Thanks for the shout-out,
@jtrain609 .
Hi all,
I am about to start my junior year in an aerospace engineering program. I earned my private pilot's cert and my instrument rating a few years back. I am really torn between flying and engineering. I was curious about careers out there that combine both. If anyone had any input on possible careers, companies that combine these sort of things, etc... I'd love to hear it. Also first time posting here, so let me know if I posted this in the wrong place.
Thanks in advance.
Welcome to the Aero club! Which university are you attending? My college application essay years back was about the exact career path you describe - wanting to combine flying and engineering. Won't happen for me, but that's a story for another time.
Before going into the opportunities that combine both flying and engineering, I'll offer up a few tips from my (limited) work experience thus far:
- Don't undervalue your engineering degree. With few exceptions, almost any field is open to you. You don't need to have the "engineering" blinders on.
- To that end, take the next 2 years to really think about what you like, and equally important (if not more) what you don't like. Make sure you will enjoy whatever field you settle into. You don't need to have
all of the answers now (I sure don't), but it's exponentially easier to be in a field you enjoy vs. feeling trapped in a field you can't stand. I've found most engineers don't learn this before hitting the working world, and quickly burn out / fade out when they can't stand the gizmo/gadget they spend most of their waking hours working on.
- Lastly, and most importantly, to wrap up / tie up the two above: once you determine what you want to do,
don't be afraid to ask people for help/guidance in getting there. I can't emphasize this enough - if you don't ask for something, you won't get it. For some weird reason, it's a taboo thing to be open about what you want to do in life, but to date I've found people to be way more receptive and open to helping out than not. Of course, you should be fully invested/committed to whatever your task is at hand, but if you're generally a good employee and a good person, people will be more than willing to help you get to where you want to go.
Onto the flying / engineering combo:
A few posters have already touched on the biggest option / possible opportunity - being a test pilot & engineer for a manufacturer (OEM). At a big OEM (Boeing, Airbus, Gulfstream, etc.), this is probably easier said than done - they will likely want test pilots who have experience flying "heavy" metal, requiring either an airline or military stint, which then might put the recency of your engineering degree at risk. Kind of a chicken-and-egg type thing. As noted above, I would definitely try to target internships/work in the large OEMs' flight test engineering departments - this will get you exposure to being on the flights, while doing engineering work. From there you can get to know ("network" with) test pilots and pick their brain on the feasibility of not only doing both, but on getting into flying without prior airline/military experience. You could always start as an engineer at a company like Boeing, build time to reach mins, and take a brief detour at a regional to build time in the interim. I would only encourage that if you had a solid commitment to get back to the OEM on the back-side, but it's a potential creative solution to help you get there. Same goes for Air National Guard while working as an engineer
If you're not dead-set on flying heavy metal, it's probably more realistic and worth checking out the smaller manufacturers (Cessna, Cirrus, etc.). Candidly I know very little about how the organizations are laid out, but I have to imagine that it's more feasible to obtain a flying position here than at the large OEM's, given that they are largely making trainers / small GA aircraft.
On the airline-side, there are a few avenues I could foresee that would combine some of your engineering work with flying:
(1) Start as a pilot, and work your way into management as a management pilot. These types usually end up in operational roles - so while it may not be be direct "engineering" work, you will certainly be applying the critical thinking / problem solving skills from your degree.
(2) Work as a pilot, and volunteer / work on your airline's Accident Investigation team. Obviously nobody wishes to get this phone call, but I have to imagine the combination of flying professionally and having a technical background here can be immensely helpful. I always thought this would be a neat combination, as morbid as it may be.
(3) Some airlines, like JetBlue, have programs that help employees become a pilot at the airline. You could start at the airline as an engineer, and use their program to catapult into a flying career. Since you would have already built credibility/track record on the "management" side before flying, you could surely always go back or work with management while flying.
That's what I can think of off the top of my head. I'll keep thinking a bit more about other combination roles. Feel free to PM me with any other questions you may have.
