Aeronautical Engineer
Aeronautical engineering involves the study, design and research of the machines or airplanes which moves in the space and air sphere of the earth.
They create and test prototypes to make sure that they function according to design. Aerospace engineering covers everything related with air crafts & space crafts from their design to construction or science. It is subdivided into two major branches, aeronautical & astronautical engineering. the brains behind the functioning of aircraft and space shuttles.
Aeronautical engineering is one of the most challenging fields of engineering with a wide scope of growth. This field deals with the development of new technology in the field of aviation, space exploration and defence systems. It is concerned with the designing, construction, development, testing, operation and maintenance of both commercial and military aircrafts, spacecrafts and their components as well as satellites and missiles. As this field of engineering involves designing and manufacturing of very high technology systems, the job requires technical as well as mechanical aptitude. The areas of specialization include structural design, navigation guidance and control systems, instrumentation and communication, production methods or it can be a particular product such as military aircrafts, passenger planes, helicopters, satellites, rockets etc.
Aerospace engineers typically specialize in one of two types of engineering: aeronautical or astronautical.
Aeronautical engineers work with aircraft. They are involved primarily in designing aircraft and propulsion systems and in studying the aerodynamic performance of aircraft and construction materials. They work with the theory, technology, and practice of flight within the Earth's atmosphere.
Astronautical engineers work with the science and technology of spacecraft and how they perform inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere. This includes work on small satellites such as CubeSats, and traditional large satellites.
Specialization
The specializations of aeronautical engineering are as the following:
Electronic Systems
Aerospace Propulsion
Ground Vehicle Systems
Aircraft Structures and Materials
Structural Analysis
Transportation Systems
Aerodynamics and Fluid Dynamics
Structural Design and Engineering
Instrumentation and Communication
Navigational Guidance and Control Systems
Work description
Direct and coordinate the design, manufacture, and testing of aircraft and aerospace products.
Researching and developing various design specifications.
Resolving any issues that arise during the development of the design.
Assess proposals for projects to determine if they are technically and financially feasible.
Determine if proposed projects will result in safe operations that meet the defined goals.
Evaluate designs to see that the products meet engineering principles, customer requirements, and environmental regulations.
Develop acceptance criteria for design methods, quality standards, sustainment after delivery, and completion dates.
Ensure that projects meet quality standards.
Inspect malfunctioning or damaged products to identify sources of problems and possible solutions.
Opportunities
The majority of opportunities are available with manufacturers of aircraft and spacecraft, defence and military establishments, commercial airline operators, flying clubs, aircraft manufacturers, Defence Research and Development Organizations, statutory and regulatory authorities, government departments and their executive agencies that focus on scientific research and engineering projects.
Airline professionals get fringe benefits of free travel for self and family as well.
private and public sector hired, government organizations, such asHAL, NAL
Skill Required
Ability to think methodically; to design, plan and manage projects
Ability to maintain an overview of entire projects while paying attention to detailed technical issues that might arise
Negotiating, supervisory and leadership skills combined with the ability to delegate
Analytical skills. Aerospace engineers must be able to identify design elements that may not meet requirements and then must formulate alternatives to improve the performance of those elements.
Business skills. Much of the work done by aerospace engineers involves meeting federal government standards. Meeting these standards often requires knowledge of standard business practices, as well as knowledge of commercial law. Additionally, project management or systems engineering skills can be useful.
Critical-thinking skills. Aerospace engineers must be able to produce designs that meet governmental standards, and to figure out why a particular design does not work. They must be able to ask the right question, then find an acceptable answer.
Math skills. Aerospace engineers use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work.
Problem-solving skills. Aerospace engineers use their education and experience to upgrade designs and troubleshoot problems when meeting new demands for aircraft, such as increased fuel efficiency or improved safety.
Writing skills. Aerospace engineers must be able both to write papers that explain their designs clearly and to create documentation for future reference.
Pay Scale
An aeronautical engineer earns the average salary in India between the 5lakh to 6 lakh per annum. It has a great opportunity to work in the government sector. The salaries in the government sector are decided as per the pay scale for the particular post.
Job profile
Thermal Design Engineer
Mechanical Design Engineer
Aerospace Designer Checker
Graduate Engineer Trainees
Assistant Technical Officers and Aircraft Engineers
Aircraft Production Manager
Defence - deal with creation, maintenance & deployment of defense aircrafts such as fighter jets, choppers, bombers, etc.
Satellite & Space research - deal with navigation systems, radars & other communication systems
Aircraft Designer - deal with designing, constructing, and testing aircraft, missiles, and space crafts
Future and scope
There is a lot of scope in government organizations including defence.
Aeronautical engineers can have earned well in private MNCs
Graduate & Postgraduate Degree
There are opportunities to work with NASA after completing higher studies in this stream.
Course & Duration
Aeronautical engineering is an emerging field of engineering study. The basic requirements for the course, that the students must have a good command over the mathematics, physics and chemistry. The students’ have a choice to choose the field after 10+2 science stream with good percentage.
There are three types of courses in India of aeronautical engineering.
Polytechnic diploma course with the duration of 3 years after 10 or 10+2 examination.
UG degree courses leading to the BE/B.Tech with the duration of 4 years after 10+2 examination.
PG degree courses leading to the ME/M.Tech with the duration of 2 years after the completion of UG degree in engineering.
Doctoral degree courses leading to the PhD domain with the duration of 1-2 years after the completion of PG degree in AE.
Recruiters
Some of the reputed recruiters of aeronautical engineering are as the following:
HAL
DRDO
ISRO
Air India
Indian Airlines
Helicopter Corporation of India
DRDL
NAL
ADE
Civil Aviation department
Private air lines
Flight clubs
Top Aeronautical Engineering Colleges in India
Some of the top Aeronautical Engineering colleges in India are
Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Bombay
Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Kharagpur
Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Madras
Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Kanpur
Famous Personalities
A.P.J Abdul Kalam
Kalpana Chawla
Neil Armstrong
Wernher von Braun
Alexander P. de Seversky
Samuel Pierpont Langley
Igor Sikorsky
Pros of becoming an Aeronautical Engineer
The profile enables professionals to create and re-create a design that helps to learn interesting technicalities.
This is a job with good package and perks as compared to other job profiles. The industry pays well to the experienced ones and also to the freshers of the field.
It is a job that will satisfy your expectations and desires of becoming an engineer that makes one of the greatest machines of all times.
You can strive for an opportunity to create something of your own other than just the aircrafts or missiles.
If associated with the Governmental organizations, then you will enjoy all the leverages of a government employee.
A job to be proud of if you are associated with the Indian Airforce or Department of Civil Aviation or any Space Centre.
Cons of becoming an Aeronautical Engineer
Since the level of technicalities is high, mastering subjects can be a tough task for some of the candidates.
A lot of hard work is involved in order to present your work of designing or making of the aircraft or spacecraft or missile.
With this job profile, you will get stress that will be difficult to control and manage.
A job that involves risk of lives and reputation of the organization. A small mistake can put your career at stake.
The workload cannot be defined or bounded, it may significantly increase and can be an unpredictable hike.