Community-youth, Company-visits, Youth

SUTD Aviation Interest Group visits Boeing Singapore

05 Oct 2023
Text by Jarell Lim, SUTD EPD Year 2

“Have you ever landed a 787 before?”, that was the question that the flight simulator instructor asked us. If you were in the cockpit, how would you react? SUTD students and staff were fortunate enough to have such an opportunity when we visited the Boeing Singapore Training Campus. We were able to explore its facilities, composites workshop, and its full-motion flight simulator.

SUTD students and staff at Boeing Singapore

The tour began with a safety presentation, highlighting Boeing’s commitment to safety. Followed by a sharing by Ms Anna Ong, Global Engagement Specialist at Boeing, on Boeing’s Women in Leadership Network, emphasizing Boeing’s push for a more diverse and inclusive working environment. Mr Goh See Ting, Advanced Technologist at Boeing, also introduced us to a new aviation research internship position at Jeppesen, a software company under Boeing, namely Digital Aviation Solutions. It’s very telling that even Boeing is expanding into digital solutions for its business. Although Singapore is mostly an MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) aviation hub, Boeing’s new initiatives present new career paths for students. Perhaps, the common misconception that aviation careers only branch into piloting and engineering will slowly fade away.

Ms Anna Ong sharing on Boeing’s Women in Leadership Network

After the presentations, we were allowed to sit in the full motion flight simulator. Once inside the cockpit, we were given the captain’s seat and were tasked to land a Boeing 787 onto Changi Airport’s runway. Even though it was only a simulator, it was quite intimidating to navigate across the numerous switches, controls and indicators, clueless of their functions and meanings. However, that anxiety was dissipated as the instructor walked us through the landing procedure step-by-step in a calm demeanor, making plane landing sound as easy as riding a bike. After successfully landing our first Boeing 787, we stood up from the captain’s seat feeling as if we’d just accomplished a landing in the Hudson River. Needless to say, It was a very fun and memorable experience for all of us.

Landing a Boeing 787 in the full motion flight simulator

Inside the composites workshop, we participated in the “Guess the correct weight” challenge between an aluminum and carbon fiber composite. From this, we discovered that carbon fiber is actually a lot lighter than aluminum. And since the Boeing 787 uses carbon fiber, it was a very good activity to illustrate the 787’s advantage in terms of weight. Nearing the end of the tour, we also learned about the capabilities of the 737 MAX, on its improved range and capacity compared to older planes.

Students trying to guess the correct weight between an aluminum and carbon fiber composite

As one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the world, it’s a relief to know that Boeing has taken steps towards a more focused safety culture within. Boeing’s push towards a more diverse and inclusive work environment is also a big plus for students who wish to start a career or internship at Boeing. However, the highlight of the tour has to be its full motion simulators, after all, not everyone gets to wear the captain’s hat all the time.