Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between flight controls engineers and senior structural designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a flight controls engineer and a senior structural designer. Additionally, a flight controls engineer has an average salary of $99,619, which is higher than the $96,422 average annual salary of a senior structural designer.
The top three skills for a flight controls engineer include C++, FAA and flight control systems. The most important skills for a senior structural designer are autocad, revit, and structural design.
| Flight Controls Engineer | Senior Structural Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,619 | $96,422 |
| Hourly rate | $47.89 | $46.36 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 46,807 | 47,653 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The main task of a flight controls engineer is to monitor the instrument systems of an airplane during the flight. Flight controls engineers communicate with dispatchers, assist the pilot, oversee the fuel, and regulate cabin pressure. They work on the design, state flow testing, and module of the flight control system. Their job includes investigating, recommending, and implementing flight control system solutions. They perform data analysis to ensure compliance with FAA. Also, they provide solutions to issues affecting the operations and developments of flights.
A senior structural designer designs structures such as bridges, dams, parks, or telecommunication structures. They create designs, document them, and analyze structural functionality. Frequently, they must attend meetings and seminars to distribute designs to junior structural designers. They also perform peer reviews and write reports.
Flight controls engineers and senior structural designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Flight Controls Engineer | Senior Structural Designer | |
| Average salary | $99,619 | $96,422 |
| Salary range | Between $75,000 And $130,000 | Between $67,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | The Woodlands, TX |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Shell |
| Best paying industry | - | Utilities |
There are a few differences between a flight controls engineer and a senior structural designer in terms of educational background:
| Flight Controls Engineer | Senior Structural Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Aerospace Engineering | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between flight controls engineers' and senior structural designers' demographics:
| Flight Controls Engineer | Senior Structural Designer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3% | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 13.0% White, 67.3% 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% |