Teaching aviation engineering with remote access to physical systems

Abstract

This paper presents an alternative teaching method through a virtualized remote laboratory for engineers in aviation, mechanics, control and analytics. In practical conditions, it is difficult for students to access a physical turbojet engine in a testing facility and study its operation on-site. Either the operation rooms lack the space for observers and operators, or only some specific personnel are permitted to access the operation room, thus rendering the students unable to gain practical experiences on-site. Our goal is to provide a set of applications to enable students’ passive and active remote access to the turbojet engine testing facility. To achieve lowest network traffic possible in real-time, we use TCP and UDP protocols. We tested the throughput of this solution with a distribution server but some testing from the students’ point of view is also necessary to obtain suitable feedback.