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The differences between aircraft design engineers and flight test 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 aircraft design engineer and a flight test engineer. Additionally, an aircraft design engineer has an average salary of $102,461, which is higher than the $90,538 average annual salary of a flight test engineer.
The top three skills for an aircraft design engineer include CATIA, CAD and GD. The most important skills for a flight test engineer are control room, data analysis, and test procedures.
| Aircraft Design Engineer | Flight Test Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $102,461 | $90,538 |
| Hourly rate | $49.26 | $43.53 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 44,269 | 26,384 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Aircraft design engineers and flight test engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Aircraft Design Engineer | Flight Test Engineer | |
| Average salary | $102,461 | $90,538 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $136,000 | Between $66,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Illinois |
| Best paying company | - | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | - | Transportation |
There are a few differences between an aircraft design engineer and a flight test engineer in terms of educational background:
| Aircraft Design Engineer | Flight Test Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Aerospace Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between aircraft design engineers' and flight test engineers' demographics:
| Aircraft Design Engineer | Flight Test Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% | Male, 89.6% Female, 10.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 11.1% White, 68.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 10.9% White, 68.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |