Aircraft designer vs aerospace engineer

The differences between aircraft designers and aerospace 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 designer and an aerospace engineer. Additionally, an aerospace engineer has an average salary of $100,401, which is higher than the $91,919 average annual salary of an aircraft designer.

The top three skills for an aircraft designer include MATLAB, installation drawings and CATIA. The most important skills for an aerospace engineer are C++, DOD, and FAA.

Aircraft designer vs aerospace engineer overview

	Aircraft Designer	Aerospace Engineer
Yearly salary	$91,919	$100,401
Hourly rate	$44.19	$48.27
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	46,747	42,086
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Aircraft designer vs aerospace engineer salary

Aircraft designers and aerospace engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Aircraft Designer	Aerospace Engineer
Average salary	$91,919	$100,401
Salary range	Between $61,000 And $137,000	Between $71,000 And $140,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Arizona
Best paying company	-	Thrush Aircraft
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between aircraft designer and aerospace engineer education

There are a few differences between an aircraft designer and an aerospace engineer in terms of educational background:

	Aircraft Designer	Aerospace Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Aerospace Engineering	Aerospace Engineering
Most common college	Georgia Institute of Technology	Georgia Institute of Technology

Aircraft designer vs aerospace engineer demographics

Here are the differences between aircraft designers' and aerospace engineers' demographics:

	Aircraft Designer	Aerospace Engineer
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3%	Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 19.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 11.0% White, 69.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between aircraft designer and aerospace engineer duties and responsibilities

Aircraft designer example responsibilities.

Manage documentation of existing projects, perform ECN resolutions.
Upgrade models from Catia V4 to Catia V5.
Perform shipchecks including off site and on board sketch work.
Analyze and resolve deficiencies on composite parts and assemblies report from MRB.
Create new composite FOD shield to attach to forward fuselage for composite prop conformity.
Research airframe and engine log books on multiple types of aircraft to verify all necessary maintenance guidelines have been comply with.

Aerospace engineer example responsibilities.

Lead redesign review for cyclic stick, composite to metal, (CATIA).
Schedule HVAC equipment to keep equipment off as much as possible and still achieve a healthy, comfortable setting for academics.
Manage HVAC retro-commissioning program to optimize facility energy use.
Serve as program focal point for integration of radar onto flight test aircraft.
Perform design reviews, operations procedural reviews, and failure mode investigations of concept NASA launch vehicles/propulsion systems.
Debug and run regression tests.

Aircraft designer vs aerospace engineer skills

Common aircraft designer skills

MATLAB, 29%
Installation Drawings, 25%
CATIA, 24%
CAD, 12%
FAA, 10%

Common aerospace engineer skills

C++, 15%
DOD, 5%
FAA, 5%
Systems Engineering, 4%
Solidworks, 4%
NASA, 4%