The Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford, Gloucestershire is regarded as one of the biggest events in the airshow calendar and this year NATS graduates were on hand to show off their skills.

The latest blog in our series, which looks at women in engineering, is from Wendy Ashing, Senior Project Safety Manager with NATS. She shares her experiences and reflections about her career below.

It may be hidden behind the scenes at times, but engineering is a vital part of the work we do.

When people hear that my role in NATS is to lead the Survey and Drawing Services (S&DS) team they often think I sit at a desk drawing things every day. But in truth, what the team and I do is much more varied and exciting.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, but then how would you train engineers to maintain equipment?

The answer lies deep in the green fields of Hampshire, where a unique site plays host to an array of ground based navigation systems that provide a hands-on training experience to all NATS engineers, as well as delegates from across the globe that seek our expertise.

When you think of air traffic control, you naturally think of planes, but did you know that NATS is also involved in rocket launches and the safe passing of them – and the aircraft around them – through our skies?

The idea of sending instructions to an aircraft as data rather than voice communication seems like an obviously good one. It would lessen the chances of a misunderstanding while at the same time freeing up the pilot and controller for other tasks – a two-fold safety advantage.

Controlling aircraft is just one part of our business. To ensure we maintain our position as a world leader in the provision of ATC services we look for the very best and talented recruits for our engineering teams.

Huge growth in air travel across Indonesia is driving massive plans to build and relocate a total of 45 airports over the next decade. Business Development Manager, Nick Jackson, will be discussing the challenges and opportunities this brings at the 2nd annual South East Asia Airport Expansion Summit in Jakarta.