This edition of Moog’s engineering spotlight features Ian Brooks, a prominent engineer at the Tewkesbury Facility in the United Kingdom. At this facility, engineers design and develop Moog’s range of aerospace servo valves for military and commercial aircraft flight controls and fuel controls. Ian has been devoted to Moog Tewkesbury for an impressive 30 years and has the utmost respect for the company and community within.
Written in the Stars
Ian Brooks is not the first of his lineage to take on the evolving world of engineering. His father, grandfather, and great grandfather were all professional engineers. Ian recalls his earliest memory at age four as he watched his father fiddle on their lathe in the garage. It was this experience that sparked his fascination with what his mind and hands could do together. He also recounts a broken bike and stealing his dad’s tools to fix the bike and many other projects. “Children emulate their parents,” he states, “so the long line of little engineers following in their parents’ footsteps is what drives this family tradition.” When it came time to decide what he would do as a career, “there wasn't a decision to be made at all, because it was just written in the stars,” he said.
College Days
Ian attended Coventry University, a school near Birmingham, United Kingdom. He began school at 18, and, of course, studied engineering. He recalls fondly an internship he had with a local company. The company was Cape Environmental, located in Warwick, UK, and explored Environmental Testing for the aerospace and defense industries. They are now part of the large Element group. He loved this hands-on experience at Cape Environmental, and even found it difficult to return to university after such a satisfying and knowledgeable experience. He couldn’t believe he was having so much fun and getting paid to do it! After University, Ian was ready to take on the world, but found himself changing jobs every 2-3 years. Ian said that moving around was fun and brought new experiences, but when he joined Moog, he found he could explore various paths without changing jobs. He says, “My advice is to look for a company that can allow you to explore your interests as you grow professionally – Moog did this for me and there was always another challenge just at the right time!”
A Satisfying Spot
In his first experience at Moog, he entered as a Senior Engineer. Within 9 months he faced a huge technical problem. “Shortly after I joined Moog, a technical problem was threatening production at one of our major customers. It was a little frustrating as they had made a change and caused the problem, but we had to roll up our sleeves and find a solution. As a new Senior Engineer, it was daunting to find myself in a foreign company faced with a very difficult technical issue, but with a team of inspiring and experienced Moog engineers, we were encouraged to innovate and innovate again until we finally had the solution. I was proud to have conceived the device that solved our problem, and this design feature is in every valve we designed from then on.” After several years, Ian did not feel the urge to move on to a different company as his job at Moog was constantly evolving and changing, keeping him inspired and excited to come to work each day. He says at Moog he found new challenges arose when he needed them, allowing him to build on old networks, relationships and knowledge rather than having to rebuild “soft” assets with each move.
Moog Tewkesbury, UK Facility
Prosthetic ankle designed by Ian and his team.
Sole-ful Endeavors
Ian recounts a specific project he felt privileged to work on at Moog. It was a prosthetic ankle, and while prosthetics are not his expertise like servo valves, both use many of the same technologies. When Ian and his team wanted to engage in additive manufacturing, it initially began with the production of servo-valves. Their powered prosthetic server was designed to function as a powered prosthetic ankle. Essentially, the ankle resembles an aircraft flight control, akin to what he referred to as a natural hydrostatic actuator. However, it has been meticulously miniaturized and specialized to fit the shape of an ankle. Ian fondly looks back on the memory and says “I got to work with amputees to develop this prosthetic, and seeing the look on their faces when they were able to walk was sheer joy. They went from having an unbalanced gait on a conventional prosthetic to having a balanced natural gait.”
A Day in the Life
Ian doesn’t just occupy a title; he embodies a dynamic force within Moog and his team at Tewkesbury. As a seasoned mentor, his role is to help and guidance all the engineers on the technical aspects of their work. He leads a collaborative environment, where engineers thrive on shared knowledge and collective teamwork. He doesn’t take on large projects himself but rather engages in a variety of his team’s projects to provide advice. “Problem solving, firefighting, and sending people in the right direction” is how Ian describes his day. His door is always open, and engineers frequently seek his insights, whether about intricate design challenges or strategic planning. Ian feels this is his greatest contribution to Moog: defining the technical direction so each engineer fully understands their project.
Off the Clock
As a cherished member of a large and tightly knit blended family, Ian wears his roles with pride. He has lovingly raised five remarkable children, each grown and forging their own paths in life. In addition to his children, he has a grandchild who he looks forward to loving and mentoring. Ian finds solace in the simple pleasures of life alongside his wife: long walks that unravel the day’s knots, and cycling adventures that take him to new places. Aside from his family and work life, Ian has a unique passion. For two decades, he has been a devoted member of a club that designs and builds light hovercrafts. Sabrina is Ian’s most recent project; a light hovercraft stretching sixteen feet, the length of a modest car. So, if you’re looking for Ian Brooks on the weekends, check the water. There you will find him, Sabrina, and future innovation and design waiting to happen.
"Sabrina" at Castle Lathlan on Loch Fyne in the Scottish Highlands.
To the Future Engineer
To all the women and men wondering where their path leads, engineering may be your calling. Ian says, “You want to go somewhere where you can feel like you are making a difference and have some fun.” At Moog, our young engineers are given immediate responsibilities with expert guidance. They are allowed to run as fast as they can and given a license to explore and contribute in their own unique way. This is what brought Ian to Moog in the first place! He says, “it is important for me that I don't have somebody looking down on or over me, telling me what to do, every moment of every day, and we don't do that at Moog.” One wise phrase he wishes to pass along to the future creators and innovators is this- “Solutions to problems don’t emerge in the middle of the night when exhaustion sets in after a long day of hard work. Instead, they often appear unexpectedly in the morning. Take a step back, survey the landscape, discern the contours of the problem, and give your mind the space it needs to work its magic.”
If you are interested in joining Moog to experience the ever evolving and engaging environment as Ian has, please explore our open opportunities at Moog.com/Careers.
Ian with his family.