Aerospace Engineering Intern Shares Experiences, Offers Advice

This summer, he accepted his most notable position yet - stress test support intern at Gulfstream Aerospace. He recently talked about his experiences and offered advice to students in the internship market.

What made you go into Aerospace Engineering?

I have always been fascinated by the sight of an airplane giving the illusion of hanging in midair through magic. This childhood fascination laid the foundation of my dream of studying this man-made structure and being part of research and development in this field. I have taken the first step toward realizing that dream through my undergraduate studies in aeronautical engineering. The broad overview I gained made me realize my aspirations of excelling and establishing myself as an aircraft structure specialist.

Can you describe what you do each day at Gulfstream and what you are learning?

As a stress test support intern, I am currently working on the certification of the G600 aircraft. I work on aircraft components, conduct structural analysis and develop stress notes or stress calculations.

Based on your experiences at Gulfstream, Piper Aircraft Inc., Florida NextGen Test Bed and Bangalore Aircraft Industries, what advice do you have for student interns?

• Build your network. Be nice to your team members and talk to everyone around your desk. Ask people what they are working on, even if you are not part of their team. That’s how you learn things and gain knowledge.
• Work with people who challenge you. It increases your confidence and improves your skills.
• Take initiative. When there is an open task, they need someone to take responsibility for it. Be the first person to raise your hand and say, “Yes, I will do it.”
• Multitask and learn to handle pressure.
• Remember that an internship is the only time in your life when you can learn so many things while working as a student ambassador for your school. Once when you become a full-time employee, it is your duty to make your school proud.