While everyone has been excited about the emergence of AI and ML, some people still have not moved past their stage of love for airplanes and jets. Well, if you are someone who also loves playing or maybe learning more about airplanes then aerospace engineering careers are for you. However, India is still at its initial stage of learning more about the aerospace engineering industry and how it works. But it is for sure, that there is a lot of aerospace engineering scope in India with the slow introduction of this industry. Here is all you need to know about aerospace engineering and what are some of the most desired aerospace engineering jobs that most people are looking out for.
Understanding Aerospace Engineering
You should understand what aeronautical engineering is and what it involves before we get into more detail about its scope. All that aerospace engineering is, is an engineering discipline where the design, development, testing, and manufacture of spacecraft, airplanes, and related systems will be your primary focus. Therefore, if you’re wondering what industry will enable you to work with airplanes, aerospace engineering is it. A number of challenges in the discipline also essentially deal with real-world concerns, such as atmospheric and space travel difficulties.
Also not to mention, how the aerospace engineering industry has changed the trajectory of the way we explore our planet. Right from commercial flights to space exploration, this industry has enabled us to reach heights.
Career Paths in Aerospace Engineering
Aerospace engineering is not a doubt one of the best career paths that anyone can ever take especially if you wish for a high wage. The manufacturing of spacecraft and airplanes is one of the most important businesses and employers are always on the lookout for new graduates to join their aerospace engineering industry. As far as aerospace engineering scope is concerned you can easily find employment in a variety of organizations such as the Navy, RAF, and Army Air Corps or you can also work for private companies that produce cars. The average salary for an aeronautical engineer will be as high as 8,15,000 INR annually. Also undoubtedly it is one of the highest-paid aeronautical engineering jobs. You can also find jobs in NASA easily. Although NASA uses engineering in various capacities, they still have computer engineering and aerospace engineering as the two most desired fields to find employees.
Here are a few other job profiles that you can be a part of when you go for aeronautical engineering careers.
- Aircraft/spacecraft designer
- Aerospace technicians
- Mission specialist
- Pilot
- Drafter
- Aviation manager
Roles and Responsibilities of Aerospace Engineers
The primary responsibility of an aerospace engineer is to develop missiles, airplanes, weapon systems, and spacecraft. Creating new technologies for use in spacecraft, aircraft, and military systems will also fall within your purview. aircraft engineers have a number of duties, including testing and assembly of aircraft goods. In addition, some more significant functions and duties must be completed; they are listed below.
- Formulating the conceptual design of aerospace products by the environmental regulations apart from also meeting the customer requirements.
- Writing down technical reports and resolving any sort of complaints by customers on technical problems that might be related to aircraft or aerospace vehicles.
- Coordinating and directing the activities conducted by technical and engineering personnel who are involved in the designing, testing, fabricating, and modifying of the aircraft or aerospace products
- You will also be responsible for inspecting damaged and malfunctioning products
- Ensuring there is proper planning and conducting of environmental, experimental, operational, and stress tests on various models of the equipment that will be used.
Educational Requirements and Skills
If you are a candidate who would like to get an admission in an aerospace engineering course then you need to be able to fulfill the eligibility criteria. Here are the criteria that need to be met:
- The minimum eligibility with respect to pursuing a Bachelor’s in Aerospace Engineering must be that you need to pass Class 12th with Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics or Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as your basic subjects
- Apart from this you should have or passed 3 years engineering diploma in any of the streams
- You must have also attained an overall percentage of 45 marks
- To get admission to one of the top aerospace engineering colleges you can also take the AME CET exam.
Apart from meeting the eligibility criteria, you also need to acquire certain skills that will make you one of the most desirable candidates. Here are a few skills to start with:
Problem-solving
As an aeronautical engineer, you will be strongly dependent on your problem-solving skills, especially in the creation and design of aircraft. Given a week to construct a new airplane’s blueprint, for example, you may draft a version of the blueprint that includes potential problems and then amend it to show how the problem was fixed.
Operations analysis
One of the main aspects of being an aerospace engineer is to be able to analyze the operations that take place, especially in terms of the design, manufacturing, and testing of the products. The ability to assess is very important to make certain improvements in the project. This can in turn ensure that there is success in the overall project.
Creativity
While most engineers think that science and Mathematics are the only skills you need as an engineer it is not true, you also need to be equally creative. When designing a new aircraft you need to be able to contribute to the designs and find out how new technologies can be incorporated.
Science and math skills
Science and math skills without being mentioned should be on the top of the skillset list. You need to be able to apply a lot of various scientific principles when designing aircraft. Sometimes you may also need to apply trigonometry, calculus, physics, and aerodynamics.
Decision making
Making choices about what sort of design needs to be added, and what materials are important, and many such decisions play an essential role in the overall success of the project. Hence informed decision-making can also be claimed to be one of the most important skills among the other ones.
Industry Trends and Innovations
When there is the presence of technology in the aerospace engineering industry, one can be assured that there will be automation of processes. This will prove to be beneficial, especially in terms of productivity and the quality of products that are made. Here are certain aerospace engineering trends and innovations that will lead the progress of the industry.
Digitization
The aerospace industry has now started to embrace digital technologies, especially in terms of faster production and lower delivery time. Apart from enabling smooth operations, digitization also advanced aircraft operational systems. Also, one of the main benefits can be highlighted as the smoother communication between stakeholders and easy sorting out of data. The data optimization will also help engineering processes to be more advanced.
Aerial Mobility
Aerial mobility now includes air taxis and drones being launched. You can also see new flight technologies such as supersonic and hypersonic flights being introduced which can reduce the air travel time for customers. Electric vertical take-off and landing technology have also been increasing in the past few years. This includes short-route transportation and last-mile delivery.
Immersive technologies
Immersive technologies will find a lot of applications, especially in terms of aerospace employee training and even military operations. They help with navigating systems, air traffic control, and many other simulations. VR and AR hence allow pilots and engineers to be a part of complex machine learning without having to actually be on the field.
Sustainability
There have been more growing concerns arising especially in terms of the high carbon footprint being released. With technological aids, it is possible to get sustainable operations. For example, biofuels tend to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels while also reducing the carbon footprint content.
Advanced Satellite technology
Satellite makes up most of the commercial space activities and is hence also expected to grow more in the future. Satellite miniaturization also enables nanosatellites to be made and launched easily. The need for global connectivity can be achieved by satellite-based communication systems.
Conclusion
If you have always been amused by how aircraft and spacecraft work and what exactly goes into the maintenance of these products then aerospace engineering careers are for you. While you may find it hard to start along with the journey, it all gets better, especially with the high aerospace engineering salary that you attain. You also get to be a part of the aviation centers and change the way people transport.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
- What is aerospace engineering and what do aerospace engineers do?
Aerospace engineering is for those people who are interested in developing technologies for aviation, spacecraft, and defense systems. As an aerospace engineer, most of them are accompanied by the main responsibility of finding new aviation technologies and incorporating them to create better aircraft.
- What are the career prospects like for aerospace engineers?
The career prospects for an aerospace engineer are way too vast and include designing, developing, testing, and overseeing the manufacturing of spacecraft, satellites, and missiles.
- What industries hire aerospace engineers?
Most of the industries associated with aircraft and parts manufacturing are the one that mainly hires aerospace engineers.
- What skills are important for success in aerospace engineering?
While there might be a lot of skills that you need to consist of here are a few important ones:
- Problem-solving skills
- Business skills
- Analytical skill
- Interpersonal skill
- Communication skills
- How do I become an aerospace engineer?
To become an aerospace engineer you might have to attain a bachelor’s degree for which again you might want to take an entrance exam after you complete your Class 12.