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The differences between aeronautical engineers and aerodynamics engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an aeronautical engineer and an aerodynamics engineer. Additionally, an aerodynamics engineer has an average salary of $99,629, which is higher than the $80,442 average annual salary of an aeronautical engineer.
The top three skills for an aeronautical engineer include MATLAB, airframe and CAD. The most important skills for an aerodynamics engineer are aerospace, MATLAB, and computational fluid dynamics.
| Aeronautical Engineer | Aerodynamics Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $80,442 | $99,629 |
| Hourly rate | $38.67 | $47.90 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 28,911 | 20,152 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Aeronautical engineers are responsible for designing and testing products for aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, and satellites. Their tasks involve creating and examining blueprints, starting the criteria for a design system, scanning proposals, and correlating teams from design to manufacturing. They work full-time and often require extra hours to work on larger projects, keep track of progress, and make sure that the designs match the mandatory requirements. Individuals who preferred for the job are those who can communicate well, can control their time effectively and perform on diverse projects at once, and who love working as a part of a team towards common goals.
An aerodynamics engineer is an aerodynamics expert who specializes in designing and developing aircraft components and systems, ensuring quality and efficiency. Among their responsibilities include conducting extensive research and analysis, developing prototypes and test structures, coordinating with experts, obtaining certifications, and complying with all the aviation laws and regulations. They may also gather and analyze data of existing systems and equipment to identify its strengths and weaknesses, implementing solutions against problem areas. Moreover, an aerodynamics engineer must perform regular maintenance checks and assessments while maintaining an active communication line with staff.
Aeronautical engineers and aerodynamics engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Aeronautical Engineer | Aerodynamics Engineer | |
| Average salary | $80,442 | $99,629 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $109,000 | Between $69,000 And $142,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Mountain View, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Terrafugia | Gulfstream Aerospace |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an aeronautical engineer and an aerodynamics engineer in terms of educational background:
| Aeronautical Engineer | Aerodynamics Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Aerospace Engineering | Aerospace Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Johns Hopkins University |
Here are the differences between aeronautical engineers' and aerodynamics engineers' demographics:
| Aeronautical Engineer | Aerodynamics Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% | Male, 86.2% Female, 13.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.1% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.7% Asian, 13.5% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |