How to Make Career in Aerospace Engineering
Introduction:
Aerospace engineering is an exciting demanding and dynamic career. Aerospace engineers are divided into two categories. Aeronautical engineer aircraft specialist and aeronautical engineer spacecraft specialists. Aerospace engineer who work with aircrafts are called Aeronautical engineers and those working with spacecraft are called aerospace engineers. In this article, we will discuss about how to make career in Aerospace Engineering, what are the requirements you need to make career in Aerospace Engineering and many more valuable information.
(A) What is Aerospace Engineering?
What aerospace engineer do?
Aerospace engineer design, developed and test aircraft, spacecraft and missiles and supervise, manufacture of those products they actually design and create machines that are incredibly complex. They may work with technology relating to aviation, defence systems and space exploration.
They can specialise in structural design, guidance, navigation and control, instrumentation and communication or specialise in a certain type of product like commercial transports military fighter jet helicopters spacecraft or missiles or rocket.
While studying aerospace engineering you may be dealing with exciting topics such as Structural Analysis, Propulsion, Automatic Control and Guidance, Fluid Dynamics, Material Sciences, Aircraft Performance and Aircraft structures.
Academic qualification needed for career in Aerospace Engineering:
A BE/B.Tech degree in aerospace engineering is required. For advancement in your career you can pursue M.Tech or PHD in Aeronautics.
Personal attributes:
● Strong mathematical base that is good mathematical and logical skills.
●Ability to solve problems.
●Creativity and analytical ability you should be creative inquisitive analytical and detail oriented.
●Effective communication skills: accurate and precise technical communication skills. Writing skills and necessary in composing specifications, research proposals and technical reports. Oral and presentation skill is essential both for formal meetings and conferences and for informal discussions. They should also be able to interpret graphical information such as graphs, charts and production drawings.
●Ability to pull on in stressful situations by keep your patience and alternate in challenging circumstances.
●Curiosity to update your knowledge about the latest technologies and innovations.
●Teamwork: An engineer is required to be a good team player. While working in a team, he or she must be receptive to each member. Considering each member’s thoughts and ideas and judging them based on their own merits. He or she should also take care to respect each member’s customs and culture.
You should be able to demonstrate the skills at the time of interview. In case you do not have any professional work experience you can demonstrate these skills by giving examples from your industrial placements, voluntary or community work and part time job if any. Besides, examples can be given from your experience in sports and extra curricular activities.
(b) What is Aeronautical engineering:
Aeronautical engineering is one of the most popular career options for those students who want to make career into airplanes, space shuttles, and other similar exciting stuff. Aeronautical engineering deals with all the flying bodies. This field deals with aerodynamic and mechanical aspects of those machines and systems. It also deals with navigation systems, radars and other communication networks.
What Aeronautical engineers do?
Aeronautical engineers work in aircraft manufacturing units, space stations etc. Their work mainly involves design and development of aircraft parts, testing new Aerodynamic and aviation system quality management and improvement and maintenance. They design high and vehicles for automobile industry, locomotives and swift water transportations like speed boats hovercrafts etc. They are also involved in huge super mega structures like skyscrapers.
To be successful in this field, you must have manual, technical as well as mechanical aptitude. You can specialise in areas like structural design navigation and guidance and control systems, instrumentation and communication or production methods or it can be in a particular product such as military aircrafts, helicopters, satellite, rockets etc. One needs to be alert, have an eye for detail and should have a high level of mathematical precision to be successful. Here is a list of technical skills and soft skills employers look before employing engineer in aviation.
What are needed to make career in Aeronautical Engineering:
Technical skills:
Employers expect you to have deep knowledge of aerodynamics, propulsion, navigation, electronics, physics, thermodynamics, environment, acoustics etc.
Skills to design aircraft:
Your expected to have ability to deal with design and manufacturing of very high technology systems i. e. planning and designing aircraft, its parts and support equipment by preparing drawings and making mathematics calculations with the help of computers.
You must have the ability for good designing modification to system such as fuel or air conditioning and outline installations procedures. As a design engineer, you are also to decide upon the factors such as carrying capacity of an airplane and length, breadth, height and weight of different parts of an aircraft.
Ability to design low cost equipment:
As an equipment engineers you have to find out both efficient and inexpensive ways to cut down the cost and add up the comforts.
As a power plant engineer, you are to design the whole engine system or acquire specialization by concentrating on a single component or part of an engine such as ramjtes, turbojet or different kinds of engines like piston engines, turboprop engines, rocket engines and so on.
Ability to take performance of new engine:
As a test engineer, you are required to check out the performance of new aircraft after it has been given final shape.
Ability to check proper functioning:
As a flight engineer, employers expect you to accompany the crew on flights and work on the flight date and are responsible for the correct functioning of systems and equipment. You are also expected to be our of the new technical developments and use of computers installed in flight deck. Flight engineer should not only know the technicalities relating to aircraft manufacturing and its operations, but they should also be our of flying techniques and air traffic control too.
Ability to conducting tests:
You are required to conducting test to measure the performance of an aircraft or any of its part and to ensure that designs specifications and their worthiness requirements are met.
Investigation skill:
You are to make investigations about engine failure or malfunctioning of any other aviation components. Employers expect you to be expert in specific areas like structures, propulsion or control systems or perhaps know a lot about the overall aircraft to easily determine the cause of failure.
Knowledge of new technology:
You are expected to have knowledge of new developments in the field of aviation, space exploration and defence systems.
Soft skills required for career in Aerospace Engineering:
Analytical ability:
An aeronautical engineer has to explain various technical and safety aspects to other engineers and flight pursuers, pilots, flight engineers etc. They need to have good analytical skills and an eye for detail.
Problem solving ability:
An analytical engineer massed up skills to cope with any last minute problem that may occur during takeoff or landing. In case of any snag developing during flight, an engineer has to think fast and find accurate and immediate solution.
Being computer savvy:
Emergence of computers have also bought a revolution in the engineering world. The job of aeronautical engineer involves designing which is done on computers these days. It is crucial to have software knowledge in order to do well in your job. Employers expect you to have good knowledge of computer added design (CAD) software, robotics, laser and advanced electronic optics.
Good communication skills:
For conceptualizing planning and execution of the project engineer need to explain various aspects to their team in writing or orally. They have to communicate functions of various parts of an aircraft. It is therefore essential for aeronautical engineer to have good and effective communication skills.
Creativity and innovation:
It is a popular misconception that engineers work on the basis of already laid down scientific theories and principles. But one has to understand that science itself is the branch of discovery, imagination and innovation. Today Airlines demand newer and better aircrafts and thus look for engineers who have new ideas and good imaginative skills.
Supervision:
Although supervision is required at the higher level that is when you work as a senior most engineer you have to lead the team and supervise each aspect of their working. Work of an aeronautical engineer also involves leadership qualities, guiding and instructive capabilities and a zeal to inculcate team spirit among the members of his unit.
Ability to work in team:
You are expected to be a team player as you are required to work in a team under the supervision of senior engineers to co-ordinate the work and give the design and drawing its final shape.
Comfortability with work:
You should be comfortable in working in areas like design, development and maintenance of aircraft manufacturing units, air turbine production plants or design development programs for the aviation industry.
Opportunities in Aerospace Engineering:
Now-a-days aeronautical engineers are needed in all sorts of areas such as:
● Aviation industry – private and public airlines. The airline industry needs qualified Technical Engineers to develop and maintain their growing fleet of aircrafts.
● Satellite and space research organisations – ( Indian Space Research Organisation), DRDO( Defence Research and Development Organisation), HAL( Hindustan Aeronautics Limited), NAL( National Aeronautics Labs) etc.
● Defence military, Air Force, DRDO.
● Automobile and fast moving locomotive industries- super fast train sky buses.
Pay and perks:
A trainee Aerospace engineers gets approx rupees 50000 or more per month in an airline organizations like research, aircraft 30000 per month in the beginning. After you gain experience of a couple of years, your pay and go up to rupees 80000 a month or more plus benefits as per government rules.
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