How to hire a flight engineer

Flight engineer hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring flight engineers in the United States:

HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
The median cost to hire a flight engineer is $1,633.
Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per flight engineer on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
There are currently 17,888 flight engineers in the US and 2,042 job openings.
Los Angeles, CA, has the highest demand for flight engineers, with 8 job openings.
Dover, DE has the highest concentration of flight engineers.

How to hire a flight engineer, step by step

To hire a flight engineer, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a flight engineer:

Here's a step-by-step flight engineer hiring guide:

Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
Step 3: Make a budget
Step 4: Write a flight engineer job description
Step 5: Post your job
Step 6: Interview candidates
Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new flight engineer
Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a flight engineer do?

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.

Learn more about the specifics of what a flight engineer does

Post a flight engineer job for free, promote it for a fee

Identify your hiring needs

Before you start hiring a flight engineer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

Determine employee vs contractor status

Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

A flight engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, flight engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

This list presents flight engineer salaries for various positions.

Type of Flight Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
Flight Engineer	Airline and commercial pilots fly and navigate airplanes, helicopters, and other aircraft. Airline pilots fly for airlines that transport people and cargo on a fixed schedule... Show more	$26-62
Air Force Pilot	Primarily, an Air Force pilot flies aircraft such as bombers, transport planes, unmanned aerial vehicles, and tankers in the U.S. The pilots command their crews to complete training, combat, and other missions... Show more	$35-62
Airline Pilot/First Officer	Airline pilot first officers are professional pilots who are responsible for assisting the captain in flight preparation and operation of an aircraft. These pilots are required to conduct a pre-flight inspection of the aircraft to ensure that all navigation, safety, and operating systems are properly working... Show more	$35-57

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- FAA
- Flight Operations
- Simulator
- DOD
- Combat
- Technical Problems
- Helicopter
- Syllabus
- Aircraft Maintenance
- Corrective Action
- Emergency Procedures
- Mission Planning
- Aircraft Performance Data
- Training Programs
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Manage and execute all aircraft grind servicing as well as security for USAF assets abroad.
- Lead several Russian inspectors during a highly-visible reentry vehicle inspection on-site inspection - commend for superb leadership
- Perform operational checks on helicopter systems and subsystems to isolate and facilitate troubleshooting of malfunctions.
- Modify airframe for customer options.
- Work are performed in compliance with applicable U.S. Government and DoD regulations, guidance, policies and procedures.
- Develop flight dynamics math models in FORTRAN for the simulators of FAA approve business class aircraft using flight test data.
More flight engineer duties

Make a budget

Including a salary range in your flight engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A flight engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

For example, the average salary for a flight engineer in Illinois may be lower than in Arizona, and an entry-level flight engineer usually earns less than a senior-level flight engineer. Additionally, a flight engineer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

Average flight engineer salary

$85,035yearly

$40.88 hourly rate

Entry-level flight engineer salary

$55,000 yearly salary

Updated December 14, 2025

Average flight engineer salary by state

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Arizona	$111,145	$53
2	Virginia	$106,093	$51
3	New Mexico	$102,362	$49
4	New York	$99,840	$48
5	Texas	$98,241	$47
6	Wyoming	$97,601	$47
7	Maryland	$96,808	$47
8	Kansas	$91,689	$44
9	California	$87,021	$42
10	Colorado	$86,890	$42
11	Florida	$86,227	$41
12	Washington	$80,197	$39
13	Georgia	$78,501	$38
14	Hawaii	$74,611	$36

Average flight engineer salary by company

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
1	Learjet	$115,246	$55.41
2	Tripadvisor	$102,000	$49.04
3	Ncar - The National Center For Atmospheric Research	$98,699	$47.45
4	Boeing	$95,266	$45.80	22
5	FlightSafety International	$91,098	$43.80	23
6	Northrop Grumman	$90,513	$43.52	17
7	The Aerospace Corporation	$88,830	$42.71	3
8	CAE	$88,590	$42.59	3
9	Gulfstream Aerospace	$87,882	$42.25
10	Anduril	$87,105	$41.88	6
11	Stratos International	$86,544	$41.61
12	Omitron	$86,169	$41.43
13	SAIC	$86,009	$41.35	2
14	Noblis	$85,669	$41.19
15	KBR	$85,372	$41.04	2
16	Science	$85,043	$40.89
17	Air National Guard	$84,981	$40.86
18	Southern Air	$84,836	$40.79
19	Army National Guard	$84,353	$40.55
20	DISH Network	$83,623	$40.20

Writing a flight engineer job description
A good flight engineer job description should include a few things:
- Summary of the role
- List of responsibilities
- Required skills and experience
Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a flight engineer job description:
Flight engineer job description example
Leidos is looking for a mid-career level engineer with missile flight analysis background to support our growing work with the Air Force in either the King of Prussia, PA or Eglin AFB, FL locations. This is a technical engineering position to simulate the flight of hypersonic weapons and advanced missiles. This engineer will be expected to develop autopilots for advanced missiles and to perform trajectory analysis using 6-DOF simulations to include the prosecution of targets. Analysis of weapon performance relative to existing strike and air-to-air missiles will be conducted, and the development of flight control software may be supported.

Be part of a close knit team and be mentored by world class experts. The Leidos Aerophysics group operates in a team environment where individual creativity is rewarded, and continuous learning is the norm. You will have the opportunity to work directly with the DOD on the development of cutting edge high speed weapon systems in the fast growing field of hypersonics.

Apply your prior experience in developing control systems and autopilots to create an autopilot to enable a next generation high speed weapon. Use your ability to perform 6-DOF simulations to compare the performance of this weapon to that of missiles already in inventory. Perform fly out simulations to determine whether desired mission objectives can be met. Interact with other members of the team and leverage your knowledge of flight controls to refine designs in order to meet mission objectives.

Required

Experience Level: Candidates should have 4+ years' experience in industry or lab environment and would be expected to develop autopilots independently. Candidates should also be able to independently model the flight of missiles using 6-DOF tools. Candidates should also be able to grasp the big picture and make decisions about how to proceed with development and testing with minimal oversight. Successful candidates are expected to have experience working in a research environment and with significant MATLAB experience. Candidates with missile or aircraft GNC and 6-DOF experience will be given preference.

Communication Skills: Successful candidates should be able to effectively communicate with Leidos aerodynamics, airframe, and guidance and control personnel, and interact daily with customers, team members and end users. Must develop a clear understanding of customer goals and objectives and shape work activities to satisfy them. Must present both verbal and written status on a regular basis..

Engineering Skills: Recent and relevant experience with the following disciplines is required:
- Autopilots/Control Systems - the design and development of autopilots for missiles or aircraft, prior experience in tuning (finding optimal gains) for autopilots
- GNC Algorithms - thorough understanding of Proportional Navigation, experience with other guidance schemes
- 6-DOF Simulation - experience in performing trajectory simulation using 6-DOF environments and the evaluation of missiles and/or aircraft
- Scripting - the use of Python or other scripting languages to perform large numbers of simulations for Monte Carlo type analysis
- MATLAB - demonstrated experience in developing MATLAB based control architectures
Education: Mid-career level requires an Engineering Degree plus 4+ years' experience.

Clearance: Must be a U.S. Citizen with active Secret clearance.

Desired Skills: Preferred candidates will have recent and relevant skills with the following:
- Development of or modification of 6-DOF simulation environments
- Ability to create a model of a missile in a 6-DOF environment (aerodynamic tables, time dependent moments of inertia, control actuators)
- Scripting - the use of Python or other scripting languages to perform large numbers of simulations
- Modification of or development of novel guidance schemes
- SWIL/HWIL testing - prior experience in proving out control software using SWIL or HWIL testing
TRAVEL: Limited travel of less than 5% expected.

LInC

Electronic Warfare
Pay Range: Pay Range $74,750.00 - $115,000.00 - $155,250.00
The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.
Post your job
To find the right flight engineer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:
- Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
- Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with flight engineers they would recommend.
- Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit flight engineers who meet your education requirements.
- Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.
Post your job online:
- Post your flight engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit flight engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
Recruiting flight engineers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.
It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Send a job offer and onboard your new flight engineer
Once you've selected the best flight engineer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.
You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.
Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new flight engineer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.
Go through the hiring process checklist
- Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
- Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
- Define job responsibilities and requirements
- Establish budget and timeline
- Determine hiring decision makers for the role
- Write job description
- Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
- Promote the job internally
- Process applications through applicant tracking system
- Review resumes and cover letters
- Shortlist candidates for screening
- Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
- Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
- Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
- Conduct background checks on top candidates
- Check references of top candidates
- Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
- Extend offer to top candidate(s)
- Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
- Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
- Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
- Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a flight engineer?

Hiring a flight engineer comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting flight engineers involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of flight engineer recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

The median annual salary for flight engineers is $85,035 in the US. However, the cost of flight engineer hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a flight engineer for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $26 and $62 an hour.

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Hiring flight engineers FAQs

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Updated December 14, 2025

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How to hire a flight engineer