Invited Back: The ACP Roadshow Makes Its Second Visit to Ripon

The Schools’ Aerospace Careers Programme returned to Ripon Grammar School on Tuesday 7 July 2026, a year almost to the day after its first visit in July 2025. The invitation to come back came from the school itself, prompted by the response to that first event. Around 80 students took part, most from the host school and joined by groups from visiting schools. The audience was almost entirely Year 10, with a small number of Year 12 students among them.

Chris Marshall opened the presentations with a look at where aviation and engineering are heading, covering the automation, simulation and connected systems reshaping both fields as the industry moves into the Fifth Industrial Revolution. Mike Stokes followed with the routes into professional flying, from the structure of pilot training to the network of operational careers that surround every flight. After the break, Chris returned for his session on drones and their expanding role across industry, and Ogi Damjanovic closed the morning with virtual reality design, showing how the same immersive tools now serve both creative and engineering work. The morning finished with the students’ introduction to Spot, the quadruped robot, which fielded questions through its AI voice system.

The afternoon moved into breakout rotations built around the ACP’s equipment. Mike ran the programme’s three flight simulators, making only their second outing since the set grew from one to three in June, and students worked through landing exercises and compared results. Alongside them, the FPV drone stations offered a first taste of flight control and spatial awareness, Ogi guided groups through building their own 3D environments at the VR design station, and the VR Flight Experience gave a pilot’s eye view of cockpit procedure. Questions through the day ranged across pilot training, engineering routes and the equipment itself.

The ACP thanks Bob Walker, Careers Lead at Ripon Grammar School, for organising the visit and for the invitation to return.

“Highly recommended event, a great day for students.”
— Bob Walker, Careers Lead, Ripon Grammar School

“It was such a great experience, it really gave me an insight into the field of aviation and engineering. It really inspired me to think more about it.”
— RGS Student

“Both prepared and informed me about the future while remaining engaging.”
— RGS Student