Aeronautical Engineering

What is Aeronautical Engineering?

• Aeronautical Engineering is a well-known engineering branch that attracts students interested in aircraft and their mechanisms.

• The main task of the aeronautical engineer is to develop aircraft and propulsion systems, but over time the engineer receives much more responsibility. 

• Aeronautical engineering has an extensive curriculum, which requires a lot of diligence and hard work.  However, completing the course is worth it for every student because it leads to a good salary.  

• An Aeronautical engineering degree helps you find employment in the aerospace, defense, and civil aviation industries. 

Some specific topics that you deal while studying Aeronautical engineering are:

What does an Aeronautical Engineer do?

As the name suggests, mostly Aeronautical Engineers work with defense and government contractors. Their primary task is to work with the aircraft which includes designing aircraft and propulsion systems and study the aerodynamic properties of aircraft and building materials.

How is it different from Aerospace Engineering?

Aviation technology is a field related to the development of aircraft of various categories and propulsion systems. On the other hand, space technology is an area that deals with everything created by humans and moves in the air or in space, such as airplanes, spacecraft and satellites.

What is the Admission and Eligibility Criteria?

• To obtain an undergraduate degree in engineering (below), you must pass 10+2 exact sciences (physics, chemistry, mathematics and preferably biology) from a recognized body.

• To get to the best engineering schools that offer aeronautical engineering programs such as IIT and NIT, you must register for JEE (joint entrance examination) and meet the required admission criteria (class 12 results / equivalent proficiency test and joint entrance examination).

• Independent aeronautical technical entrance examinations are also conducted by various state, central and private universities, most of which require 50% as a prerequisite to the exam (the minimum percentage may vary for reserved and girl candidates, and college requirements)

Best colleges offering Aeronautical Engineering programs are

Popular Colleges offering Aeronautical Engineering Programs are

What are the skills required?

You get to learn most of the skills for the job during your education, however, there are few skills one must have:-

• Sound knowledge of mathematics

• Analytical thinking skills

• Paying attention to details

• Passion for machines

• Problem-solving skills

What is the Scope of Aeronautical engineering?

• After graduating from b.e./b.tech, students may apply for m.tech and a PhD in this field

• Students can appear for the GATE exam for employment opportunities in the Public sector undertakings

• Renowned institutes such as IIT, IIIT and NIT also take into account the GATE result

• Specialists in this field will find senior positions in the aviation, space and satellite industries

• Specialists also find work in research teams for government agencies and private organizations in this area

Job profile may vary by position and seniority level. but the basic description is often the same. You may become a specialist in some type of aerospace technology, such as

• You can teach aeronautical engineering to inspire the next aeronautical engineering graduates.

• Within aeronautical engineering, you can also select a specific area. You can also take on technical management functions. For example as a manager of a passenger or cargo airline operator.

The geographic location of jobs is important because they affect how much aeronautical engineers earn.

The job requires a deep understanding of advanced scientific topics.

• Becoming a rocket scientist or astronaut is like becoming an aerospace engineer. But, you need more specific training to prepare to work with spacecraft and explore space. Astronauts face all the challenges of aerospace engineering. But, they also need to build airplanes that can work in a vacuum and in the mystery of space. If you dream of becoming a rocket scientist, then there is a lot of education and learning for your future.

• Most futurologists agree that space tourism will be the future of aerospace engineering. Scientific research and exploration of the solar system will not stop. There are company plans to build a base on the moon. The aerospace industry will expand to include space tourism and space in the future. More engineers will be needed to drive this growth.

Aerospace engineers get jobs outside of the aerospace industry as well due to a strong background in Mathematics and Science. Such as

• Oceanography

• Biotechnology

• Weather Forecasting

• Energy Saving

• Petrochemical

• Nuclear

• Automotive Industries

Who are the major Recruiters for Aeronautical Engineers?

• ISRO

• HAL

• DRDO

• Airforce

• Indian Navy

• Bharat dynamic limited

• Airbus

• Boeing

• GE

• GM

• Pratt and Whitney

• Rolls Royce and even some automobile companies recruit aeronautic engineers

• You can also join as Design Engineer in different private or public companies

How much does Aeronautical Engineers earn?

• Avg. Salary of an Aeronautical Engineer in India - Rs 597,442/yr

• Avg. Early Career Salary (1-4 years) - Rs 496,647/yr

• Mid Career Salary (5-9 years) - Rs 601,484/yr

Source: Payscale 

How to prepare and what are the study material and books available?

• Mock tests available online

• NCERT syllabus of class 11th and 12th

• Study material available by prestigious institutes

• Consult your seniors (who have already given such exams) for guidance

• Previous year question papers

Some popular books are O.P. Tandon for Physical Chemistry, P.Bahadur (G.R.Bathla & Sons) for Numerical chemistry. Concept of Physics by HC Verma (Vol 1, Vol 2); Problems In General Physics by IE Irodov. IIT Mathematics, M.L. Khanna; Trigonometry, S L Loney; Calculus & Analytic Geometry, Thomas & Finney.

Some Interesting facts

Leonardo da Vinci in the Renaissance period and George Cayley in 1799 are known as the founders of modern aeronautics.