Applications are now open for 7 teams including the newly formed Propulsion team! Later this year, we will be celebrating 5 years of JetX during which we have engaged over 100 engineering students and reached out to hundreds of pupils and enthusiasts from the aerospace, 3D printing and education communities.

The countdown has now begun for Kronos and X-Plorer 2 both due to be completed in 2020 and this presents a unique opportunity to existing and new member to follow those last stages of the projects. Whilst Glasgow-based students can apply to join the teams, Masters students in Sheffield can work on personal projects tied to the X-Plorer 1 EC, but applications will not be accepted online at this point. Interested applicants should reach out to ACSE for more details.

This academic year also marks the start of another exciting collaboration and the establishment of our first undergraduate design team abroad. The newly formed Propulsion team at the University of New Hampshire in the US will be led by Matt Bowring and will focus on the complicated design of more efficient propulsion chamber. A performance issue with the existing chambers was identified last October and some testing in isolated assemblies as well as the X-Plorer 1 has been carried out over the past year.

Students from the University of New Hampshire may also apply online until the 13th of September. The deadline for UK applicants is the 27th of September and shortlisted candidates will be contacted a few days later. Follow the link below to access the applications page and find out more information on the teams and positions. Vacancies for some Glasgow-based teams are quite limited, so we'd advise interested applicants to apply as soon as possible! Good luck everyone!

We were delighted to have been recently hosted by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) to exhibit the X-Plorer 1 at the annual instalment of the Royal International Air Tattoo! Vice-presidents, Ross and Hamzah, were joined by team advisor, Alan, to speak to the public about what it is that JetX does, how the IET promotes engineering particularly among younger people and generally about all things aerospace. Given the nature of the event, there was no shortage of aviation enthusiasts and students of all ages interested in our use of additive manufacturing.

​The team arrived on Thursday to begin setting up the stall with our information leaflets and brochures, as well as the X-Plorer 1 and the all-new "desktop fan"; a scaled replica of the fan design that is found on the X-plorer 1 EC currently housed at the University of Sheffield. Once set up, the team took a behind-the-scenes walk about the Techno Zone before the air tattoo opened to the public on Friday.

​On Saturday, air displays finally began. Highlights included a centenary celebration of British Airways with a Boeing 747-400 flanked by the Red Arrows and an opportunity for Ross to see a childhood favourite; an Apache attack helicopter.

With Ross having left late on Saturday, it was up to Hamzah and Alan to close out RIAT 2019. After an exhausting weekend, there was no respite to come with Sunday being the busiest day of the three. Nonetheless, they survived as we almost ran through our entire stock of 3D-printed keyrings!

​Be sure to check out an interview from Hamzah, recorded kindly by Colin McKenzie of the IET Aerospace Network  discussing what JetX is, what we do and why we do it, available here. The team loved their time at RIAT 2019 and are keen to explore further opportunities in the future alongside the IET, promoting engineering to the younger generation and the general public. We would also like to thank Robert Allison and Robert McLaughlan  of the IET for their help in making this possible, as well as all the volunteers and organisers for this great experience. You can find out more about the institution's goals and activities by following the link below.