This paper considers the arguments for the construction of courses in ESP (English for Specific Purposes) focusing on the integration of curriculum design theory into an English course for aircraft engineering at the Civil Aviation University of China. For teacher-researchers interested in designing and implementing an aviation English instruction program, this paper offers an example framework of how this might be done and evaluates the framework within an action research model. A needs analysis is made and a curriculum presented for an integrated course in aviation English for aircraft engineers in the Chinese context, so that learners of ESP can learn the target language more effectively and put the learning to practical use.