This paper describes the methodology that has been developed and implemented at the School of Aeronautics (ETSIA) of the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM) to familiarize aerospace engineering students with the operation of real complex jet engine systems. This methodology has a two-pronged approach: students carry out preparatory work by using, first, a gas turbine performance prediction numerical code; then they validate their assumptions and results on an experimental test rig. When looking at the educational aspects, we have taken care that, apart from being sufficiently robust and flexible, the experimental set-up is similar to real jet engine rigs, so the students are not constrained to exploring a much too limited parametric space. Also, because a facility like this is usually subject to extensive and somewhat rugged use, we have focused on a low cost design
