Evaluation & Operations

Testing & Evaluation
The engineer working in testing verifies that the final product meets the customer requirements and will perform as advertised. Test engineers can perform testing on individual components or the final product. In the aerospace industry, when dealing with complex and expensive vehicles that sometimes also involve human safety, many critical components are tested and verified before being placed in the aircraft or spacecraft for final assembly.

The ultimate test of any aerospace project is the flight test. Before making the first flight, flight test engineers will have verified that the vehicle’s components have all passed flight worthiness tests (static, dynamic, flight simulation) in the lab. In many cases, the vehicle must also undergo inspection from government agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration.

The flight test engineers will design specific tests for each flight as well as the necessary flight test equipment to monitor the performance of the vehicle from the ground. After the tests are completed, test engineers must be able to interpret the test data that verifies the product’s performance.

Operations
Operations engineers are responsible for operating and maintaining the final product. In most cases, these engineers work for the customer that purchases the product. In the aerospace industry, that might mean an airline, working to support the operations of the jetliner fleet or alternatively, it might mean working for the company consortium that processes and maintains the space shuttles for NASA.

The operations engineer has an important and multi-faceted job. The operations engineer must understand the varied and complex systems that make up today’s aerospace vehicles, be able to work with maintenance personnel to ensure schedules are established and maintained, coordinate with suppliers, and stay connected to the contractor to work out operational problems and to incorporate system upgrades. An aircraft that is sitting on the ground makes no money for an airline and performs no mission for the military.

Operations engineers may need to have multi-disciplinary skills and be familiar with electronics, systems, propulsion and structures. The operations engineer must also understand the processes that support the operational readiness of the product and be able to suggest and develop improvements.