Andrew Honey
MEng Aeronautics & Astronautics
Project Manager, CFD Validation
I was born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland, but I wanted a change so I came down to Southampton which is where I have been for the past 3 years studying. I chose Aeronautical Engineering as I was fascinated with military planes and how they operated, and with this degree it gave me the opportunity to put my numerical and analytical strengths to practical use. My individual project was to computationally model wingsuits and to understand the unusual aerodynamics associated with them. This led me into the world of wingsuits, and to be honest it is seriously making me consider taking up a new hobby. The Icarus Project is challenging due to the lack of research on the market, however that’s part of the fun of it. We get to push the boundaries of what has come before us and do some things that people have never done before.
Ollie Strong
MEng Aeronautics & Astronautics // Aerodynamics
Boundary layer re-energisation lead, CFD
Hi ,I’m Oliver from Poole. I chose to study Aeronautics as growing up I always wanted to be a F1 driver, but I quickly realised that wasn’t going to happen. So as I’ve always been good at Maths and Physics I decided to do the next best thing which is to design them, which is why I chose to study a Southampton with the ambition to work in the motorsport industry. The ICARUS project gives me a chance to apply and develop the skills I have learnt to the cutting edge of wingsuit design, which is very different and unconventional from anything I have done before. Its going to be a challenge, but really enjoyable and hopefully we will have some ground breaking research on wingsuit design to show for it!
Justin Imaz
MEng Aeronautics & Astronautics
Intake design lead, CFD
I am originally from Neston, a small town near Liverpool. I chose to study aerospace engineering as I’ve always had a keen interest in science and technology, especially when applied to aircraft and spacecraft. My hobbies include tennis, bouldering and gaming – although this project is tempting me to add skydiving to that list! This ambitious project presents a unique engineering challenge, with the extensive application of CFD and innovative ideas pushing the boundaries of wingsuit design. It’s a great opportunity to be involved in something right at the cutting edge!
Marcus Bridgland
MEng Aeronautics & Astronautics // Aerodynamics
Website/PR lead, CFD
I’m from near Reading, and chose to study here in Southampton firstly because of the world-leading facilities on offer and also due to the career prospects and options that studying a MEng in Aerodynamics offers. My strong suits lie with the mathematical and theoretical side of engineering, but in my spare time I enjoy writing reviews and other journalism pieces, and have recently joined the road cycling hype. The Icarus Project stood out for me due to its unrivalled distinctiveness as an engineering challenge, with the multi-discipline nature of the project encompassing a wide range of challenges and conundrums for us as a team to solve.
James Francis
MEng Mechanical Engineering // Management
Manufacturing Team, Presentations
I’m from Twickenham/Richmond, London and I chose Mech engineering mainly because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to do something worthwhile that would keep my future prospects as broad as possible. I had done all STEM subjects for my A-levels, so Engineering was the obvious choice. After Uni in the short term I want to get a graduate job in London and begin getting some industrial experience to kick-start my career. I still haven’t decided what career path I want to take so I’m not too fussy whether I initially get an engineering or business job. My long term career dream is to work in renewable energy and sustainability as this is vital for the future. I chose the Icarus project because it combines all of what we have learnt throughout our degree to work on an amazing piece of engineering (the wingsuit) which brings humans closer to the elusive dream of unaided flight.
Azib Amin
MEng Mechanical Engineering // Advanced Materials
Manufacturing Team, Secretary
Born and raised in the UK, in Slough where I spent most of my days, I came to the University of Southampton to learn about and pursue a career in Mechanical Engineering. Getting to grips with the latest technology and getting to make use of the awesome resources here has been an amazing part of my University experience. The Icarus Project now has given me the chance to work with the guys at Aero and look at contributing to one of the craziest sports around: Wingsuit Flying! There’s so much scope to this project and things to learn, it’s most certainly a GDP project that’s lifting us off our feet.
Philip Hung
MEng Aeronautics & Astronautics // Aerodynamics
Inlet Design Team, CFD
I was brought up in London, where I am grateful to have had some amazing teachers who encouraged me to pursue maths, art and the sciences. I wanted to challenge myself and study something which would combine these core subjects that I love and this is what led me to engineering. I decided to study aeronautical engineering simply because it was something I knew very little of which made me want to understand it even more. In the future, I hope to continue the trend of doing something creative, yet technical but above all, enjoy life! With the endeavour to create the best wingsuit possible, The Icarus Project is both challenging and innovative and I’m proud to be a part of it.
Nurik Sagyndyk
MEng Aeronautics & Astronautics // Computational Engineering and Design
Boundary Layer Re-energisation team, CFD
I’m originally from Kazakhstan, but have lived in the UK for the last 12 years. Since my childhood, I was always captivated by the concept of flying. That passion over the years slowly turned into an idea of studying this degree since through my school years and A levels I have developed and possessed a more technical mind-set. As I previously mentioned, I have always been fond of the concept of flying so when I heard about this project during my third year university, I was both impressed and keen to participate in this project. Additionally as my choice of theme is within Computational Engineering and Design, I thought I would be also suited for this project.
