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Wind tunnel engineer vs airframe design engineer

The differences between wind tunnel engineers and airframe design 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 wind tunnel engineer and an airframe design engineer. Additionally, a wind tunnel engineer has an average salary of $92,133, which is higher than the $77,583 average annual salary of an airframe design engineer.

The top three skills for a wind tunnel engineer include data analysis, labview and engineering support. The most important skills for an airframe design engineer are CAD, GD, and structural design.

Wind tunnel engineer vs airframe design engineer overview

Wind Tunnel EngineerAirframe Design Engineer
Yearly salary$92,133$77,583
Hourly rate$44.29$37.30
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs2,82440,330
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

Wind tunnel engineer vs airframe design engineer salary

Wind tunnel engineers and airframe design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Wind Tunnel EngineerAirframe Design Engineer
Average salary$92,133$77,583
Salary rangeBetween $67,000 And $126,000Between $55,000 And $108,000
Highest paying CityWalnut Creek, CA-
Highest paying stateRhode Island-
Best paying companyTesla-
Best paying industry--

Differences between wind tunnel engineer and airframe design engineer education

There are a few differences between a wind tunnel engineer and an airframe design engineer in terms of educational background:

Wind Tunnel EngineerAirframe Design Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common majorAerospace EngineeringAerospace Engineering
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyGeorgia Institute of Technology

Wind tunnel engineer vs airframe design engineer demographics

Here are the differences between wind tunnel engineers' and airframe design engineers' demographics:

Wind Tunnel EngineerAirframe Design Engineer
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 95.2% Female, 4.8%Male, 94.8% Female, 5.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 12.1% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 12.1% White, 68.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between wind tunnel engineer and airframe design engineer duties and responsibilities

Wind tunnel engineer example responsibilities.

  • 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.

Airframe design engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage automation projects including purchasing, scheduling fabrication and assembly, debugging, and delivery to customer.
  • Design new S76D lightning strike protection to meet FAA certification requirements.
  • Develop layouts for fuselage doors and skin reinforcements around the doors, door seals, and door mechanism structures using CATIA.
  • Design fuselage composite core details utilizing FIBERSIM.
  • Evaluate existing documents and execute engineering computations for rehabilitation projects.
  • Perform structural calculations, evaluations and retrofit alternatives for assign projects.
  • Show more

Wind tunnel engineer vs airframe design engineer skills

Common wind tunnel engineer skills
  • Data Analysis, 42%
  • LabVIEW, 29%
  • Engineering Support, 9%
  • Acquisition Systems, 8%
  • CFD, 6%
  • Tunnel Design, 5%
Common airframe design engineer skills
  • CAD, 16%
  • GD, 14%
  • Structural Design, 12%
  • Enovia, 10%
  • Catia V5, 9%
  • New Design, 8%

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