The Aeronautical Engineering CCA
The 14th China International Air and Space Fair (Airshow China, also known as Zhuhai Airshow) was successfully held in Zhuhai last week. As one of the top five airshows in the world, it presented a spectacular show up in the blue sky for visitors both online and offline.
At Dulwich Zhuhai, a senior student shares his knowledge of the steel behemoth to schoolmates every Wednesday afternoon in his co-curricular activity (CCA), with only a Marker and a whiteboard.
This is the student-led Aeronautical Engineering CCA founded by Year 13 student Tiger S. It is Tiger’s personal interests to learn about the planes. He first started the CCA in the 2021-22 academic year, with the simple purpose of sharing his own knowledge with more students and exchanging some ideas for fun. “It was during middle school that I became interested in knowing how planes are made to be able to fly in the sky in such scale and weight. Gradually I started to visit or read about airshows in China and around the world. I would like to share the fun facts about planes and the industry to my schoolmates, to extend their knowledge beyond classroom, as well as to support the popularisation of basic aviation and aerospace knowledge in China.”
Leveraging simple handwriting content on the whiteboard, Tiger is able to keep his audience concentrated and make the one-hour activity too short with his extensive knowledge and eloquence, covering information from the Chinese large aircraft family to sustainable aviation energy.
There was one time where he shared his own career experience opportunity with a ground crew of the Zhuhai Jinwan Airport to other students, “I was very impressed by the preflight inspection before a plane takes off. The simple waving goodbye gesture by the ground crew we passengers see often, is indeed the responsibility for the safety of all on the plane. I then realised that it is not only the structure, performance and appearance of a plane, but also the responsibility and commitment of each practitioner, that all are the key factors that drive the development of the sustainable future of the aviation industry.”
"He spent a lot of efforts in preparing each presentation well, as he did with his own university application. His sharing was vivid and attractive, which offered me an initial understanding and developed my interests in our aviation industry. I think next time I travel in planes, I will pay more attention to the aircraft engines and ground crew gestures that I have learnt in the CCA."
- Bob G, Year 10
"I thought there would be abstract and in-depth knowledge for me to understand, when signing up for this CCA. It turned out that it is a very interesting workshop, where Tiger shared the knowledge in a lively way and with attractive topics. He introduced the Airshow China to us with latest news articles and photos, which we all enjoyed a lot."
- Anthony C, Year 10
The CCA programme is an important part of the holistic education at Dulwich Zhuhai with three strands of academic enrichment, art and performance, as well as sports and leadership. Students can establish and operate their own CCA based on their interests, supervised by teachers. Student-led CCA is one of our traditions over the years, which offers the opportunity for students to excel in their fields of interests academically and non-academically, while also developing life-long skills, such as creativity, leadership and teamwork. The experience will also be a significant individual advantage in their university application and interview.
