All About Aerospace Engineers
Job Description: 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.
Aerospace Engineer Responsibilities
- Evaluate biofuel performance specifications to determine feasibility for aerospace applications.
- Evaluate and approve selection of vendors by studying past performance or new advertisements.
- Direct or coordinate activities of engineering or technical personnel involved in designing, fabricating, modifying, or testing of aircraft or aerospace products.
- Diagnose performance problems by reviewing performance reports or documentation from customers or field engineers or inspecting malfunctioning or damaged products.
- Maintain records of performance reports for future reference.
- Evaluate product data or design from inspections or reports for conformance to engineering principles, customer requirements, environmental regulations, or quality standards.
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Qualities of an Aerospace Engineer
These are the skills Aerospace Engineers say are the most useful in their careers:
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.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Related Job Titles
- Pipe Stress Engineer
- Aircraft Instrument Engineer
- Systems Engineer
- Transonic Engineer
- Helicopter Engineer
Aerospace Engineer Job Outlook
In the United States, there were 69,600 jobs for Aerospace Engineer in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 6% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 4,200 new jobs for Aerospace Engineer by 2026. There will be an estimated 4,600 positions for Aerospace Engineer per year.
The states with the most job growth for Aerospace Engineer are Wisconsin, Utah, and Nevada. Watch out if you plan on working in Washington, West Virginia, or Kansas. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
How Much Does an Aerospace Engineer Make?
The salary for Aerospace Engineers ranges between about $71,640 and $164,210 a year.
Aerospace Engineers who work in District of Columbia, Hawaii, or Virginia, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Aerospace Engineers in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $115,820 |
Alaska | $112,890 |
Arizona | $107,230 |
California | $125,540 |
Colorado | $124,070 |
Connecticut | $106,790 |
District of Columbia | $138,480 |
Florida | $105,460 |
Georgia | $114,160 |
Hawaii | $121,100 |
Illinois | $108,520 |
Indiana | $95,390 |
Iowa | $110,770 |
Kansas | $105,540 |
Kentucky | $98,650 |
Louisiana | $117,170 |
Maryland | $127,330 |
Massachusetts | $119,700 |
Minnesota | $113,350 |
Mississippi | $110,760 |
Missouri | $114,570 |
Montana | $91,940 |
Nebraska | $115,120 |
Nevada | $91,850 |
New Jersey | $115,850 |
New Mexico | $114,340 |
New York | $115,420 |
North Carolina | $100,080 |
Ohio | $112,480 |
Oklahoma | $92,460 |
Oregon | $109,250 |
Pennsylvania | $108,300 |
Tennessee | $88,180 |
Texas | $122,570 |
Utah | $105,320 |
Virginia | $127,390 |
West Virginia | $90,710 |
Wisconsin | $85,880 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Aerospace Engineers
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Aerospace Engineers:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Python
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Project
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Microsoft Visio
- The MathWorks MATLAB
- Linux
- Microsoft Visual Basic
- Extensible markup language XML
- UNIX
- National Instruments LabVIEW
- C
- Dassault Systemes CATIA
- Practical extraction and reporting language Perl
Becoming an Aerospace Engineer
What education is needed to be an Aerospace Engineer?
How Long Does it Take to Become an Aerospace Engineer?
Where Aerospace Engineers Are Employed
Below are examples of industries where Aerospace Engineers work:
Similar Careers
Those interested in being an Aerospace Engineer may also be interested in:
References:
Image Credit: Michel Villeneuve via Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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