Engineering
- Thread starter sr71
- Start date
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
Maybe a better question would be what kind of engineering degree would be helped by your flying. If you've the brain to go through four years of engineering, don't become a button-mashing retard like us.
///AMG
Well-Known Member
The answer you are looking for is "none". I got a mechanical engr degree, and it has not had any effect at all on my flying abilities. If aviation interests you, AND you want an engr degree, I guess I would consider mech e or aero e, but beyond that, don't worry about it. Nobody in your cockpit is going to care. This is a trade, not a technical profession.
ppragman
No pasa nada.
ppragman
No pasa nada.
I've got six of those degrees.
staplegun
Well-Known Member
I was a History major and have a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois.
Any Engineering major will make you slightly more qualified wrt applying for an airline job or the military. HR/military recruiters will look favorably on it, and all else being equal will probably choose the engineer over the B.A.
JMO, I could be wrong...
Kevin
Any Engineering major will make you slightly more qualified wrt applying for an airline job or the military. HR/military recruiters will look favorably on it, and all else being equal will probably choose the engineer over the B.A.
JMO, I could be wrong...
Kevin
PA44-LUV
Well-Known Member
yeah!!!! Someone gets it!!!
Yeah. About the good my mechanical engineering degree's done me is I was able to argue with my CFI a little more intelligently on aerodynamics.
...and that's only because I took aero as an elective...
greaper007
Well-Known Member
+1
If/when you decide that you hate to fly, get furloughed, lose your medical, any engineering degree will be a very healthy fallback. There's not many other degrees where you can walk out of school making 50,000+. Go for the one that interests you the most.
Just a thought, all major and regional airlines hire mechanical, electrical, and aerospace engineers to work in their aircraft maintenance/engineering departments. So if you are wanting a full time non-flying job while you work on building flight time, this is a good option. You'll get experience in FAR's and part 121 operations and become very familiar with the aircraft systems and aircraft structures for the airplanes the airline operates. I would think that would be helpful on a resume. And you get flight benefits while you're working there.
When I graduated from school in 2007 I had no problem finding airlines that would hire me for this type of job. And you can actually make a good enough salary to pay for flight time. I was suprised at how much airlines like Continental were willing to pay an engineer straight out of college even when they were struggling to make a profit.
When I graduated from school in 2007 I had no problem finding airlines that would hire me for this type of job. And you can actually make a good enough salary to pay for flight time. I was suprised at how much airlines like Continental were willing to pay an engineer straight out of college even when they were struggling to make a profit.
747-dreaming
Well-Known Member
As most people...
.....have stated above, any Engineering degree will be good! I'm pretty much in the same boat. I will be completing my Electrical Engineering degree in 2 years, and then plan to continue pursuing my flying. The following are my reasons for choosing engineering over other majors:
First off, I am a "technical" person and am very passionate about these things
Secondly, as someone mentioned above, I'm convinced that I will be looked upon more favorably, when looking to get hired. An aircraft is, after all, a highly sophisticated MACHINE that operates on the laws of physics. Who better to be at its controls than someone who understands its inner workings (especially if you have an emergency and need to rely on those technical skills intuitively - All engineers have to study Math and Physics intensively). Other majors involving the hard sciences, such as Physics, would be just as good here.
Last, but not least, also as some said above, Engineering is probably one of the best backups to have, in the terribly unpredictable career a pilot tends to have. However, experience is v. important. That's why I intend to actually work as an EE for a couple years before migrating to flying.
.....have stated above, any Engineering degree will be good! I'm pretty much in the same boat. I will be completing my Electrical Engineering degree in 2 years, and then plan to continue pursuing my flying. The following are my reasons for choosing engineering over other majors:
First off, I am a "technical" person and am very passionate about these things
Secondly, as someone mentioned above, I'm convinced that I will be looked upon more favorably, when looking to get hired. An aircraft is, after all, a highly sophisticated MACHINE that operates on the laws of physics. Who better to be at its controls than someone who understands its inner workings (especially if you have an emergency and need to rely on those technical skills intuitively - All engineers have to study Math and Physics intensively). Other majors involving the hard sciences, such as Physics, would be just as good here.
Last, but not least, also as some said above, Engineering is probably one of the best backups to have, in the terribly unpredictable career a pilot tends to have. However, experience is v. important. That's why I intend to actually work as an EE for a couple years before migrating to flying.
747-dreaming
Well-Known Member
jkca22, that is indeed very good advice! Thanks for the tip. I will also definitely look into those options after graduating.
Matt13C
Well-Known Member
Re: As most people...
Based on no personal experience in aviation, but simply experience in the real world in general and ample research of the airline industry the hiring preference list appears to go something like this...
1. Who do you know
2. Are you a scab
3. What are your times, ATP
4. 121/135/military experience
5. Type rating in one or more of our aircraft
6. Medical limitations
7. Any violations
8. Background, specifically DUI's or drug charges, that if you are involved in an incident the airline may be asked, "why did you hire John Smith with a known alcohol problem?"
9. Degree box checked
11. Did you instruct previously
12. What school
13. Specific degree
As was said earlier, this is a trade, not a technical profession. A degree is nothing more than a qualifier for some major carriers who get thousands of applications and need a way to widdle the ranks down even further.
As I said, I have no personal experience with the hiring process at an airline. But from the now years of reading this and other sites as well as discussing this career option with countless people, degree type was never mentioned, unless you wanted to go military.
Good luck and have fun!!
Based on no personal experience in aviation, but simply experience in the real world in general and ample research of the airline industry the hiring preference list appears to go something like this...
1. Who do you know
2. Are you a scab
3. What are your times, ATP
4. 121/135/military experience
5. Type rating in one or more of our aircraft
6. Medical limitations
7. Any violations
8. Background, specifically DUI's or drug charges, that if you are involved in an incident the airline may be asked, "why did you hire John Smith with a known alcohol problem?"
9. Degree box checked
11. Did you instruct previously
12. What school
13. Specific degree
As was said earlier, this is a trade, not a technical profession. A degree is nothing more than a qualifier for some major carriers who get thousands of applications and need a way to widdle the ranks down even further.
As I said, I have no personal experience with the hiring process at an airline. But from the now years of reading this and other sites as well as discussing this career option with countless people, degree type was never mentioned, unless you wanted to go military.
Good luck and have fun!!
If you want to be a test pilot or astronaut, then an engineering degree will help you. Outside of those two fields, I can't think of any flying job that would be helped more by an engineering degree as opposed to any other kind of degree.
greaper007
Well-Known Member
It's been said here before, get a degree that's a good fall back. If you can do it, engineering is a hell of a fallback. I say go for it, you can always switch majors if you hate it.
ILSstud
Well-Known Member
In terms of "fall back" something to think about is how long you plan to be out of engineering should you need to fall back on it. A lot of companies wouldn't look very favorably at someone who got an engineering degree and then decided to not use it for 10 years....I was in your position about 4 yrs ago when I was in school. I saw the light and stuck with engineering for my career choice...you can afford to fly whenever you want (relatively speaking) on YOUR terms 
charlie1017
Well-Known Member
Get the engineering degree. All of my friends who graduated in engineering are making good money and great QOL, almost right after college...
Realms09
Well-Known Member
Here is my data dump.
As you consider an engineering degree, I would think about the following two questions:
1. Do you like to make things? For instance, does making an RC aircraft interest you?
2. Are you curious about how things work? Why does an aircraft wing look the way it does? Why is liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen used as the propellant on the space shuttle?
If your answer to both of those questions is yes, then you could enjoy pursuing an engineering degree. If you like learning about how the world works but are less interested in making things, you might be happier with a science degree (like chemistry or physics).
------------------------------------------------------------
If you want to combine engineering and flying qualifications in your career:
There are a few professions where having both an engineering and flying background will have a direct dollar and cents impact on your life.
1. Test pilot
Most test pilots come from the military test pilot schools which require a technical (engineering, math, or science) degree as a prerequisite. The rare civilian who becomes a test pilot typically works up through engineering ranks while building flying experience part time. Either way, as a test pilot you will have to deal with engineering problems and engineering people. Chief test pilots at Boeing are also essentially high level engineering managers.
2. Astronaut
Pilot astronauts are first test pilots (see above). Mission specialists are experienced engineers and scientists with advanced degrees.
3. Flight Test Engineer
These engineers first work with other engineering teams to determine what needs to be tested. They then assist the test pilots in operating the test vehicle, collect data, and analyze data. Some will fly actually fly on the vehicle (not at the controls) while others monitor telemetry. The results of tests are then communicated to other engineering teams. Because of the mixture of flight operations and engineering, managers like to see some flight experience in addition to an engineering degree.
4. Flight Deck Engineer
Flight deck engineers help test pilots define the crew interface. These engineers also have to interact with other engineering groups such as aerodynamics or propulsion, as problems or ideas in these fields can create controllability problems from the pilot's perspective. People who work in this area have backgrounds in different engineering fields or in human factors. 99% of them are also pilots in some form or fashion, including ex-military and ex-airline. Engineers do not spend much time around the actual aircraft, but they do have opportunities to work in and "fly" the engineering simulators.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Many aerospace engineers who work outside of these niche areas also enjoy flying airplanes for fun or as part-time CFIs. This is partly beneficial because it gives us hands-on time with practical flying machines (a study of historical designs that work). It is also because many aerospace engineers love flying and aviation just as professional pilots do, but have chosen to pursue that passion in a different way. Getting up in the air helps fuel the passion and motivate you to return to the office / lab and keep trying to make things that go farther, faster, and higher.
As you consider an engineering degree, I would think about the following two questions:
1. Do you like to make things? For instance, does making an RC aircraft interest you?
2. Are you curious about how things work? Why does an aircraft wing look the way it does? Why is liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen used as the propellant on the space shuttle?
If your answer to both of those questions is yes, then you could enjoy pursuing an engineering degree. If you like learning about how the world works but are less interested in making things, you might be happier with a science degree (like chemistry or physics).
------------------------------------------------------------
If you want to combine engineering and flying qualifications in your career:
There are a few professions where having both an engineering and flying background will have a direct dollar and cents impact on your life.
1. Test pilot
Most test pilots come from the military test pilot schools which require a technical (engineering, math, or science) degree as a prerequisite. The rare civilian who becomes a test pilot typically works up through engineering ranks while building flying experience part time. Either way, as a test pilot you will have to deal with engineering problems and engineering people. Chief test pilots at Boeing are also essentially high level engineering managers.
2. Astronaut
Pilot astronauts are first test pilots (see above). Mission specialists are experienced engineers and scientists with advanced degrees.
3. Flight Test Engineer
These engineers first work with other engineering teams to determine what needs to be tested. They then assist the test pilots in operating the test vehicle, collect data, and analyze data. Some will fly actually fly on the vehicle (not at the controls) while others monitor telemetry. The results of tests are then communicated to other engineering teams. Because of the mixture of flight operations and engineering, managers like to see some flight experience in addition to an engineering degree.
4. Flight Deck Engineer
Flight deck engineers help test pilots define the crew interface. These engineers also have to interact with other engineering groups such as aerodynamics or propulsion, as problems or ideas in these fields can create controllability problems from the pilot's perspective. People who work in this area have backgrounds in different engineering fields or in human factors. 99% of them are also pilots in some form or fashion, including ex-military and ex-airline. Engineers do not spend much time around the actual aircraft, but they do have opportunities to work in and "fly" the engineering simulators.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Many aerospace engineers who work outside of these niche areas also enjoy flying airplanes for fun or as part-time CFIs. This is partly beneficial because it gives us hands-on time with practical flying machines (a study of historical designs that work). It is also because many aerospace engineers love flying and aviation just as professional pilots do, but have chosen to pursue that passion in a different way. Getting up in the air helps fuel the passion and motivate you to return to the office / lab and keep trying to make things that go farther, faster, and higher.
Domestic Engineer.
Hootie
Old Skool
Two of my friends from high school became engineers, one civil and one mechanical. They tell me from day one it is the worlds most boring career. Unless you really want to be an engineer, I would avoid. It will give you zero advantage when it comes to airline hiring I would imagine. Get a degree that has a bunch of chicks getting the same degree.