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Wind tunnel engineer vs flight test engineer

The differences between wind tunnel engineers and flight test 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 a flight test engineer. Additionally, a wind tunnel engineer has an average salary of $92,133, which is higher than the $90,538 average annual salary of a flight test engineer.

The top three skills for a wind tunnel engineer include data analysis, labview and engineering support. The most important skills for a flight test engineer are control room, data analysis, and test procedures.

Wind tunnel engineer vs flight test engineer overview

Wind Tunnel EngineerFlight Test Engineer
Yearly salary$92,133$90,538
Hourly rate$44.29$43.53
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs2,82426,384
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

Wind tunnel engineer vs flight test engineer salary

Wind tunnel engineers and flight test engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Wind Tunnel EngineerFlight Test Engineer
Average salary$92,133$90,538
Salary rangeBetween $67,000 And $126,000Between $66,000 And $123,000
Highest paying CityWalnut Creek, CAPalo Alto, CA
Highest paying stateRhode IslandIllinois
Best paying companyTeslaAmazon
Best paying industry-Transportation

Differences between wind tunnel engineer and flight test engineer education

There are a few differences between a wind tunnel engineer and a flight test engineer in terms of educational background:

Wind Tunnel EngineerFlight Test Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorAerospace EngineeringAerospace Engineering
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyGeorgia Institute of Technology

Wind tunnel engineer vs flight test engineer demographics

Here are the differences between wind tunnel engineers' and flight test engineers' demographics:

Wind Tunnel EngineerFlight Test Engineer
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 95.2% Female, 4.8%Male, 89.6% Female, 10.4%
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, 4.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 10.9% White, 68.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between wind tunnel engineer and flight test 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.

Flight test engineer example responsibilities.

  • Track and manage team budget, schedule, risks, change information, BOMs, labor and materials costs.
  • Manage Terraform and refactore from monolithic to application specific components.
  • Create complex flight test plans to meet DoD and FAA requirements.
  • Test facility engineer (TFE) responsible for design and development of test rigs, test stands, and fixtures.
  • Maintain a DOD secret security clearance.
  • Support both STC approval and design qualification.
  • Show more

Wind tunnel engineer vs flight test engineer skills

Common wind tunnel engineer skills
  • Data Analysis, 42%
  • LabVIEW, 29%
  • Engineering Support, 9%
  • Acquisition Systems, 8%
  • CFD, 6%
  • Tunnel Design, 5%
Common flight test engineer skills
  • Control Room, 7%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • Test Procedures, 6%
  • Avionics, 6%
  • DOD, 5%
  • Test Execution, 4%

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