World in motion, part three: Aviation
As poor old Icarus found out, man needs a bit more than wax and feathers to fly. To get in the air and stay there, man needs an aeronautical engineer to build him an aircraft. Rocket science, anyone?
Aeronautical engineering
Such a complex sector requires many different specialisations. Here are three broad categories within the field of aeronautical engineering.
Design-based Engineers
These engineers design everything from electrical systems and landing gear to engines and wing surfaces. Since they are always coming up with brilliant new ways to make things better and faster, design engineers need to be innovative problem-solvers.
Maintenance
If tinkering with machines is your thing, then maintenance could be the path for you. These people build and maintain the design engineers’ creations. Maintenance workers must be very practical and have good hands-on skills – excellent colour vision is also important, as they deal with a lot of wiring.
Space Engineering
There would be no satellite TV or weather reports without these engineers designing and launching complex gadgets into outer space. Some very (very) important and expensive satellites orbit the Earth, and it is the space engineer’s duty to monitor and control their well-being. They also deal with other impressive concepts such as rocket systems and orbital mechanics.
A challenging future
Air travel is great, but it does have drawbacks – most notably, the effect of aircraft emissions on the environment. Carbon emission is just one of many challenges facing the industry, with more on the horizon. ‘At the moment, engineers are looking at ways to make [engines] more fuel efficient,’ says Rozalind Azouzi, Learning and Development Manager at the Royal Aeronautical Society. Building a plane made of lighter materials, or designing an aircraft powered by bio-fuel are some of the ways engineers work to solve this problem. So as long as people want to continue breathing clean oxygen, there will be a demand for engineers.
Highflying salaries
So what can you expect to earn if winged machines become your way to earn a crust? As a graduate, it depends on the size of the company – larger firms could offer as much as £24,000 a year for a recent graduate, while a smaller company would more likely offer between £18,000 - £22,000. However, once you’ve climbed to the project-management level, you’re talking around £30,000, and once you’re a chartered engineer, ‘the sky’s your limit,’ quips Rozalind. ‘An average salary might be £40,000 - £50,000, but people who go on to work in consultancy can earn huge sums of money.’ Those who opt for the military path will be pleased to hear that salaries in that area are in line with the private sector.
Qualifications and training
A passion for gravity-defying objects is the obvious first requirement to working in this sector. After that, you can choose an academic or vocational path to the skies.
Blue skies ahead
While people may fret over the health of the UK’s manufacturing industry, such fears should not be applied to the aeronautical sector. ‘The UK aerospace industry is really strong,’ says Rozalind. ‘Businesses want to come to the UK and use the talent that’s built up here. Just recently, Airbus announced a huge number of orders for the future, so they have a large backlog to get through. Rolls Royce is supplying both Boeing and Airbus through some of their major projects, so it gives them long-term stability in many parts of the industry.’
When it comes to opportunities in aeronautical engineering, you could rightly say the sky is the limit.
Essential organisations
Swoop by some of these organisations to find
out more:
Royal Aeronautical Society
www.raes.org.uk – Your first port of call for more information on the aeronautical engineering sector. Their website features an online careers centre and if you call to arrange an appointment, you can get one-on-one advice.
Institute of Mechanical Engineers www.imeche.org – The UK’s qualifying body for mechanical engineers has loads of information on the engineering side of things.
Institute of Engineering and Technology www.theiet.org – For more general advice, visit this leading society for the engineering and technologically gifted.
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