Expert: David A. NewMyer - 1/21/2011

Question
Sir..is still flight engineer carrier are valuable today based on our world now with full of great technology in airline industries??it is totally to make me think twice in what i decide for my future..Please sir to answer my question..

Answer
Hi, Rafie;

Thank you for your question, I will try to assist!

First of all, I must make sure what you mean by the term "flight engineer."  Here in the USA, the term flight engineer refers to the third person in a three person cockpit (that is, in an aircraft that required three pilots:  The Captain, the First Officer (or co-pilot) and the Flight Engineer (or Second Officer).  Since there are relatively few aircraft left in modern world airline fleets that require a Flight Engineer, this position is being phased out in most airlines in the world.  

However, if you are refering to "flight engineer" as a qualified engineer who works in the field of aviation (more generally called an "aerospace engineer"), then, that is something entirely different.  Aerospace engineers are still needed, particularly from the perspective of designing the future aviation, defense, and space aviation platforms that will be used in commercial, military and space applications.

So, in answer to your question, if you mean flight engineer to apply to the piloting profession, then, yes, that career field is narrow and is declining.  If you mean it to be the more broad application, as in aerospace engineer, then, that field is doing well and will require placements in future years.

If you have any other questions, please ask me another question via AllExperts.com

Sincerely,

David A. NewMyer