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Ever wondered what would happen had one technical glitch arrived on the flight you took the other day? How many things are to be taken into consideration before and during the design of an aircraft? Or maybe satellites?How big a responsibility it is to check everything is in place else lives are at risk? Who does all of these things which so much perfection that millions of aeroplanes fly every day and with utmost safety?

Well, designing of aircrafts, spacecrafts, missiles, and satellites are done by aerospace engineers. In addition to this, they also test their prototypes. All these are done in order to make sure they function as planned.

A career in Aerospace Engineering involves designing, developing, and testing aircraft, spacecraft, and related systems, combining physics, mathematics, and advanced technology to innovate safe, efficient solutions for aviation, space exploration, defense sectors, and future air-mobility advancements.– A career in Aerospace Engineering
Aerospace engineers, therefore, do the following:
  • Design, manufacture and test the aerospace products
  • Assess design requirements
  • Examine the feasibility of projects and assess them
  • Undertake research
  • Inspect and determine if the planned and designed projects will lead to safe aerospace products and parts
  • Assembling aircraft components
  • They evaluate the designs and check if they meet the requirements of manufacturers, consumers, is according to the theory and isn’t harming the environment
  • Assure that the products meet the quality that was set
  • Provide technical consultancy
  • Scrutinize if there’s any breakdown or damage to the products and looking for solutions to curb them
There could also be specializations in Aerospace Engineering. You could get specialized in:
  • Military Airplanes and Helicopters
  • Commercial Airplanes and Helicopters
  • Spacecraft
  • Missiles and Satellites

There are typically two types of branches aerospace engineering breaks into Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering.

Aeronautical Engineering is a branch that deals with designing, manufacturing and testing of designing aircrafts and their parts. They work on the theory and practice of aircrafts within earth’s atmosphere.

Astronautical Engineering, on the other hand, deals with the theory and technology of spacecraft; these are outside the earth’s atmosphere, in space.

Out of all the jobs that aerospace engineering holds, these industries employ them the most:
  • Government
  • Armed forces
  • Civil service
  • Aerospace products manufacturing companies
  • Consultancies
  • Research and Development domains
  • Airline operators
  • Navigational instruments manufacturing et cetera
Subjects of study:

As we talk about aerospace engineering involving two specific branches, we will see subsequently which subjects does one study in the domain.

  • Engineering math
  • Physics
  • Guidance and navigation
  • Aircraft safety
  • Management information systems
  • Project management
  • Product design and manufacturing
  • Flight testing
  • Aeroelasticity
  • Hydraulics and Pneumatics
  • Maintenance engineering
  • Maintenance engineering
  • Operation research
  • Flight vehicle design
  • Computer-aided machine drawing
  • Robotics
  • Aerodynamics
  • Aircraft maintenance and repair
  • Rockets and missiles
  • Aircraft performance Applied thermodynamics
These skills will fly you high!

When in aerospace engineering, you will need to showcase a huge bandwidth of aptitudes due to the sensitive yet stringent nature of work that it has. You will, therefore, need:

  • High analytical potential
  • Strong mathematical knowledge
  • Problem-solving skills
  • Attention to detai
  • Innovative approach
  • Creativity
  • Technical understanding
  • Time management skills
  • Teamwork
  • Strong interpersonal skills
  • Ability to work in a deadline driven environment
  • Ability to work under hassle and stress
  • Personnel management skills
  • Receptivity
Institutions in India that offer Aerospace Engineering

Institutes of highest repute offer courses in Aerospace Engineering which goes on to justify the worth of this domain we’ve been discussing all this while. However, getting through these institutes is quite a task. Few of the most reputed institutes in India offering Aerospace Engineering as a course are:

Institutions offering Aerospace Engineering Abroad

After you get through the university/institute you’ve been aiming at, you would be able to pick up on a specialization that you’d want to take ahead. Generally, in the first year, subjects of both these branches will mostly be common. As the student progresses in succeeding years, choosing a major would be a precondition.

Exams offering admission to courses of Aerospace Engineering in India or abroad

To get into aerospace engineering, like all other engineering fields, you will have to give entrance examinations. Since this is a branch of engineering you will have to appear for a common engineering entrance examinations. These exams, however, differ when you apply for a Bachelors level or a Masters level.

As you progress, these examinations would become more specific. That is, for a Post Graduate or Masters level, things will not be so generic. This would determine your knowledge related to your subject of specializations.

The entrance examinations for aerospace engineering are:

Exams offering admission to courses of Aerospace Engineering in India or abroad
  • All India Engineering/ Architecture Entrance Examination (AIEEE)
  • Delhi University Combined Entrance Examination (CEE)
  • Hindustan University Entrance Test (HITSEE)
  • IISAT Admission Test (IIST, Thiruvananthapuram)
  • JEE (Joint Entrance Exam) conducted by the IITs
  • SLIET Entrance Test (SET)
  • SRM Engineering Entrance Examination (SRM EEE) Admissions
  • The Indian Institute of Aeronautics (IIA) Entrance Exam
Postgraduate level (ME/M.Tech)
  • Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE)
  • Punjab Engineering college PhD Entrance exams
  • Sathyabama University ME Entrance Exam
Online courses

You can also get to learn concepts of aerospace engineering through portals online. These would include coursera, EdX, Udemy et etcetera. MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) has its open courseware that you can access through their website and learn about different facets of aerospace engineering.

However, since both the parts of this branch of engineering is more practical and based on hands-on experience, you mustn’t rely completely on the online courses. This should be looked upon as courses for Continuous Professional Development.

The world is moving to cost-effective yet qualitative resources and it is highly likely that this trend would go up in the subsequent decades. That being said, companies apart from Government Organizations have stepped into the domain, opening doors for multiple opportunities for Aerospace Engineers.

Decisively, Aerospace engineering is one of a fascinating job taking a flight high in the career demand graph. It is also a career with a lot of responsibilities in its nature. But once you’re there, you know you belong in the air.

Remember: To most people, the sky is the limit. To those who love aviation, the sky is home.