Cranfield University

Leaving Japan was a difficult choice to make, but I opted to return to the UK in order to study at Cranfield University, relatively close to London. My course would last from October 2014 until September 2015. Cranfield is unique in that the university only offers postgraduate courses to the students who enrol there. The university is best known for study and research in the fields of aviation and management.

University and air field

I elected to study for an MSc in Airport Planning & Management, a field that has always been part of my consciousness since aviation became an important part of my life as a child. The course met my personal interests and would hopefully provide me with more opportunities to work abroad and perhaps make it easier to visit Clara in Japan. I told myself that even if those goals proved unsuccessful, I would still have educated myself to a higher level and no doubt have secured valuable transferable skills that would be applicable across a wide range of industries.

X37

Despite initially struggling to find suitable accommodation near Cranfield, life and studies soon settled down and were extremely enjoyable. At times the work load was heavy and required a few late nights in the library to meet multiple deadlines.

It was really satisfying to spend a whole year embedded within the world of aviation. Our introductory week covered a range of topics, including accident investigation. Cranfield has a hangar where a number of aircraft wrecks are located, each with their own story. The day we visited the hangar to learn more about aviation safety ended on a sombre note as we inspected the wreckage of a Grob Tutor associated with the deaths of two teenage girls on an RAF experience flight.

Cranfield Aerospace

As with many experiences in life, the best part of my year at Cranfield were the people I met there. It turned out I was a rather rare commodity at the university as most of my fellow students were from overseas. On my course, I was the only British person amongst an eclectic group of foreign nationals (French, Dutch, Indonesian, Turkish, Spanish, Canadian, Danish, Hong Kong, and a Zimbabwean).

Friday beers

The only real problems with studying at Cranfield were the shortage of suitable accommodation and a distinct lack of things to do on campus (other than study). However, those were minor inconveniences and I would certainly say that socially, culturally, and academically, I learnt many things.

Group work presentation day

Happy days.