Aircraft engineering involves designing and maintaining airplanes, gliders, and helicopters. It has two main areas: design and maintenance. Design involves fixed and variable items, while maintenance focuses on procedures needed to keep the aircraft operational. Formal post-secondary education is required for this career.
The field of aircraft engineering is an area of engineering that focuses on the design and maintenance of aircraft. The term aircraft includes all types of machines that fly, such as airplanes, gliders and helicopters. People have been fascinated by the possibility of flying for centuries, and a career in this field can be both challenging and rewarding.
There are two main areas of aircraft engineering: design and maintenance. The design of an aircraft is based on a set of fixed items and variables. Fixed items usually include the weight of cargo or passengers, the distance the unit can travel, and the height from the ground. Variable items include the power source, the physical casing design, and the unit’s aesthetics. Design is an essential element of engineering that requires a unique combination of technical skill and creativity.
The maintenance aspect is focused on the skills and procedures needed to maintain actual aircraft operation. It is during the engineering phase of product design that the aircraft’s engineering team reviews the different mechanical systems and determines what type of work will need to be completed to keep the system operational. The complexity of repairs, frequency of maintenance and access to parts must be considered.
Many people assume that aircraft engineering maintenance is focused on how to complete repairs. However, this is only a small aspect of this field. A well-designed mechanical unit should provide relatively direct access to parts that will need to be replaced or maintained. The skill and time required to complete scheduled maintenance must not be excessive as this will negatively impact the functionality of the unit.
For example, an aircraft that must be completely disassembled every three months to clean, lubricate and inspect mechanical parts will not be well received by potential customers. Units where parts are difficult to inspect will result in additional delays as all aircraft must have a valid certificate of airworthiness to fly. There are very strict rules around aircraft safety for obvious reasons. A poorly designed aircraft may have difficulty passing inspection.
To work in aircraft engineering, applicants must complete formal post-secondary education. This is not a career that can be learned through work experience. Typically, a community college program in this field is two to three years in length and has both theoretical and practical elements. Many programs include an internship or a related internship opportunity to help students learn the skills needed for this career.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
