Career as Aeronautical Engineer

Aeronautical engineering is a career which is not only exciting but highly rewarding and growth oriented. As per the data available India is fastest growing country in terms of aviation and as per the ticket sales it’s third largest. Aviation industry in India is still growing, people still consider travelling in an aircraft as an achievement and moment of pride, and it shows that air travel in India is still not a mode of transport but a sense of success and accomplishment.

So let’s take deep dive into what is aeronautical engineering, some people say that it is a study of flying which is entirely not wrong but it has many more layers to it. It is a very vast field which involves designing of aircraft, planes, drones etc. Not just that it includes creating new propulsion systems, analyzing aircraft performance, structural material changes based on the temperature variation present over the atmosphere. In short anything related to aircraft whether it being mechanical, electronic, electrical and structural is engulfed in aeronautical engineering.

After that comes a question of how to start career in Aeronautics, so firstly after 10th you have to take physics, chemistry and mathematics as your subjects. It is said that physics and mathematics are the wings of the plane named aeronautical engineering and chemistry is the fuel on which it runs. Hence, to become a good aeronautical engineer interest and expertise in these subjects is essential. Now complete a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering approved by the accreditation board of Engineering and Technology (ABET). The Duration of the course is 4 Years. 

Now coming to skill set required to become successful in aeronautics:

1. The exceptional academic background with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics at its core.
2. Strong critical thinking and analytical skills.
3. Ingenuity and innovativeness
4. Technical Expertise and High attention to Details
5. Work Precision
6. Good Communication skills especially in English, as English is the language of Aviation.
7. Decent computer skills as all the design of the aircrafts and systems is done on the computers.
8. Graphical skills are very essential because before developing the material and the designs for the aircraft it’s important to visualize and create graphical views of the same.
9. Organizational Skills are key as well as their multiple tasks and stakeholders involved and it is very essential that time management is done efficently. Aeronautical engineering entails lot of problem identification and solving simultaneously. Hence, that skill is of paramount importance in order to having a successful career in aviation.

Career opportunities after becoming an Aeronautical Engineer are Aircraft Mechanical Engineer, Aircraft Designer, Propulsion Expert, Aviation Electronics Expert, Material Design, Data processing manager, Drafter, Inspection and Compliance officer etc.

Major Employers in the field of Aeronautics are ISRO, NASA, Airbus, Boeing, HAL, DRDO, Indian Army, Rolls Royce, Indian Air force, India Navy, CSIR-NAL etc.

So, in conclusion if flying of objects fascinates you and have deep love of aircrafts. Then aeronautics is the field for you to where all your dreams would come to true by shear hard work, patience and perseverance.