Cubdriver

This is actually true, and it points to the fact that most of these engineers are not aviation lovers in the slightest. One observation would be how few engineers at major aerospace firms are in it for the love of flying. Grabbing numbers off the top I would say 80% or more of the engineering staff has no flight training at all, not even on radio-controlled toys or MS FlightSim. Perhaps 10% has a PPL or higher ratings with 2% tops with actual professional flying experience. Generally the latter work in Flight Test and use the experience in their job. If you like the "pilot culture" as an engineer working in aerospace, you need to shop around. Some companies are better than others.

rotorhead1026

Joe (my aforementioned son) works at an aerospace company. He was hired there after being furloughed by another aerospace company He's not a pilot, but he might as well be ...

No matter ... if you want to be an engineer, be an engineer. Be a damned good one. You'll have no problem rolling with the punches life throws at you.

AAL763

What kind of engineering would you guys recommend I take to be involved in the design and layout of the cockpit? My second choice would be designing the systems such as the fuel system, hydraulic, electrical, etc. However, being that I want to eventually become a test pilot, I would choose the degree that would be of most use for that, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it would be Aeronautical Engineering. If I go to UW Marshfield for two years and maintain a 3.0, I would be guaranteed acceptance into UW Madison for the remaining two years. With this route, I would have to get my degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Regardless of where I work, I want to be an engineer/pilot for the love of aircraft and flying.

Best Regards,
Robert

Cubdriver

That's what I am doing, although having started so late I can't really hold a test pilot seat without more flight experience than I have. You would get an AE or ME degree, all your flight ratings except maybe ATP for a while, possibly some graduate work would help, and most definitely either some commercial or military flying or both, Air Force being the best. Airlines or Part 91/135 will drum up the turbine multi PIC you need. It's very competitive for sure, everyone and his cousin puts in for a test pilot job. But you don't have to be a rock star to do the work and quite a few pilots make it in without any real test pilot training at all. Eventually you will need some formal training and a bunch of type ratings to ever become a senior T-P. You can also ride right seat as an engineer-copilot, which means you can fly the plane but are not the one flying the test card most of the time. Those jobs are much easier to get. We had a thread on this a year or two ago.

Civilian Test Pilot Thread

rotorhead1026

Mechanical and Aerospace are usually quite similar in degree requirements - you can start in one and switch relatively late with little penalty in additional coursework.

You'll find stuff you like, and stuff you dislike. Pick a degree that maximizes the former, based on the courses you've completed. This should lead you to where you want to go. Don't be surprised if this isn't Boeing, or even aviation.

Yeah, I looked at UW and noted they have no Aero program listed. Kinda limits your choices.

AAL763

Actually, I was just looking on the UW's website and it says that they offer a degree in Engineering Mechanics & Astronautics. Could you get an engineering job with this degree designing aircraft at a company like boeing, or would you be limited to designing spacecraft for NASA?

Cubdriver

Without looking at the curriculum it would be hard to say. I would look at the job descriptions and requirements for any job you want to apply for and see what it specifies for education. Even better is to ask someone doing the job you are interested in doing. Ask her what she thinks the best qualification are her job is. This is hard to do if you do not know someone working at a company you want to apply to, but you can also talk to the company recruiters and they will know.

As mentioned above, pairing a college degree with an individual job description is far more significant in engineering than it is in most other fields. There are many colors and stripes of engineering, and you need to have the right background to get the job you want.

Part of choosing a major in college is your innate preference for a subject matter. Choose your major based on what you would like to do and it must be something you tend to do well in. In my case, I tried chemistry and found that I was neither very good at it nor interested after a few years. I switched to aerospace. The latter was exciting at every turn, so it was a natural decision. On the other hand, while I love aerospace my choice limited my options in some ways.

It shouldn't really matter if you zero in on a subject because in the long run you want to be doing something you enjoy doing. Make your best guess in the beginning and be flexible when you find out you dislike a subject or can't make very good grades. College is a growth experience and a big part of it is finding yourself in terms of interests. You are going to have along time to live with what you decide, so be thoughtful about it and make sure you feel good about the degree you choose. Your choice may change even during your college career and college advisors are always willing to work with you to help you find what you are best at.

AeroTS

I'd say you've got the right idea. At the BS level, probably any mechanical/aero/astro degree is going to be closely related and acceptable to any aviation related job you may want. I graduated this May with a BS in aero, and without exception EVERY aviation related job I applied to had an aero/mechanical prereq, they're nearly identical.

As others have said, the degree is what you make of it. Sadly I'm in a similar position as you. I wanted to go military really badly but because I had $&%*&#^ seasonal allergies after age 12 I'm indefinitely disqualified, even though they haven't been an issue since I was 16.

I went to a lesser known school for engineering (ok, to be honest I went to the one with the highest girl/guy ratio I could find), and still had a plethora of opportunities when I graduated. But I busted ass in college, started a professional engineering organization, lead aviation related engineering design competitions, earned ratings, and worked an aero related internship while studying full time. It paid off though, I had job offers from more than one aviation manufacturer (including Boeing), a full ride for my MS to a major engineering school, and job offer that would pay for my MS while I worked for them full time.

The pay also beats the hell out of anything else you can do as a fresh college grad. My plan is to buy a plane straight out by the end of next summer. Then it's build the rest of my ratings, and hone in on the company/job that I can see myself staying with for a while.