Also called: Aero Test Engineer
Runs experiments in giant wind tunnels, blasting air past scale models to measure lift, drag, and stability.
You bolt a carefully built model onto a sting inside the tunnel, check hundreds of sensors, and then the fans roar to life. You watch live data on screens, adjust the model's angle, and run again late into the night when the tunnel time is booked.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in aerospace or mechanical engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.
Growing faster than average (about 6% over 10 years). Part of BLS aerospace engineers category.
Low risk for 10 years. AI simulation cuts some tunnel time; running real tests, instruments and models stays hands-on.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Shop class, Electronics class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.