AboutPaul Soderman Expertise Aeronautics, Fluid Mechanics, Aeroacoustics, Noise Control, Muffler Design, Wind Tunnel Research.... I know nothing about India - do not ask about schools, jobs, application requirements, career choices, etc. for India. Please, no text message verbiage; I prefer full words in full sentences. Thanks.
Experience 38 years as research engineer at NASA
Publications AIAA, NASA
Education/Credentials B.S. and M.S. Aeronautical Engineering - U. of Washington
Graduate work Standford U.
Awards and Honors AIAA Associate Fellow (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics)
Question Hi Paul,
I am a freshman at Severna Park High School. I was assighned aeronatical engineering for my project and when I went home to find someone to interview I found that I had no one to turn to can you please help me to answer some questions ans please could you send me some information about yourself and a picture.
1. What is the expected salary ranges for an Aeronautical Engineer?
2. What are the duties and responsibilities of an Aeronautical Engineer?
3. What type of places might an Aeronautical Engineer be able to find employment?
4. What kinds of courses would one take in High School to be well on the way to entering this career field?
5. What types of College courses would one take for a degree with Aeronautical Engineering as a Major.
6. What Areas of Specialization are in this career field?
7. Please give a brief description of this career field.
8. Is there a high deman for aerontical engineers now?
9. How long have you been the engineering Field?
10. Was it hrd to find a job out of college?
11.Where have you been employed as an aeronautical engineer?
12. What are the retirment benifits for your job
13. What do you likemost about your job?
14. What do you like least about your job?
15 What is oyur salary as a aeronatical engineer?
16. Do you work on the computer a lot?
17. Can you work at home or in an office?
18. What advice would you give to a student looking to be an aeronatical engineer?
19. What are some projects you have worked on?
20. Do you use any special tools being an aeronatical engineer?
Thank you for helping me!!!
Taylor Anderson
Answer Taylor - I get so many of these type questions that I have a canned response I hope will suffice:
Generally, aeronautical engineers design and develop aerospace devices such as aircraft, missiles, race cars, jet engines, etc. I was in research at NASA Ames Research Center where I was responsible for planning and executing wind tunnel studies aimed at improving our understanding of aeronautics and related technologies.
A normal day involved examination of scientific literature, planning experiments, writing code for data analysis, analyzing experimental results, meeting with my peers, requesting support from management, writing reports, etc. I traveled 4 to 6 times a year to various laboratories or scientific conferences.
The quality of work was high. The pay was good, not exceptional, but government employees have good benefits such as excellent vacation time, sick leave and pensions. Hours were good, we had the option of working 9 nine hour days and getting a three-day weekend every other weekend. Job locations in aerospace are limited by the few number of organizations in the field, but jobs do exist all over the country.
Research is never boring, not counting the occasional meetings on team morale or time efficiency that we had to attend.
I often worked with engineers with different expertise such as electronics engineers, mechanical designers, software programmers, system control engineers, etc.
The projects I worked on can be found in engineering libraries - search on my name. One project I was proud of was the investigation of the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. I did the aero design the gas sample instrument. We found what causes the hole, which led to the worldwide banning of fluro-hydrocarbons.
For this job you must be expert in math and physics as well as computer programming, electronics, and so on.
In high school I was inspired to be an engineer by my physics teacher and decided I wanted to build bridges or aircraft. I chose aircraft and am glad. I studied two years at Oregon State University, three at U. of Washington, and off and on at Stanford U. I have B.S. and M.S. degrees in Aeronautical Engineering. In those days one only had to apply for college, and if your high school grades were adequate you were given a chance. I don't remember any SAT exam. The flunk out rate the first year of engineering was high. Courses studied include calculus, trig, geometry, algebra, complex variables, differential equations, physics, chemistry, electricity, stress and strain, dynamics, fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, gas dynamics, thermodynamics, propulsion, stability and control, aircraft structures, design, elasticity, liberal arts, business, history, and many more.
After graduate school, I found that aerospace companies were recruiting but I chose to go to NASA Ames. I stayed for almost 38 years.
High school students should take all the math and science they can get, especially physics.
Starting salary depends on many factors such as academic performance, skill set, experience, location, and more. I imagine salaries now start at $60,000 per year more or less, but I haven't checked lately. You can find that information on line.
Paul
