What type of engineering to be a aerodynamist?

[Kass]

hi>
I would like to know what type of engineering should i study to work on aerodynamics of a racecars?

I read that Mike Gascoyne studied fluid mechanics and Newey studied Aeronautics

Thanks

[RACKITUP]

aeronautical/aerospace

[Tom]

apparently Southampton University, Aerospace Engineering, is one of the best tickets to the grid, but it takes a lot of work and it's not easy to get in.

[PNSD]

Before anyone considers F1 they need to realize most these guys now entered F1 at a different stage to what it is now.

Like when aerodynamics didnt take priority.

Also most, if not all had previous experience with motorsport...

It's not a case of do an aeronautical engineering course and expect to be on the F1 grid, even if its a small job...

experience is the key to being in F1.

imo a guy with experience has ALOT more knowledge than guy with a degree of the subject...

A good example is a Jordan engineer... he had 2 GCSE's and heap load of mechanical engineering experience... and was one of the top Jordan engineerings during 97-2002, not sure about now... Ill try get his name and stuff..

[NDR008]

I don't know, but I was studying B Eng Mechanical in Malta, and after 2 years stopped and moved out here to the UK to study B Eng Motorsports, and one of my mates also came and is doing B Eng Aerospace Engineering and Manufacturing. And I guess the basic subjects, of fluids, thermodynamics remains the same in all these courses. Aspecially if it is a course in which the students choose the modules of their interrest and from their chocie specialise in fluids that lead to aero and fluids.

[Kass]

I am currently studying in France, under a scholarship from my country. I am supposed to choose a field for my Bac. Eng. i am really interested in single seater motorsports.. and i dont really know the requirements to be able to enter this type of sport.

i have this misconception of aerospace engineering. if you take aerospace do you work on airplanes and shuttles or people who take aerospace are vastly accepted within motorsport fields?

or do you have to work for example in a helicopter company before and bring the experience into motorsport?

can anyone purpose any good universities in France to study it?

thanks

[Cornell Racer#1]

I am a Mechanical Engineer! So, I would definitely recommend going for that because you cover SO much stuff from machines to automotive to airplanes....

[AeroGT3]

No program, no matter what, is going to give you the aerodynamics-specific coursework than an Aerospace/Aeronautical degree will. None.

Mechanical engineering will cover fluids, but ALL fluids - liquid flows, lots of turbo machinery, etc. Stuff that isn't as motorsport relevant as the pure external aero you see in Aero/Astro programs.

[midzt]

I'm currently in my first year of an Automotive Engineering degree, (at Loughborough). I know that we will be doing fluid dynamics etc. later this year and in future years, with ability to speicialise aswell.
Thing is, if you are wnating to go into motorsport, will you be interested in the parts that are specifically aeronautical? Tbh Aero and auto are very similar apart from a couple of modules, that are specific to each. So, altough you may do more fluids stuff with aero, is high speed aerodynamics (so like planes travelling at mach 2) really going to be relevant to a single seater racer?

[MrT]

Expericance is key........ Your not going to get an f1 job with a degree alone.....

Aerospace engineering is one route,

I did Beng motorsport engineering and now doing a masters in computer modelling in engineering (CFD basically) , but this will by no means land me a job in any motorsport team, i expect my racing background would be of more or just as much interest to them.

[SLC]

Aeronautical Engineering. F1 teams, at least for UK based employement, prefer Imperial College London, Southampton University and Cambridge. And you can quite easily land a job in an F1 aero department with simply a Master's degree in Aero, with no experience or F1 related phd necessary - look out for the multitude of "graduate" and "junior" aerodynamicists positions that are very frequently advertised in Autosport.

[AeroGT3]

Aeronautical Engineering. F1 teams, at least for UK based employement, prefer Imperial College London, Southampton University and Cambridge. And you can quite easily land a job in an F1 aero department with simply a Master's degree in Aero, with no experience or F1 related phd necessary - look out for the multitude of "graduate" and "junior" aerodynamicists positions that are very frequently advertised in Autosport.

But aren't these "Junior/Graduate" positions much "lower" positions? As I understand it, these graduate positions are essentially nightshift wind tunnel test mules.

[West]

Aeronautical Engineering. F1 teams, at least for UK based employement, prefer Imperial College London, Southampton University and Cambridge. And you can quite easily land a job in an F1 aero department with simply a Master's degree in Aero, with no experience or F1 related phd necessary - look out for the multitude of "graduate" and "junior" aerodynamicists positions that are very frequently advertised in Autosport.

But aren't these "Junior/Graduate" positions much "lower" positions? As I understand it, these graduate positions are essentially nightshift wind tunnel test mules.

You gotta start somewhere...

[SLC]

The only way you will ever get started in F1 aerodynamics is through the Junior Aero position. Period. The only way to get a Junior Aero position is to have a good degree in Aeronautical Engineering or equivalent (Mech Eng really doesn't have enough practical fluids in it). Most of my department are from Imperial College, Southampton and Cambridge, as I said before.

Yes, the junior position is most likely the "night shift" position running the tunnel but this is the only way in. Granted, you can start on the computational side of things and become a Junior CFD which doesn't involve tunnel running - instead you'll just be a mesh monkey.

Edit: you can have a multitude of masters, phds, research grants, etc etc into F1 related aero topics. You can be Dr. of this and of that, be an expert in unsteady flows or whatever. But unless you have previous F1 aero experience, you still have to start as a Junior.

[MrT]

That statment I belive not to be entirly correct. If you are an expert in the field of aero and have experiance in other formulas you can get a job above junior in f1, the experiance doesn't need to be f1 experiance just motorsport.... It's been done.