Any Aerospace Engineers here?

Inferno0032

Golden Member
Mar 26, 2007
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I'm currently finishing my first semester of my Sophomore year in Aersospace Engineering and wondering if ATOT has any others who are in that line of work here, and what you do/where you work.

I've been fascinated by planes since I can remember due to some strong background in them. My grandpa flew a 25 missions in a B-24 in WWII, and then after that he began building and restoring aircraft. Now, he and my dad build planes as a hobby, and they are just about finished with their 5th (I think, I lose count sometimes), with their pride and joy being a Van's RV-10.

Going to begin prototyping and proof-of-concept testing of an idea I hope to patent in the next few years, and also greatly looking forward to see where that may go.

I feel lucky to have such a passion for something, and be able to do things with it as a job, and just wondering what kinds of things fellow ATOT Aero guys might be working on.
 

fatpat268

Diamond Member
Jan 14, 2006
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I was an Aerospace Engineering major, but I had to drop out of school because of money issues. I plan on finishing up my degree though.
 

Inferno0032

Golden Member
Mar 26, 2007
1,107
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71
I was an Aerospace Engineering major, but I had to drop out of school because of money issues. I plan on finishing up my degree though.

That's too bad, I hope the best for ya and hope you can get back on the horse soon!


I'm more into aircraft, particularly in general aviation and the emerging VLJ (Very Light Jet) classes of aircraft.
 

pray4mojo

Diamond Member
Mar 8, 2003
3,647
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Aerospace Engineering was pretty much the same as the Mechanical Engineering program at my school and I'm a ME. Haven't found a job yet but some of the big companies in the Aerospace business are Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Raytheon, etc...I'd like to hear what people do as well though.
 

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,326
68
91
I love the word Aerospace.

"So, what do you do? I'm an aerospace engineer." WIN!
 

KillerCharlie

Diamond Member
Aug 21, 2005
3,691
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I am an aerodynamicist for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. I basically work on wing design and testing. Ask whatever questions you want.

Are you at the U of MN? I'm from MN but I went to Iowa State - both are really good engineering schools. A majority of the engineers here are from midwestern schools like Minnesota, Iowa State, Michigan, Purdue, and Illinois.

I started out in school not sure between aeronautics and astronautics. I think that astro is a more glitzy job than aero, but in reality it's not any different. I interviewed with NASA at JSC and wasn't impressed at all - of course they don't build or design anything except the occasional prototype.

I really wanted to design airplanes - not nuts and bolts, but the overall configuration and surfaces of an airplane. I was lucky to end up with the exact job I wanted. If you're persistent enough, though, you should be able to go where you want.
 
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Inferno0032

Golden Member
Mar 26, 2007
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I am at UMN, and love it here thus far. Hard as hell though, but keepin at it.

Did you have much prior knowledge of airplanes or an interest in them specifcally? It seems as if soooo many of the people taking it knew they wanted an engineering degree, and looking through the list, thought "aerospace sounds fun," and decided that way. I'm surprised how almost anyone I try to talk to in my major don't know anything about planes.

"Did you see that the 787 had it's maiden flight?"- "What's that?" Like, really? lol.

I know everyone is sure to roll their eyes at this, but where I really want to be one day is the owner of my own Aero company of some kind. I'd love it if it could be designing and manufacturing planes, but I know Aero work can be outsourced and contracted in alot of ways as well.

How involved are you at Boeing? One thing I often wonder is how redundant working at a large company might get. I was talking with someone who was with Boeing for 2 years, and didn't do anything but work on a wingtip design for his entirety there.

Sounds like you got one of the good jobs though, congrats! And what you do is what I hope to do one day!
 

Bignate603

Lifer
Sep 5, 2000
13,897
1
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I work in aerospace doing mechanical systems design for turbine engines at Honeywell. Mech systems includes bearings, seals, oil systems, design of the shafts in the engine, and a few other things. We're currently wrapping up the detailed design on a demonstrator program for an engine that could end up replacing the T700 that's currently powering the Apache and Blackhawk if everything goes well.

I actually didn't major in aerospace engineering, my degree is for mechanical engineering and almost everyone I work with is in the same boat. Honestly though they don't really care at my company. 95% of the stuff you'll learn in both degrees is pretty much the same.

Right now the majority of engineers working in aerospace are getting old, I think average age at my company is 55+. It's because they hired like CRAZY back during the cold war and then slowed down when the defense development budget came down to less insane levels. From a job security perspective it's nice because my HR department is currently wetting itself that all their engineers are going to leave and they won't be able to replace them because the whole industry is having the same issue.
 

pray4mojo

Diamond Member
Mar 8, 2003
3,647
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I work in aerospace doing mechanical systems design for turbine engines at Honeywell. Mech systems includes bearings, seals, oil systems, design of the shafts in the engine, and a few other things. We're currently wrapping up the detailed design on a demonstrator program for an engine that could end up replacing the T700 that's currently powering the Apache and Blackhawk if everything goes well.

I actually didn't major in aerospace engineering, my degree is for mechanical engineering and almost everyone I work with is in the same boat. Honestly though they don't really care at my company. 95% of the stuff you'll learn in both degrees is pretty much the same.

Right now the majority of engineers working in aerospace are getting old, I think average age at my company is 55+. It's because they hired like CRAZY back during the cold war and then slowed down when the defense development budget came down to less insane levels. From a job security perspective it's nice because my HR department is currently wetting itself that all their engineers are going to leave and they won't be able to replace them because the whole industry is having the same issue.

When all those old farts retire, let me know if there's any opening in the socal area ;)
 

coxmaster

Diamond Member
Dec 14, 2007
3,017
3
81
I'm currently finishing my first semester of my Sophomore year in Aersospace Engineering and wondering if ATOT has any others who are in that line of work here, and what you do/where you work.

How you liking it? I just finished my freshman year in AE at ERAU Daytona.. Of course I fly also, so that helps my interest in planes :p
 

KillerCharlie

Diamond Member
Aug 21, 2005
3,691
68
91
I am at UMN, and love it here thus far. Hard as hell though, but keepin at it.

Did you have much prior knowledge of airplanes or an interest in them specifcally? It seems as if soooo many of the people taking it knew they wanted an engineering degree, and looking through the list, thought "aerospace sounds fun," and decided that way. I'm surprised how almost anyone I try to talk to in my major don't know anything about planes.

"Did you see that the 787 had it's maiden flight?"- "What's that?" Like, really? lol.

I know everyone is sure to roll their eyes at this, but where I really want to be one day is the owner of my own Aero company of some kind. I'd love it if it could be designing and manufacturing planes, but I know Aero work can be outsourced and contracted in alot of ways as well.

How involved are you at Boeing? One thing I often wonder is how redundant working at a large company might get. I was talking with someone who was with Boeing for 2 years, and didn't do anything but work on a wingtip design for his entirety there.

Sounds like you got one of the good jobs though, congrats! And what you do is what I hope to do one day!

Aerospace Engineering is hard, but if you're doing okay now you'll graduate just fine. Just remember, the harder it gets for you the harder it gets for everyone else.

There are a huge array of jobs at Boeing. It really depends on what you're doing. I know one guy who spent 6 months designing the structure of the horizontal tail tip. That's it.

If you work in product development like me, you get to do a wide array of stuff. I've worked on the 737, 747-400, 747-8, 767, 777, and several new concepts. I've done everything from design wings, run and staff wind tunnel tests, and all other sorts of things, and I've only been here 3 years! It does definitely have its boring days though.

In product development you probably have a bigger impact on an airplane than any other group. I'm in aerodynamics (most of which is PD), but there are also loads and structures groups in product development.

They've outsourced a lot of structure design jobs to the major contractors, but aerodynamics is one thing they never will - if they outsource product development, there's nothing left.

I watched the 787 fly, but from the window of our building. It was pretty cool to watch it fly. It was a zoo that day - 3-4 helicopters, a T-38 and two T-33s. It is one of those things you only see once or twice in your career though. I didn't actually work on the 787 though - in product development that plane is almost considered old to us - we're working on stuff that will fly 5 to 10 years from now.
 
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Inferno0032

Golden Member
Mar 26, 2007
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How you liking it? I just finished my freshman year in AE at ERAU Daytona.. Of course I fly also, so that helps my interest in planes :p

It's OK. All through generals, and will have my first aircraft-specific class next semester, which I look forward to. I'm getting a little tired of the arbitrary direction of the general courses.

To KillerCharlie-
I'm doing pretty good as it goes, and I don't expect that will change too much. I actually kinda look forward to things getting a little more challenging so that it begins to weed out the people who are just there for the "ooh ahh" effect that comes with the ego/e-peen boost they get from telling people they are going to school to "become a rocket scientist."

Which brings me to another question. What are the people in the work force like? Which ones tend to move up in a company?
I'd consider myself one of the more personable people, who can have a sense of humor, but works really hard at the same time, and tries to remain modest. I basically just try to be and easy-going, "good" person. However, many of the people who are in the same major as me tend to come off as know it all pricks. And if they aren't the know-it-all type, they are the hopeless nerds. I have a couple friends in my major, but for the most part, I don't get along so great with alot of the personality types that seem to be drawn here. Granted these qualities seem to run in all engineering type majors, but I notice the whole ego-stroking a little more prevalently in those taking Aero.
 

fatpat268

Diamond Member
Jan 14, 2006
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You have money issues but you can afford a macbook pro? WTF?

It was partially paid for by my parents for my birthday (I paid $400), and I need a laptop. It's not like $400 would've gotten me very far in school.

I suppose I could go in massive debt by taking out student loans, but I'm doing it the hard way by saving up money by working. I'm fine with it.
 

AeroEngy

Senior member
Mar 16, 2006
356
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0
Another Aerospace Engineer here. I work for Orbital Sciences in their launch systems group. Actually there are very few aerospace engineers that I work with. It seems the vast majority are electrical engineers, a few mechanical, and only a hand full of real aeros. Orbital is a "small" company as compared to the likes of Boeing or Lockheed. But that also means smaller teams and that you generally have to be pretty smart to stick around.

IMO the smaller aerospace companies can have a higher pressure environment but it also gives you the ability to more easily get noticed if you are performing well.
 

KillerCharlie

Diamond Member
Aug 21, 2005
3,691
68
91
Which brings me to another question. What are the people in the work force like? Which ones tend to move up in a company?
I'd consider myself one of the more personable people, who can have a sense of humor, but works really hard at the same time, and tries to remain modest. I basically just try to be and easy-going, "good" person. However, many of the people who are in the same major as me tend to come off as know it all pricks. And if they aren't the know-it-all type, they are the hopeless nerds. I have a couple friends in my major, but for the most part, I don't get along so great with alot of the personality types that seem to be drawn here. Granted these qualities seem to run in all engineering type majors, but I notice the whole ego-stroking a little more prevalently in those taking Aero.

Yeah usually by the end of the sophomore year you get rid of the people that shouldn't be there. I think it's typically that the graduating class is 1/4-1/2 the size of the freshman class.

I only graduated about 3 years ago so I'm not the expert. I think the biggest thing to doing well and advancing is how well you do your job - how quickly you get things done, how well you understand things, how well you work with other people, etc. It's an all-around thing. I was at the top of the class and super-nerdy, but I wasn't a know-it-all. You have to have a personality that gets along with others. People who don't get along with others will definitely not get far. I've been getting pretty good reviews during my performance evaluations - I just try to do the job as best as I can.

I think overall there's a good mix people. Sure there is a higher percentage of the awkward nerdy types (which I find humorous), but most people are pretty well-adjusted.

My coworkers are awesome. Everyone is really laid back and jokes around. We're all pretty sarcastic people so it's usually fun. The day goes by a lot faster when you're joking around. We sometimes play Unreal Tournament during lunch too :)
This really depends on the group you end up with. Not all groups are like this. One of my internships was in the aerodynamics research group - man those guys were boring. Everyone just kept to themselves.
 

Bl0cks

Golden Member
Oct 9, 2008
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I'm a mechanical engineer sophomore at UT Arlington, but the ME and AE program only vary by a few classes.
 

esun

Platinum Member
Nov 12, 2001
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It was partially paid for by my parents for my birthday (I paid $400), and I need a laptop. It's not like $400 would've gotten me very far in school.

I suppose I could go in massive debt by taking out student loans, but I'm doing it the hard way by saving up money by working. I'm fine with it.

I suppose you may have specific reasons for doing things this way, but it really does not make sense in general. Without a degree your earnings are (on average) going to be much, much lower than they will be with a degree. You're going to have to pay however much for the degree anyway. You might as well take the loans, get the degree, then make it all back quickly rather than spending more time saving up the money now.
 

KillerCharlie

Diamond Member
Aug 21, 2005
3,691
68
91
I suppose you may have specific reasons for doing things this way, but it really does not make sense in general. Without a degree your earnings are (on average) going to be much, much lower than they will be with a degree. You're going to have to pay however much for the degree anyway. You might as well take the loans, get the degree, then make it all back quickly rather than spending more time saving up the money now.

Yeah, if you go to a state school the costs usually aren't too bad, especially if you get scholarships.
 

dammitgibs

Senior member
Jan 31, 2009
477
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0
I work in aerospace doing mechanical systems design for turbine engines at Honeywell. Mech systems includes bearings, seals, oil systems, design of the shafts in the engine, and a few other things. We're currently wrapping up the detailed design on a demonstrator program for an engine that could end up replacing the T700 that's currently powering the Apache and Blackhawk if everything goes well.
.

Hey I'm currently a flight engineer on HH-60Gs, we have 701Cs and I didn't even know the Army still used 700s in their slicks, is this going to be an improvement over the 701D in the Mike model or what is it exactly?
 

Bignate603

Lifer
Sep 5, 2000
13,897
1
0
Hey I'm currently a flight engineer on HH-60Gs, we have 701Cs and I didn't even know the Army still used 700s in their slicks, is this going to be an improvement over the 701D in the Mike model or what is it exactly?

From what I understand the 701C and 701D are just evolutions of the original T700. What I'm working on is a completely new design, the development program is called AATE (advanced affordable turbine engine) and there's two competing engines right now. GE is behind one and the other is a partnership between Pratt & Whitney and Honeywell Engines (I work at Honeywell).

The whole point is a a bump up on power to 3000 hp, reduce fuel burn, and decrease cost of ownership. The extra power would give the blackhawk and apache extra power in hot high altitude situations that they're seeing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Here's a good article about the AATE program