About the Job
Perform engineering duties in designing, constructing, and testing aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft. May conduct basic and applied research to evaluate adaptability of materials and equipment to aircraft design and manufacture. May recommend improvements in testing equipment and techniques.
Also Called
- Aeronautical Engineer
- Aerodynamicist
- Avionics Engineer
- Design Engineer
- Flight Control Engineer
- Structural Analysis Engineer
- Aircraft Designer
- Supplier Quality Engineer (SQE)
- Flight Dynamicist
- Supersonic Engineer
- Pipe Stress Engineer
- Thermodynamicist
- Rocket Scientist
- Propulsion Engineer
Wages
In 2017, average annual wage in California was $119,930 with the lowest earner making
$72,350 and the highest earner making $162,110.
Outlook
During 2014, this occupation employed 13,400 people in California and by 2016 the Unites States employed 69,600 people. This occupation is projected to grow by 6 to 7percent. By 2024, approximately 14,300 people will be employed in California and by 2026 there will be 73,800 employed throughout the United States.
Work Values
Working Conditions — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Independence — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Recognition — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
What they do
- Formulate mathematical models or other methods of computer analysis to develop, evaluate, or modify design, according to customer engineering requirements.
- Plan or conduct experimental, environmental, operational, or stress tests on models or prototypes of aircraft or aerospace systems or equipment. Green Task Statement
- Formulate conceptual design of aeronautical or aerospace products or systems to meet customer requirements or conform to environmental regulations. Green Task Statement
- Plan or coordinate activities concerned with investigating and resolving customers’ reports of technical problems with aircraft or aerospace vehicles.
- Write technical reports or other documentation, such as handbooks or bulletins, for use by engineering staff, management, or customers.
education & training
Engineering and Technology
Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Mathematics
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Design
Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Physics
Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
Computers and Electronics
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Skills & Abilities
- Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Science — Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Common College Majors
- Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical/Space Engineering:
- Electrical and Electronics Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering