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The differences between flight engineers and aircraft engineers 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 engineer and an aircraft engineer. Additionally, a flight engineer has an average salary of $85,035, which is higher than the $72,867 average annual salary of an aircraft engineer.
The top three skills for a flight engineer include FAA, flight operations and simulator. The most important skills for an aircraft engineer are DOD, aircraft systems, and CAD.
| Flight Engineer | Aircraft Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,035 | $72,867 |
| Hourly rate | $40.88 | $35.03 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 2,042 | 5,718 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Flight Engineer monitors and controls various aircraft systems, such as airplanes and helicopters. They ensure that all components of the plane are in proper working order, as well as diagnose and rectify problems that may arise.
An aircraft engineer oversees the design and assembly of an aircraft. Broadly, they are responsible for developing aircraft designs, testing and fine-tuning them, and ensuring safe practices during the assembly process. Specifically, this involves providing design drafts, meeting with executives to get feedback, and working in an engineering team to improve designs. They must consider aerodynamic principles, air safety, passenger comfort, and customer. This position requires an advanced degree and strong experience in the aviation field.
Flight engineers and aircraft engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Flight Engineer | Aircraft Engineer | |
| Average salary | $85,035 | $72,867 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $129,000 | Between $53,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | Gilbert, AZ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Arizona | California |
| Best paying company | Learjet | Joby Aviation |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a flight engineer and an aircraft engineer in terms of educational background:
| Flight Engineer | Aircraft Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Aviation | Aerospace Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between flight engineers' and aircraft engineers' demographics:
| Flight Engineer | Aircraft Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3% | Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 2.7% White, 81.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 10.8% White, 68.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |