{"id":20223,"date":"2026-04-26T11:55:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T11:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/20223\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T11:55:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T11:55:14","slug":"i-was-floating-say-students-in-a-flying-lab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/20223\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I was floating’, say students in a flying lab"},"content":{"rendered":"

A group of A\u2011level students have swapped the classroom for the cockpit after taking part in an aviation lesson out of the ordinary.<\/p>\n

The teenagers, from Luton, flew aboard the UK’s only flying laboratory aircraft, where they experienced first\u2011hand the science and sensation of G\u2011force.<\/p>\n

The flight – from London Luton Airport to Cranfield University in Bedfordshire – was offered to winners of a competition, as part of a joint project aimed at encouraging young people from under\u2011represented backgrounds to consider careers in aviation.<\/p>\n

Eighteen\u2011year\u2011old Maria said the lesson was unforgettable. “It was a once\u2011in\u2011a\u2011lifetime experience,” she said.<\/p>\n

The competition formed part of the airport’s Classroom to Careers programme, which is backed by the Civil Aviation Authority<\/a> and Department for Transport’s Reach for the Sky Challenge Fund<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Seventeen\u2011year\u2011old Leonardo said the flight reinforced his ambition to become a commercial pilot.<\/p>\n

“I love aviation,” he said. “You can study it [the mechanics of flight] on a computer screen, but feeling it is definitely important – if you’re going to be a pilot, you need to know.”<\/p>\n

Sixteen\u2011year\u2011old Mahdi said the opportunity was unlike anything he had experienced before.<\/p>\n

“You wouldn’t feel these manoeuvres on a normal passenger flight,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Finding out I’d been chosen was really exciting.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Organisers said the experience was designed to turn classroom learning into real\u2011world understanding, on board the National Flying Laboratory Centre [Nicola Haseler\/BBC]<\/p>\n

During the flight, the aircraft – the National Flying Laboratory Centre – carried out a series of carefully controlled manoeuvres to demonstrate lift, drag and stability, allowing students to experience changes in gravity.<\/p>\n

Some described moments of increased weight in their seats, while others experienced brief periods of near\u2011weightlessness as pilots explained how the aircraft responded.<\/p>\n

Louise Hanlon, London Luton Airport’s community and social impact manager, said the experience would give young people from a wide range of backgrounds direct exposure to the aviation industry.<\/p>\n

“These students are going to be our pipeline talent for the future, and without this pipeline talent, we won’t exist as an airport.<\/p>\n

“So it’s really, really important that we invest in young people, give them plenty of opportunities, and open the door to the number of careers that we have across the airport system.”<\/p>\n

The day ended with a celebratory event at Cranfield University, where students were given a behind\u2011the\u2011scenes tour of its aerospace facilities.<\/p>\n

Organisers said the experience was designed not only to inspire, but to help students see how classroom learning could translate into real\u2011world careers.<\/p>\n

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