What does a wind tunnel engineer do?
Wind tunnel engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real wind tunnel engineer resumes:
- Manage the fuel supply and aircraft electrical distribution system on board ship, including radar tank gauging and filtration systems.
- Investigate ICD requirement on payload fairing venting to ensure the structure integrity of the spacecraft and payload fairing.
- Position also include engineering liaison to resolve technical and mechanical installation issues and vendor and FAA DER coordination for documentation issues.
- Remove insulation, fiberglass, calcium and asbestos.
- Apply Insulation/metal to hot/cold pipes on the ground or midair.
Wind tunnel engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 42% of Wind Tunnel Engineers are proficient in Data Analysis, LabVIEW, and Engineering Support. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Business skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Wind Tunnel Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Data Analysis, 42%
Worked with medical professionals to construct and validate data analysis for CT scanners utilization in the emergency department.
- LabVIEW, 29%
Programmed wind tunnel control software using LABVIEW
- Engineering Support, 9%
Provided engineering support to enhance the maintainability, reliability and airworthiness of commercial jet aircraft and avionics components.
- Acquisition Systems, 8%
Helped integrate and trouble shoot the company's first portable Data Acquisition system used on outside tests.
- CFD, 6%
Developed time efficient algorithms of phase equilibrium computations for CFD simulations.
- Tunnel Design, 5%
Developed VBA Program for design of axially loaded members with large moment (as commonly seen in tunnel design).
Most wind tunnel engineers use their skills in "data analysis," "labview," and "engineering support" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential wind tunnel engineer responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a wind tunnel engineer to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "aerospace engineers must be able to evaluate project design elements and propose improvements, if necessary." Wind tunnel engineers often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "helped integrate and trouble shoot the company's first portable data acquisition system used on outside tests. "
Business skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling wind tunnel engineer duties is business skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "meeting federal standards in aerospace engineering requires business knowledge, including commercial law." According to a wind tunnel engineer resume, here's how wind tunnel engineers can utilize business skills in their job responsibilities: "established and directed navair research projects and developed business case analyses/trade studies to support technology transition. "
Math skills. A big part of what wind tunnel engineers do relies on "math skills." You can see how essential it is to wind tunnel engineer responsibilities because "aerospace engineers use calculus, trigonometry, and other math in their analysis, design, and troubleshooting work." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical wind tunnel engineer tasks: "executed data reduction and detailed quantitative analysis of a water removal system including mapped performance from 1 to 32 units. "
Problem-solving skills. Another crucial skill for a wind tunnel engineer to carry out their responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." A big part of what wind tunnel engineers relies on this skill, since "aerospace engineers upgrade designs and troubleshoot problems to improve aircraft, such as for increased fuel efficiency or safety." How this skill relates to wind tunnel engineer duties can be seen in an example from a wind tunnel engineer resume snippet: "authored technical problem solutions of such quality as to be used by faa as standard solution for federal airworthiness regulations. "
The three companies that hire the most wind tunnel engineers are:
- Jacobs Engineering Group
2 wind tunnel engineers jobs
- Tesla2 wind tunnel engineers jobs
- Stantec2 wind tunnel engineers jobs
Compare different wind tunnel engineers
Wind tunnel engineer vs. Master lay out specialist
A stress analyst is a type of aerospace engineer; they design, construct, and test aircraft. They may also work on missiles or spacecraft. They primarily study design requirements for the overall strength of a craft. They analyze the stress data of structural components and prepare mathematical models of issues.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a wind tunnel engineer are more likely to require skills like "data analysis," "labview," "construction management," and "shop drawings." On the other hand, a job as a master lay out specialist requires skills like "customer service," "cloud," "crm," and "business development." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
The education levels that master lay out specialists earn slightly differ from wind tunnel engineers. In particular, master lay out specialists are 5.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a wind tunnel engineer. Additionally, they're 2.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Wind tunnel engineer vs. Stress analyst
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.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real wind tunnel engineer resumes. While wind tunnel engineer responsibilities can utilize skills like "data analysis," "labview," "construction management," and "shop drawings," stress analysts use skills like "abaqus," "airframe," "structural integrity," and "ansys."
In general, stress analysts achieve higher levels of education than wind tunnel engineers. They're 5.2% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 2.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Wind tunnel engineer vs. Aviation consultant
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a wind tunnel engineer is likely to be skilled in "data analysis," "labview," "construction management," and "shop drawings," while a typical aviation consultant is skilled in "client relationships," "federal aviation administration," "icao," and "airspace."
Most aviation consultants achieve a lower degree level compared to wind tunnel engineers. For example, they're 6.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Wind tunnel engineer vs. Senior structural designer
Even though a few skill sets overlap between wind tunnel engineers and senior structural designers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a wind tunnel engineer might have more use for skills like "data analysis," "labview," "construction management," and "engineering support." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of senior structural designers require skills like "autocad," "revit," "structural design," and "navisworks. "
The average resume of senior structural designers showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to wind tunnel engineers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 14.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.7%.Types of wind tunnel engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
