How do I Become an Aircraft Engineer?

If you want to become an aircraft engineer, you will need to graduate from high school first. After this, you can apply to colleges that offer degrees in aircraft maintenance. If you want to gain on-the-job experience, you might consider an apprenticeship at a local maintenance facility. You could also join the military as an aircraft maintenance engineer. Once you have obtained practical experience, you are ready to begin working in this field.

College is one of the first steps to take in order to become an aircraft engineer. Before you can enroll in college courses, you must graduate from high school. You could also obtain a General Equivalency Development (GED) diploma before enrolling in college. After you have your diploma, you can begin looking at colleges that offer aircraft engineering courses.

Apply to colleges that are accredited, if possible. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) typically sanctions aircraft engineering schools. Obtaining a degree from one of these colleges can go a long way toward proving your training meets the requirements of this profession.

A college degree often takes two to four years to earn. If you would like to become an aircraft engineer sooner than that, you may want to consider joining the military. Many branches of the armed forces offer these jobs and provide training for them as well. You may also qualify for assistance with college tuition, so it may be possible to pursue a degree in aircraft engineering while you are still in the military. This could give you an edge over other candidates, as you will have both education and on-the-job experience.

Aside from joining the military, you could gain on-the-job experience through an apprenticeship program. In this situation, you will work under the supervision of an experienced aircraft engineer for a few months. This may be done part-time while you are completing your studies, or full-time once you receive your degree.

You may want to find out if it is necessary to pass a licensing exam in order to become an aircraft engineer. If this is the case, find out as much as you can about the test beforehand, including sample questions and what material is covered. Consider hiring a tutor to help you pass this exam. Doing so can help you achieve your goal of becoming an aircraft engineer so you can help keep members of the public be safe while flying in aircraft.