and welcoming and made me feel like part of the team. I am hugely grateful to everyone who took time out of their busy work schedules to explain their roles to me and allowed me to work alongside them on their GECO software. I really enjoyed learning about people’s career pathways and journeys and appreciated some of the advice I was given on different routes into the military defence sector.
I found the overview of Inzpire’s GECO Mission Planning System really interesting. I learnt about what the system does and how it supports aircrew; the design and testing phases; and its application in mission planning, mission rehearsal and execution.
I found it particularly interesting learning about the design considerations when creating a mission planning system: topography of the land (DTED); potential obstacles (DVOF); weather considerations; information on airports and different airspaces (DAFIF); performance data for each different aircraft; and how this information is integrated into the GECO software.
The overview I had with Florence on project management gave me an appreciation of the role project managers have and the importance of managing spending, ensuring the product meets the customers’ requirements and that the product is delivered on time. Bryan highlighted the support Inzpire offer to their customers like software updates, new hardware, training and the importance of diagnosing and resolving software issues to ensure maximum product reliability.
One of the highlights of the week was the day spent at the Air Battlespace Training Centre at RAF Waddington where I got to see the aircraft simulators used to train pilots. The software allows pilots to fly real-life scenarios, with other pilots from all over the world, in a synthetic environment. This allows the pilots, flying a vast array of different aircraft, to communicate with each other like they would in a real-life exercise. I got the opportunity to fly a Typhoon around Anglesey using one of the simulators which was great fun!
The other highlight of the week was working with Systems Engineer, Ollie and Testing Engineer, Terry. I was tasked with helping to complete the Acceptance Test for the latest GECO software to be used on a UK helicopter platform. This involved testing all the new and old features, ensuring they worked as described. The features included the creation of new mission overlays and collaborative mission planning, giving me an understanding of how to use the GECO software.
The work experience at Inzpire has been an invaluable learning opportunity. It has given me a great insight into the products Inzpire develop and the role they play within the military defence sector. The week has helped to further my commitment to working hard at my studies in the pursuit of a career within military aerospace.
A big thank you to everyone in the Mission Systems Team for making this a truly enjoyable and memorable experience.
Zak
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