A high-flying career path that offers opportunities to design and develop vehicles including cars, airplanes, missiles and spacecraft.
What Aerospace Engineers Do
Aerospace Engineering Professionals apply scientific and technological theories, concepts and equations to vehicles within the earth’s atmosphere and beyond.
Neil Armstrong may have walked on the moon, but Aerospace Engineers got him there in the first place.
Aerospace Engineering is an exciting field that involves the design, development, analysis, manufacture and maintenance of flight vehicles. It involves aerodynamics, aerostructures, avionics, propulsion, material science and computational simulation.
Aerospace Engineers also design propulsion engines, create structural component systems, improve crew and passenger accommodations, and invent better life support systems.
Note: Currently Australia does not have a huge range of jobs related to Aerospace Engineering, and most of the work is in maintenance. Any design-related jobs are difficult to come by, and you may need to look overseas for more varied work opportunities.
Relevant Jobs
Aerodynamics Engineers are typically concerned with designing, constructing and testing the aerodynamics of aircraft and automobiles. They are tasked with developing and testing ways to optimize drag, lift, spin and other aerodynamic forces that affect aircraft.
Aerodynamics Engineers also apply these techniques to improving automobile efficiency, and may work as researchers for racing organisations or commercial vehicle manufacturers.
Aerospace Technicians are hands-on members of the aerospace team that are concerned with installing, maintaining, testing, and repairing equipment that is used in the field. They also help in the design and development of aerospace equipment and systems.
Aerospace Technicians typically work as part of research teams, or in aerospace and aviation manufacturers and airlines.
Aircraft Maintenance Engineers are concerned with inspecting, repairing and maintaining aircraft equipment and systems, including aircraft engines, airframe components, electrical components, avionic components, and aircraft structures.
They also test aircraft communication equipment, instruments and systems, and conduct routine pre-flight inspections.
Note: Currently Australia does not have a huge range of jobs related to Aerospace Engineering, and most of the work is in maintenance.
Drafters are primarily concerned with preparing drawings and specification sheets before any spacecraft, aircraft or missile can be built. They create these complex and detailed documents, to highlight every aspect of the aircraft from every side and angle.
Inspectors/Compliance Officers are aerospace engineers responsible for making sure those in the air and on the ground are safe. They are primarily concerned with enforcing safety regulations and laws designed to catch flaws in aerospace design.
Inspectors/Compliance Officers are typically employed by aerospace and aviation manufacturers, airlines, and governmental agencies.
Missile/Ballistics Engineers typically work for government defence agencies or government contractors. They are concerned with system performance, technical capabilities and interoperability assessments of missile systems. Much of their work involves planning, leading and executing system assessments to identify and improve upon missile capabilities and limitations.
Some Missile Engineers work on designing, testing and implementing new types of missile defence systems or ballistics. This career typically requires a degree in Aerospace, Mechanical or Chemical Engineering and many years of experience in aerospace engineering and radars.
Propulsion Engineers primarily work to design propulsion systems, including engines, pumps pressurisation tanks and control systems in the aerospace sector. They are also concerned with testing and improving performance and reliability of aircraft and jet engines, as well as compressors.
They typically work for commercial aircraft and aerospace companies such as Boeing, SpaceX or Blue Origin, as well as government agencies and contractors.
Radar Engineers are tasked with designing, testing, installing and maintaining radar systems. They typically work with complex algorithms in fields ranging from weather forcasting to missile tracking to ensure the functionality of the system. Radar Engineers test different materials, software and algorithms to improve the performance of radars.
Satellite Engineers design, develop and maintain direct orbiting satellite systems and software programs that control them remotely. Once a satellite is functioning, they also work to collect data to test satellite trends, monitor for problems, and keep it working properly.
Satellite engineers are primarily employed by defense contractors, aerospace companies, GPS companies and telecommunication organisations.