Also called: FTE
Plans test flights, flies along or monitors from the ground, and analyzes how new aircraft actually perform.
You write the test card for today's flight, sit in a telemetry room watching live data, and say 'knock it off' if something looks dangerous. Some flight test engineers fly in the back seat.
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 engineering; test pilot school for some.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. 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 analyzes flight data in real time; planning risky tests and making calls in the control room stay human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Computer science, Statistics.
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.