Groupement des écoles d'aéronautique facts for kids
The Groupement des écoles d'aéronautique (GEA France) is a special group of three top French engineering schools. These schools are all about aerospace engineering. This means they teach students how to design, build, and fly things like airplanes, helicopters, and even spacecraft!
The three schools in GEA France are:
- The École nationale de l'aviation civile (ÉNAC). This school has campuses in many cities, including Toulouse, Montpellier, and Grenoble.
- The École nationale supérieure de mécanique et d'aérotechnique (ISAE-ENSMA) in Poitiers.
- The Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO) in Toulouse.
These schools are known as grandes écoles in France. This means they are very selective and offer high-level education, often leading to important jobs in their fields.
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Learning About Aviation in China
The GEA France schools also helped create a special institute in Tianjin, China. It's called the Institut sino-européen d'ingénierie de l'aviation (Sino-European Institute of Aviation Engineering). This institute was started with help from the French government's aviation department (DGAC) and big French companies. These companies include Airbus, Thales, Eurocopter, and Safran.
This partnership came about because Airbus built a factory in Tianjin to assemble its Airbus A320 airplanes. The institute opened in October 2007.
Training Chinese Aerospace Engineers
The institute in Tianjin trains Chinese students to become aerospace engineers. Their studies take six years. First, they spend a year learning the French language. Then, they have two years of special preparatory classes. After that, they spend three years studying aeronautical engineering. This training helps them learn all about how airplanes work and how to make them even better.
Advanced Aviation Studies in Tianjin
Besides the main engineering program, the Tianjin institute also offers advanced courses called Mastères Spécialisés. These are special master's degrees for students who want to become experts in certain areas of aviation.
Specialized Aviation Safety Courses
Three of these advanced courses focus on managing aviation safety. They cover important topics like:
- Aviation Safety management: how to keep airplanes safe through good maintenance.
- Aviation Safety management: making sure airplanes are safe to fly (this is called airworthiness).
- Aviation Safety management: how to make sure flight operations are safe.
These courses are designed for Chinese students who want to work in the aviation industry and help make flying safer for everyone.
