How to become an Aircraft Engineer

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by Nathan Baldwin on

Aircraft Engineers are some of the most highly skilled practitioners in the aviation industry. The role can often incorporate multiple disciplines and skillets in areas such as: aircraft aerodynamics, navigation communications, electrical or electronics engineering etc. 

As a result engineers can often be expected to work on the development of new equipment as well general maintenance. Ultimately their role is relevant to every part of an aircraft's life, from development to maintenance.

 

What qualifications will I need?

Aircraft Engineer, or as they are sometimes referred to, Aircraft Technician roles require practitioners to possess a wide range of skills and relevant qualifications. Typically, the aviation authorities state that in order to become a licensed Aircraft Engineer, candidates must have at least a foundation degree or higher national diploma in engineering or an equivalent subject.

Having a qualification such as this will allow you to progress within your career to gain practical experience and attain an industry recognised qualification. A category B license is a common qualification that almost every Aircraft Engineer must attain. This qualification is awarded by the Civil Aviation Authority CAA. Qualifications such as these are industry recognised and are important to have for when you want to progress within your career.

 

What are industry recognised licenses?

‘Part 66’ refers to European legislation for certifying licensed aircraft engineers in EASA member states, including the UK. It consists of three categories:

Category A – this basic license allows the holder to carry out basic inspections and maintenance to identify simple rectifications. This is a standard qualification typically attained at the early stages of an Aircraft Engineers’ career.

Category B – the category B qualification is arguably the most important qualification to attain for industry practitioners. The standard licence for practitioners consists of two categories: 

B1 (mechanics – engines, air-frames etc.) and B2 (avionics – instrumentation, electrical/ electronic equipment).

Category B licences require more in-depth aircraft maintenance knowledge than category A.

Category C – this license is typically awarded to senior engineers or engineers who hold a B1 or B2 license. It allows the holder to issue certificates of release to service following base maintenance on any aircraft (when the aircraft is stripped down for complete service and overhaul).

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How will I progress within my career?

As the role of an Aircraft Engineer can be so varied, many engineers choose to specialise in one aspect of the role and become specialists in that area later in their career. Focusing on a certain area can sometimes make it easier to progress within your career.

Here are some common specialist careers:

  • Aircraft Maintenance Engineer
  • Aircraft Engineering Technician
  • Aeronautical Engineer
  • Airworthiness Engineer
  • Electronics Technician
  • Weapons Technician

 

Average salary of an Aircraft Engineer

The average salary of an Aircraft Engineer in the UK can vary depending on level of experience and area of specialisms. For entry level engineers or apprentices, the average salary in the UK is around £20,000 whilst for more experienced engineers the average salary is around £30,000 - £35,000.

For specialist engineers with around ten years’ experience, the average salary is around £50,000 - £60,000.

 

Apply for Aircraft Engineer Jobs today

At Morson we specialise in recruiting for some of the UK's most exciting Aerospace Engineering jobs, we ensure that every candidate we place is best suited for the role. Our wealth of experience and expertise has allowed us to build strong working relationships with many organisations, enabling us to recruit for a variety of exciting and exclusive Aircraft Engineering jobs.

Whether you are just starting off in your Aerospace career or are an experienced engineer who would like to progress, at Morson we can help find the right role for you. Search all of our available Aerospace jobs here.

 

Cx Jobs

Project Controller - P6

Project Controller with a defence/aerospace/nuclear engineering background is required to lead tasks and activities to deliver the approved scope of work in accordance with the specified objectives, as agreed with the Senior Project Manager or their delegate. The Project Controller will also monitor resource demands and actual availability of the project team and prepare reports showing budgets, actual and forecast costs and earned value information in accordance with APM guidelines. This role will be a remote role with some time spent in the office in the North Yorkshire Moors.The role involves but is not limited to the following:Supports the project manager with the day-to-day management and deliverable completion of the projects, using agreed resources, by an agreed date to agreed safetystandards and an agreed quality within an agreed budget.Responsible for coordination, scheduling and reporting of activities as agreed with the Project Manager.Responsible for coordinating all project gate reviews, recording of any actions and the production and approval of the gate review report.Facilitates the identification of lessons learnt from previous projects and programmes, as well as any new lessons from their project team.Undertakes the role of risk coordinator, and ensures the project follows the agreed risk management plan.Responsibility to ensure a project resource plan for the entire project lifecycle is regularly reviewed and updated.Responsible for coordinating the project's change management process, and specifically being the chair of the regular change board.Ensures that a master decisions & assumption log or equivalent is reviewed and updated on a regular basis.Responsible for establishing and auditing against a project configuration management process.Supports the project manager to establish and undertake the Project Scope reviews.Responsible for the development, monitoring and updating of a detailed manage the project workstream schedule.Reporting on the project workstream progress on a regular basis and escalate when exceptional circumstances arise.Has responsibility for the creation and upkeep of the Project Files, meetings, records and correspondence, and maintaining the Project Controls information.Delegated chair for weekly progress review and workshop meetings as required.Chairs project change board meetings and ensures all other necessary actions and minutes are recorded as required.Ensure that the project is given appropriate priority and ensuring that adequate resources are available and escalate to the project manager as required.Ensure all project reviews are carried out in accordance with project governance set out in the project management plan.Support the project manager in the preparation of initial and ongoing estimates of the project costs, including resource, materials and contingency costs.Monitor cost expenditure for the pre-sanction works against estimates and report cost position to Project Manager on a regular basis.Manage Project Documentation, from Initiation to Handover, meeting all milestones within the Project Programme to ensure that the project progresses in a timely manner.Person SpecificationKnowledge and experience of a Programme Management OfficeDemonstrable, specific skills and experience in planning, ideally in a complex programme environmentProficient in P6Working knowledge of Microsoft ProjectStrong analytical, problem solving and reporting skills to deliver precise insight on programme performance

Systems Engineer

Lead Systems Safety Engineer required to work on major rail projects. Contract or Permanent Staff position available Contract (Inside IR35) Role is required to support the application of the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations and the Common Safety Method on Risk Assessment to rail projects. Previous Railway Systems Safety Engineering experience essential. Client requires railway experience in order to hit the ground running. Working Knowledge in HAZOP/HAZOP/RAMS analysis in a railway environment. Demonstrable track record in engineering safety management. Knowledge of safety verification requirements of Network Rail and London Underground.

 Quality Engineer

An opportunity has arisen for a Quality Engineer to join the team with our prestigious clientSummary of Role:To assure the fitness for purpose (airworthiness) of products and drive/lead a Right First Time & zero waste culture. Also to maintain and expand regulatory, customer and third party accreditation and to ensure effective systems of assurance.Principal Accountabilities:Establishment and maintenance of the Quality Management Systems and associated Regulatory, Customer and Third party Accreditation's.Liaison with Regulators, Customers and Third Parties on issues which affect accreditation, airworthiness and product conformance to achieve regulatory and customer accreditation.Establish and manage the Quality Metrics across to achieve policy deployment goals.Lead the drive to achieve Right First Time and zero waste through SQCDP Value Stream activity utilising lean tools and methodologies. Identification of Root cause and the implementation of robust corrective actions and control measures.Support all functional teams in key areas of shared responsibility including Training, Continuous Improvement, Risk, Process Engineering and Process Responsibilities/Accountabilities.Key Stakeholder in determining innovation / technical development strategies.Work cross functionally to help drive a consistent and effective approach to New Product Introduction (NPI).Actively participate in bid and contract reviews and assist with quality aspects of project management as required to ensure bid success and bid delivery.Uphold processes that assure the effective health, safety and environmental best practices as defined by the Business HSE management system.The Post holder is expected to work flexibly within the role. It is expected for the post holder to carry out activities for which they are competent. Additionally, the post holder will also carry out additional duties upon request from Senior Management.QualificationsDegree level education, in anengineering / science discipline.Qualifications recognised by regulatorybodies (eg EASA , FAA etc. )Demonstrable continuous professionaldevelopment.Experience10+ years in an equivalent role /environment.Experience of installing and maintainingQuality Management SystemsExceptional product and processexperience.Demonstrable experience in anadvanced manufacturing environment.Demonstrable experience in decisionmaking roles.Demonstrable risk assessmentexperienceDemonstrable experience of commercialawareness / budgetary controls.Skills and AptitudeExcellent understanding of qualityassurance management principles andpractice.Target driven with excellent analyticalskills to support continuousimprovement.A Leader and Communicator able tomotivate and manage cross functionalteams.Strategically focused but with strongoperational knowledge.Detailed understanding of SpecialProcess requirements within AdvancedManufacturing Organisation.Strong knowledge of the AerospaceRegulatory Environment andAirworthiness principlesUnderstanding of LEAN principles andpractice.Managerial / Business acumen andawareness.

 Trend Research Engineer

Currently recruiting for a Trend Research Engineer for a large well know automotive client. The automotive industry is transforming from over a century long businesses that relied on car production and sales, the industry now aims at becoming 0 emission mobility provider. This change is influenced by various technical and non-technical factors including for example the availability of new technologies as well as socio-political and environmental drivers.A passionate, experienced mobility ecosystems expert is welcome to join the Trend Research Team to help the client comprehend the changes occurring in the mobility space (and the space surrounding mobility), particularly within smart cities in Europe. This work will also lead to identifying technology and business research opportunities coming from the above mentioned observations. The successful candidate should show experience in one or more of the following disciplines:Europe smart cities and smart mobility - both technology and socio-economic expertise is a mustData analyses - previous experience in information research/ analyses will be required to successfully perform in this jobYou will have strategic thinking mind-set to translate the research findings to new technology and business research opportunitiesGeneral knowledge of the technology fields related to electric vehicles (EV), EV charging infrastructures, connected cars and autonomous cars is an assetIdentification and creation of new work (make new research project proposals & new budget requests) Qualifications/SkillsUniversity degree (bachelor or higher. Preferably in an engineering field)Previous, documented experience in smart cities and smart mobility topicsPrevious experience in data research and data processingAble to process complex information (information identification, compiling and distilling down to compact formats)Ability to self-propelled work (be able to work on their own) but also to work in a team when necessaryGeneral understanding of electric vehicle, connected cars and autonomous cars technologyGood communication skills (written and spoken)Good presentation skillsGood computer skillsWilling to travel (within Europe)

Skills and qualifications needed for a career in cyber security

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