Aerospace Engineer

Working Schedule

• Aerospace Engineers usually work full-time, with overtime needed in some cases to ensure projects are completed within timeframes and that work meets design and performance standards. 

Typical Duties

• Review technical proposals to determine viability, safety, budgetary considerations, and compliance with environmental policies
• Determine if the company can fully meet customer requirements 
• Oversee the lifecycle of aircraft/aerospace parts, equipment, and vehicles from design to fabrication, manufacturing, and testing
• Analyze product designs against aerospace engineering principles
• Research vendors and suppliers to source the most suitable solutions 
• Set quality assurance and testing standards and ensure designs meet the criteria
• Establish completion timeframes and track progress
• Design products and systems using math models or computer analysis
• Run tests and experiments to ensure prototypes function per specification while withstanding anticipated stressors
• Investigate problems, perform diagnostics, troubleshoot and inspect parts or products that don’t operate within parameters due to malfunction or damage
• Write reports and maintain documentation and records
• Study aerospace impacts on the environment and continue to find ways to reduce emissions 
• Evaluate the viability of alternative fuels 

Additional Responsibilities

• Research and develop new aerospace technologies and potential capabilities
• Train and supervise other team members, as needed
• Stay up to date on industry changes and technological advancements
• Attend professional organization events to share information and learn from others

Soft Skills

• Activities Coordination 
• Analytical 
• Attention to detail
• Business acumen
• Collaboration 
• Creativity
• Critical thinking
• Decisive
• Deductive and inductive reasoning
• Detail-oriented
• Independent
• Monitoring 
• Objective
• Organized
• Patient
• Perceptive 
• Problem solving
• Reading comprehension 
• Safety-oriented
• Strong communication skills
• Visualization 

Technical Skills

• Aerospace design principles
• Applied physics
• Computer aided design
• Engineering and technology 
• Knowledge of fabrication and manufacturing
• Mechanical aptitude
• Operations analysis
• Strong science and math skills (including algebra, linear algebra, trigonometry, calculus, and statistics)

• Aerospace product and parts manufacturing    
• Engineering services    
• Federal government, excluding the postal service    
• Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing    
• Research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences

• Aerospace products, parts, and related fields of manufacturing
• Defense contractors (such as Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, GE Aviation, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, etc.)
• Engineering services
• Government agencies (such as NASA, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office. U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, etc.)
• Private companies (such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, etc.)
• Research and development centers

In the realm of Aerospace Engineering, the stakes are sky-high! The safety of countless people rests in the hands of these experts responsible for the planes we fly in—or that fly over our heads!

They are entrusted to ensure safe rocket and missile launches and to develop aircraft capable of deterring foreign militaries. Because of the sensitive nature of their work, Aerospace Engineers frequently need to obtain a security clearance requiring a background check. In addition, they must maintain their clearances through good personal conduct, managing debt, avoiding conflicts of interest or security violations, and staying away from drug or alcohol-related incidents (to name only a few of the behaviors that impact one’s security clearance and jeopardize employability).

A common sacrifice in this field is the possible need for frequent moves. The aerospace industry can experience ups and downs depending on demand and economic factors. 2017 saw top companies in the industry laying off engineers to cut costs, causing many workers to have to relocate to find jobs. Sometimes workers might even move overseas to find suitable jobs for their unique skills.

Automation is ubiquitous and the aerospace industry is taking full advantage. Thanks to automation technologies and processes, workplace hazards related to aerospace manufacturing can be reduced, allowing human workers to focus on safer tasks. This trend is projected to continue, which means engineers must stay on top of how automation might affect their work tasks.

Another trend impacting pretty much every industry is the push for environmentally-friendlier business. Per the BBC, “around 2.4% of global CO2 emissions come from aviation.” Combined with other gasses and vapor trails, research indicates aviation accounts for ~5% of global warming. That’s why the industry continues to seek lighter, stronger materials which lead to less aircraft fuel consumption and fewer emissions.

A third major change seems to be the increased outsourcing of engineering services to speed up overall manufacturing times while boosting quality for specific components. Any time work is outsourced, engineers need to take notice of how it impacts their own jobs in the short and long-term. 

The love of flying and space exploration has inspired countless Aerospace Engineers to take up this exciting field of study and join the storied ranks of its accomplished figures. In their youth, these would-be engineers may have been aviation buffs as well as science fiction fans eager to become part of something bigger, to contribute to the legacy of aeronautical and astronautical achievements. They might have wondered if one day they could join the aerospace community to work on the next technological innovation that would revolutionize the world. As engineers, they likely enjoyed tinkering with things, learning how mechanical objects worked and perhaps figuring out how to improve them.