Why choose this specialty?
The facilities used to train students in the “Aviation Engineering and Technology” program meet high European standards. The teaching laboratories are equipped with specialized models and test benches, computer equipment, and laboratory setups and apparatus for laboratory exercises, either developed in-house or acquired over the past 5–10 years. They also allow for the conduct of certain practical exercises related to the disassembly of engines, assemblies, and other components. A MiG-21U aircraft, provided free of charge by the Ministry of Defense, is also used for educational purposes.
The computer-aided design (CAD) laboratory is state-of-the-art, equipped with the latest computer hardware and proprietary software products such as NX4, Solid Edge, SolidWorks, and others. In 2005, the pneumatics laboratory, established with the material support of “SMC Industrial Automation” EOOD – Sofia, became operational; it is equipped with a pneumatic trainer and eight panels featuring operational pneumatic components and automated pneumatic systems.
Since 1990, the department has had the “ULAK-1” aerodynamic teaching and laboratory complex—the only one of its kind in the country—which enables the conduct of laboratory exercises and scientific research in the field of aircraft aerodynamics. Over the past two years, the complex has been enhanced with systems developed by the department for studying the wake of a flowing body, visualizing the flow, and determining the aerodynamic characteristics of a model.
Students have access to a computer lab equipped with eight Dell Pentium IV PCs connected to the branch server, high-speed Internet (internal network speed: 100 Mbps; BG connectivity: 4 Mbps; international connectivity: 2 Mbps) . The room housing the computer lab is equipped with a portable multimedia system. It is used primarily for conducting lab sessions, coursework, and projects, as well as for administering ongoing and final electronic assessments of students’ knowledge. A large portion of the classes requiring computer use are also held in the branch’s general-purpose computer labs.
To maintain high academic standards in the educational process, lecturers who are prominent and recognized experts in their fields are invited to teach some of the specialized courses—from the Technical University of Sofia, the Institute for Space Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Faculty of Aviation at the National Military University “V. Levski,” and others.
In addition to the university library, students in the “Aviation Engineering and Technologies” program also have access to the department’s information center, which houses specialized and other aviation literature in both print and digital formats. Currently, there are approximately 1,000 titles available in print alone.
For student training, the facilities at “TEREM – G. Benkovski” Ltd. in Plovdiv, the “Lufthansa Technik” facility in Sofia, the Plovdiv Airport Complex, the “Graf Ignatievo” Air Base, “Krumovo” Air Base, the Bulgarian Air Traffic Control (BATC) facility in Sofia, and others.
Training in smaller groups is of paramount importance, as it allows instructors to continuously monitor each student’s progress throughout the entire training period and to address the quality of instruction, interests, and challenges of each student.