From intense lectures and examinations on courses such as aerodynamics to exploring the streets of Paris with experiences such as the Paris Air Show, I made countless unforgettable memories. Here is what four of the best weeks of my life over the summer of 2025 looked like.
I’m Pratham Desai, a third-year Aeronautics and Astronautics student, and I spent four weeks in the summer of 2025 at the Computational Fluid Dynamics Summer Program. The program was held at Ecole Supérieure des Techniques Aéronautiques et de Construction Automobile (ESTACA) Campus Paris-Saclay in Montigny-le-Bretonneux – a town in the conurbation of St-Quentin-en-Yvelines (SQY), France.
The program itself was a great mix of educational activities with the aim of learning and practicing modelling techniques for fluid dynamics. It consisted of six courses (cumulating to 10 ECTS credits), five company visits, and four cultural visits. This blog provides an in-depth description of the academic courses and company visits, before detailing some of my favorite cultural visits and experiences over the four weeks.
Academics
The six intense, yet highly rewarding, courses in the summer program began by providing a broad overview of engineering before delving into some of the specialisations within aerospace engineering.
Our foundational knowledge was covered across six days through 36 hours of lectures on Fluid Mechanics and Aerodynamics. Fluid Mechanics included engineering fundamentals, from fluid statics to the Navier-Stokes Equations, while Aerodynamics explored aerospace-specific applications such as incompressible and compressible flow over airfoils and finite wings. These two topics concluded with a 23-question worksheet for Fluid Mechanics and a group-based examination for Aerodynamics.
Building on that, specialist courses were introduced, including Introduction to Turbulence, Computational Fluid Dynamics, and Wind Tunnel. While the 15 hours of Introduction to Turbulence were mostly theoretical – including topics such as the Paradox of Dissipation, Kolmogorov-Richardson Cascade, and Kinetic Energy Budget – our 12 hours of Computational Fluid Dynamics taught a numerical approach, which was followed by exciting coursework that considered the effect of mesh size in ANSYS Fluent. The practical work continued with a two-hour workshop in the wind tunnel, which introduced Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), and was followed by six hours of post-processing in MATLAB to develop new skills.
The academics concluded with in-person, closed-book examinations on both Introduction to Turbulence and six hours of enriching lectures discussing French aeronautical history.
Company Visits
The summer program included five insightful, informative and inspirational company visits. The first two company visits took place at Akkodis’ and Hutchinson’s chalets at the Paris Air Show where we were presented with remarkable opportunities. For example, at Akkodis, the large group of 13 was split into smaller groups for more personalised chats with a current employee. This was followed by a showcase of Akkodis’ products such as a helicopter simulator which could be used to train learner pilots. Later, at Hutchinson’s chalet, we watched a deal signed between Hutchinson and ESTACA to enhance the relationship between industry and education.
The third company visit was to the Laboratoire d’aérodynamisme de Gustave-Eiffel, which introduced us to a wind tunnel developed by Gustave Eiffel in 1912, who the Eiffel Tower is named after. Alongside learning about the uses of the wind tunnel over the decades, such as the design of vehicles and civilian buildings, we were also educated about the history of the wind tunnel. What fascinated me the most was that the wind tunnel was initially located under the Eiffel Tower.
The fourth, and perhaps my favorite company visit, was with Corsair, a French airline. Firstly, the company visit was held at one of Corsair’s aircraft hangars at Paris’ Orly Airport, where one of Corsair’s Airbus A330-900neo was undergoing maintenance. The unforgettable experience in the hangar included discussions with an employee and a tour inside the aircraft, where we had the opportunity to visit the cabin, the cockpit, and most interestingly, a room beneath the cabin for cabin crew to rest.
Corsair’s Airbus A330-900neo
The final company visit was with Akkodis Research, where we gained an exclusive insight into some research projects primarily related to vehicles (such as cars, aircraft and go-karts) and robotics, including the use of machine learning for the operation of a fixed-wing UAV in gusts.
Cultural Visits and Experiences
Alongside the fast-paced academics, there were often opportunities to immerse ourselves in Parisian culture and experiences, and I tried to make the most of them. From exploring the traditional French countryside to visiting iconic buildings and places, here are some of my favorite visits and experiences over the four weeks.
Montigny-le-Bretonneux – The serene town, where us students studied and lived, also included Étang de Saint-Quentin – a lake I made several visits to for its tranquility and diversity in landscape. Adjacent to the lake stood the Vélodrome National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines – France’s national velodrome, used at the Olympics held in Paris under a year ago at the time, which felt surreal even after three visits.
Vélodrome National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Montmartre and Cruise on the Seine River – June 16, 2025: As an icebreaker event, ESTACA organised a puzzle-solving quiz at Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Montmartre, giving us students an opportunity to interact with each other, while exploring one of Paris’ icons. The game was followed by a cruise on the Seine River, which passed through some world-class landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral and several bridges. It was a remarkable introduction to the city.
Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Montmartre
Château de Versailles – June 19, 2025: The visit to Château de Versailles, sponsored by ESTACA, began with a 10-minute ride from SQY. While the palace itself was an incredible work of architecture – including its historic bedrooms and the famed Hall of Mirrors, where the Treaty of Versailles was signed to end World War I, I particularly enjoyed the gardens where, alongside the fountains and waterworks, four of us rented a boat to paddle across the Grand Canal, which I highly recommend.
Hall of Mirrors, Château de Versailles
Paris Air Show – June 20, 2025: The CFD Summer Program included tickets to the 55th edition of the International Paris Air Show at Paris’ Le Bourget airport. Initially, the group was invited to Akkodis’ chalet and later to Hutchinson’s, which were located along the flight line providing a prime view of several flying displays, such as those by Patrouille de France (the precision aerobatic demonstration team of the French Air and Space Force), Airbus’ A350-1000, and Lockheed Martin’s F-16. The static display, exhibiting some of the world’s most iconic aircraft (such as Boeing’s 787-9 and C-17 Globemaster III and Airbus’ A400M Atlas). It was very exciting to witness the particular Concorde aircraft which was used to break the world record in 1973 for the longest-ever total eclipse observation. Yet, the highlight of the day for me (alongside being feet away from the French President, Emmanuel Macron) was standing underneath the Airbus A380 – the aircraft which sparked my passion for aviation in 2016.
The Airbus A380 at the Paris Air Show
Trappes – June 26, 2025: A quick solo trip to Trappes, a commune four minutes away by train from SQY, included about an hour’s walk around the gorgeous Étang du Manet and another nearby unnamed body of water. The serenity provided a refreshing change from the fast-paced nature of the program.
Étang du Manet, Trappes
Disneyland – July 5, 2025: While myself and three others enjoyed a few thrilling rides and activities – such as Big Thunder Mountain and Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, and sightings of actors playing famed characters, including Mickey Mouse and Moana, the highlights for me were the celebratory music and dance performances across the park, including the Grand Orchestra Finale. From the waterworks and fireworks, to the dancing and singing, the 20-minute show was truly magical. Viva la musique!
The Grand Orchestra Finale, Disneyland
Stade Roland Garros – July 6, 2025: Having watched one of the greatest tennis matches between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 French Open’s final on the TV four weeks prior, I was very excited to tour the court it happened on: Court Phillipe-Chatrier. Alongside a close-up view of the court, which included the Rafa Nadal plaque, the tour also included access to the press conference rooms, locker rooms, and a museum. Furthermore, just six days prior, Stade Roland Garros was hosting a local tennis tournament on the outside courts, which were free to access, which allowed four of us to watch a tennis match on a clay court.
Court Phillipe-Chatrier, Stade Roland Garros
Chevreuse – July 7, 2025: To immerse ourselves in local culture, three of us spent half a day in Chevreuse: a medieval French countryside town an hour away from SQY. After a beignet crème at Les délices de Chevreuse, we trekked up a mountain to Château de la Madeleine for a surreal view of the whole town, followed by a visit to Église Saint-Martin – an 11th century church, and a local farm (Ferme de Coubertin) for fresh yogurt. The highlight of the trip was the Promenade des Petits Ponts, or Little Bridges Walk – a picturesque walk along the narrow Yvette river, with little bridges to enable access to homes and places of work.
Last Evening in Paris – July 10, 2025: For our final evening in Paris, myself and five others decided to spend the evening and some of the night in central Paris. After walking past iconic landmarks such as the Louvre and Place de la Concorde, we arrived at the Eiffel Tower. On the first day of the summer program, I was asked what I was looking forward to the most over the four weeks, and I responded with seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. 18 hours before my departure from the city, I was lying in front of a glowing, glittering Eiffel Tower. It was a moment I couldn’t have scripted.
The Eiffel Tower at 11:29PM
Reflections and Conclusions
I highly recommend applying for the CFD Summer Program at ESTACA Campus Paris-Saclay if you have the opportunity. It offers a magnificent mix of academics, company and cultural visits in a fast-paced four weeks, while allowing time for independent exploration. Summer schools are the perfect opportunity to learn and explore in a different country for a few weeks; I couldn’t have prepared myself for how much fun I was going to have.
I would like to thank Dr. Alexander Wittig for advertising the opportunity, the Study Abroad Team at the University of Southampton, and the International Office at ESTACA for a seamless, incredibly enjoyable four weeks. Thanks also to the staff from ESTACA and ONERA, the French Aerospace Lab, for the enthusiastic teaching. And a special thank you to all the other students on the program for many unforgettable memories.
Et merci, Paris, pour les quatre semaines. C’était une expérience incroyable et mémorable.