It was a school visit to Stansted airport that first got a 14 year old John Wheal thinking about all of the complex systems that must work together to make air travel possible.
Systems that keep us, and our luggage all safe as we fly off on holiday or business to destinations around the world.
Now he's a systems engineer with the National Air Transport Services, or NATS, as part of a team designing and building the next generation of air traffic control systems. And when those systems are the basis for the safety of 250 million air passengers every year, it's vital that John and the team get it right.
“Since joining NATS I have been able to build on the technical knowledge that I learnt in my degree course and apply it to a real-world problem in a unique, safety critical environment.
John joined NATS as an Engineering Graduate in 2016 after completing his Masters degree in Computer Engineering at the University of Portsmouth.
So next time you board a plane setting off on holiday or look up to see aircraft flying across the skies just give a thought to John and his colleagues at NATS who ensure that each flight takes the right route and arrives safely at its destination.
Find out about career opportunities at NATS MORE
26 February 2018
video courtesy of: Born to Engineer and IET; produced by Duck Rabbit Media