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Aerospace Engineering

Nature of the Industry  |  Working Conditions  |  Employment  |  Occupations in the Industry
Training and Advancement  |  Job Outlook  |  Earnings

Significant Points

• Skilled production, professional specialty, and technician jobs comprise the bulk of employment.
• Earnings are substantially higher, on average, than in most other manufacturing industries.

Nature of the Industry

The aerospace industry can be divided into two large segments: firms producing aircraft, engines, and parts; and firms producing guided missiles and space vehicles, propulsion units, and parts. The larger employer of the two segments—firms producing aircraft, engines, and parts—can be further divided according to what they produce: civil aircraft or military aircraft.

Firms producing civil transport aircraft make up the largest segment of civil aircraft. Civil transport aircraft are produced for air transportation businesses such as airlines and cargo transportation companies. These craft range from small turboprops to jumbo jets and are used to move people and goods all over the world. Another segment of civil aircraft is general aviation aircraft. These aircraft are produced for private individuals and corporations. General aviation aircraft range from the small two-seaters designed for leisure use to corporate jets designed for business transport. Civil helicopters, the smallest segment of civil aircraft, are commonly used by police departments, emergency medical services, and businesses such as oil and mining companies that need to transport people to remote worksites.

Military aircraft and helicopters are purchased by governments to meet national defense needs, such as delivering weapons to military targets and transporting troops and equipment around the globe. Some of these aircraft are specifically designed to deliver a powerful array of ordinance to military targets with tremendous maneuverability and low detectability. Research into the materials, electronics, and manufacturing methods used to produce military aircraft has resulted in a vast number of commercial applications. For example, technological innovations discovered in current research can be used to improve or modify an existing design. Aircraft engines used in civil and military aircraft are not produced by the aircraft manufacturers but by aircraft engine manufacturers. These manufacturers design and build engines that match the thrust of the engine to the size and flight characteristics of the aircraft. The type of engine used depends on the initial design of the aircraft or the specifications provided by the buyer. Aircraft manufacturers may use engines designed by different companies on the same type of aircraft.

The smallest segment of the aerospace industry includes firms producing guided missiles and spacecraft. Firms producing guided missiles and missile propulsion units are supported primarily by military and government demand. Although missiles are predominantly viewed as offensive weapons, improved guidance systems have led to their increased use as defensive systems. Applications of missile propulsion units also include their use in launching satellites into orbit.

Space vehicles are predominantly satellites. Firms producing space vehicles also produce craft for space flight and interplanetary scientific exploration. Consumers of spacecraft include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense (DOD), telecommunications companies, television networks, and news organizations. In addition to their military uses, satellites observe weather and the Earth in general, monitor and explore the cosmos, aid in search and navigation, and enable many communications services. Most companies manufacturing satellites also engage in the production of missiles. The businesses that build satellites are usually separate from the businesses that operate them once they are in orbit.

In 1997, about 1,828 establishments made up the aerospace industry. Most were concentrated in the aircraft and parts sector, with about 1,726 establishments, compared with 102 in the guided missiles and space vehicles sector. In the aircraft and parts industry, most establishments were subcontractors that manufacture parts and employ fewer than 50 workers (table 1). In contrast, almost 16 percent of the guided missile and spacecraft establishments employed more than 1,000 workers each, compared with 3 percent of the aircraft and parts firms. Nevertheless, 70 percent of the jobs in both aircraft and parts and guided missiles and spacecraft were in large establishments that employed 1,000 or more workers (chart).
 

Table 1. Percent distribution of establishments in aerospace manufacturing by establishment size, 1997
Establishment size(number of workers)	Aerospace manufacturing	Aircraft and parts	Guided missles and space vehicles
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0
1-9	39.8	41.0	19.6
10-49	29.7	29.8	28.4
50-249	18.9	18.7	21.6
250-999	8.0	7.6	14.7
1,000 or more	3.6	2.9	15.7
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, County Business Patterns

The Federal Government traditionally has been the biggest customer of the aerospace industry, accounting for more than half of industry sales for many years. Because defense purchases have declined substantially in recent years, the value of sales to the Government now accounts for a little over one-third of total industry sales. The vast majority of Government contracts to purchase aerospace equipment are awarded by DOD. NASA also is a major purchaser of the industry’s products and services, mainly for space vehicles and launch services.

The aerospace industry is dominated by a few large firms that contract to produce aircraft with Government and private businesses, usually airline and cargo transportation companies. These large firms, in turn, subcontract with smaller firms to produce specific systems and parts for their vehicles. Government purchases are largely related to defense. Typically, DOD announces its need for military aircraft, satellites, or missile systems, specifying a multitude of requirements. Large firms specializing in defense products subsequently submit bids, detailing proposed technical solutions and designs, along with cost estimates, hoping to win the contract. Firms may also research and develop materials, electronics, and components relating to their bid, often at their own expense, in order to enhance their chance of winning the contract. Following a negotiation phase, a manufacturer is selected and a prototype vehicle is developed and built, and then tested and evaluated. If approved by DOD, the program enters production.

Commercial airlines and private businesses typically identify their needs for a particular model of new aircraft based on a number of factors, including the routes they fly. After specifying requirements such as range, size, cargo capacity, and seating arrangements, the airlines invite manufacturers of civil aircraft to submit bids. Selection ultimately is based on a manufacturer’s ability to deliver reliable aircraft that best fit the purchaser’s stated market needs at the lowest cost and at favorable financing terms.

The way in which commercial and military aircraft are designed, developed, and produced is undergoing significant change in response to the need to cut costs and product development and manufacturing time. Firms producing commercial aircraft have reduced development time drastically through computer-aided design (CAD), which allows firms to design an entire aircraft, including the individual parts, solely by computer. The electronic drawings of these parts are sent to subcontractors who use them to program their machinery. Product development teams are increasingly being used through every phase of development, teaming customers, engineers, and production workers together to make decisions concerning the aircraft. Additionally, the military has changed its design philosophy, using available commercial off-the-shelf technology when appropriate, rather than developing new customized components.

Working Conditions

The average aerospace production employee worked over 43 hours a week in 2000, compared to less than 42 hours a week throughout manufacturing and less than 35 hours a week across all industries. 
Working conditions in aerospace manufacturing facilities vary. Many new factories, in contrast to older facilities, are spacious, well lit, and modern. Specific work environments usually depend on the occupation. Engineers, scientists, and technicians frequently work in office settings or laboratories, although production engineers may spend much of their time with production workers on the factory floor. Production workers, such as welders and other assemblers, may have to cope with high noise levels. Oil, grease, and grime often are present, and some workers may face exposure to volatile organic compounds found in solvents, paints, and coatings. Heavy lifting is required for many production jobs. 

Cases of work-related injury and illness in the aircraft and parts sector were 8.2 per 100 full-time workers in 1999, higher than the 2.8 cases per 100 workers in the guided missiles sector. In comparison, cases of work-related injury and illness throughout the private sector averaged 6.3 per 100 workers.

Employment

Aerospace manufacturing provided more than 551,000 wage and salary jobs in 2000—over 465,000 of them in the aircraft and parts sector and nearly 86,000 in the guided missiles, space vehicles, and parts sector. The largest numbers of aerospace jobs were in Washington and California, although many also were located in Kansas, Texas, Missouri, and Florida.

Occupations in the Industry

The design and manufacture of the technologically sophisticated products of the aerospace industry require the input and skills of various workers. Skilled production, professional specialty, and technician jobs make up the bulk of employment. A significant number of managerial and administrative support occupations also are employed, stemming from the need to manage the design process and factory operations, coordinate the hundreds of thousands of parts that are assembled into an aircraft, and ensure compliance with Federal recordkeeping regulations. The aerospace industry has a larger proportion of workers with education beyond high school than the average for all industries. 
The aerospace industry is on the leading edge of technology and constantly is striving to create new products and improve existing ones. The industry invests a great amount of time and money in research and development, and much of the work is performed by professional and related occupations, who made up about 23 percent of the aerospace workforce in 2000 (table 2). A bachelor’s degree in a specialized field, such as engineering, is required for many of these jobs; a master’s or doctoral degree is preferred for a few. Two years of technical training after high school is favored for many technician occupations. 

Professionals and technicians develop new designs and make improvements to existing designs. Some also do basic aeronautical research. Aerospace engineers are integral members of the teams that research, design, test, and produce aerospace vehicles. Some specialize in areas such as structural design, guidance, navigation and control, and instrumentation and communication. Electrical and electronics, industrial, and mechanical engineers also contribute to the research for and development and production of aerospace products. For example, mechanical engineers help design mechanical components and develop the specific tools and machines needed to produce aircraft, missile, and space vehicle parts, or they may design jet and rocket engines. Electrical and electronics engineers specialize in electronic equipment used in aerospace products, such as radar and other transmission and communication equipment. Engineering technicians assist engineers, both in the research and development laboratory, and on the manufacturing floor. They may help build prototype versions of newly designed products, run tests and experiments, and perform a variety of other technical tasks. One of the earliest users of computer-aided design software, the aerospace industry continues to use the latest computer technology. Systems analysts, computer scientists, and database administrators; computer software engineers; computer programmers; and computer support specialists and systems administrators are responsible for the design, testing, evaluation, and set-up of computer systems that are used throughout the industry for design and manufacturing purposes. A multitude of computer and electronic systems are central to the function of aerospace products, and computer professionals work to integrate the vast array of data these systems provide into useful information for pilots. 

Management, business, and financial occupations accounted for 12 percent of industry employment in 2000. Most persons advance to these jobs from professional occupations. Many managers in the aerospace industry have a technical or engineering background, and supervise teams of engineers in activities such as testing and research and development. Industrial production managers oversee all workers and lower-level managers in a factory. They also coordinate all activities that relate to production. In addition to technical and production managers, financial managers; purchasing managers, buyers, and purchasing agents; cost estimators; and accountants and auditors are needed to negotiate with customers and subcontractors and to track costs. 

Of all aerospace workers, more than 50 percent are employed in production and installation, maintenance and repair, and transportation and material moving occupations. Many of these jobs are not specific to aerospace and can be found in other manufacturing industries. Many production jobs are open to persons with only a high school education; however, special vocational training after high school is preferred for some of the more highly skilled jobs. 

Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers usually specialize in one assembly task; hundreds of different assemblers may work at various times on producing a single aircraft. Assemblers may put together parts of airplanes, such as wings or landing gear, or install parts and equipment into the airplane itself. Those involved in assembling aircraft or systems must be skilled in reading and interpreting engineering specifications and instructions. 

Machinists make parts when there are too few needed to be mass-produced. They follow blueprints and specifications and are highly skilled with machine tools and metalworking. Tool and die makers are responsible for constructing precision tools and metal forms, called dies, which are used to shape metal. Increasingly, as individual components are designed electronically, these highly skilled workers must be able to read electronic blueprints and setup and operate computer-controlled machines. 
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers perform numerous quality control and safety checks on aerospace parts throughout the production cycle. Their work is vital to ensure the safety of the aircraft. 

The remaining jobs in the industry are in office and administrative support, service, and sales occupations. Most of these jobs can be entered without education beyond high school. Workers in office and administrative support occupations help coordinate the flow of materials to the worksite, draw up orders for supplies, keep records, and help with all of the other paperwork associated with keeping a business functioning. Those in service occupations are employed mostly as guards and janitors and other cleaning and maintenance workers. Sales workers are mostly wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives and sales workers supervisors. 

Training & Advancement

Because employers need well-informed, knowledgeable employees who possess the skills needed to keep up with the rapid advancements in technology in aerospace manufacturing, the industry provides substantial support for the education and training of its workers. Firms provide on-site, job-related training to upgrade the skills of technicians, production workers, and engineers. Classes teaching computer skills and blueprint reading are common. Some firms reimburse employees for educational expenses at colleges and universities, emphasizing 4-year degrees and postgraduate studies. Professionals, such as engineers and scientists, require a bachelor’s degree in a specialized field. For some jobs, particularly in research and development, a master’s or doctoral degree may be preferred. 

Production workers may enter the aerospace industry with minimal skills. Mechanical aptitude and good hand-eye coordination usually are necessary. A high school diploma is preferred, but not required, and some vocational training in electronics or mechanics also is favored. 

Unskilled production workers typically start by being shown how to perform a simple assembly task. Through experience, on-the-job instruction provided by other workers, and brief, formal training sessions, they expand their skills. Their pay increases as they advance into more highly skilled or responsible jobs. For example, machinists may take additional training to become numerical tool and process control programmers or tool and die makers. Inspectors are usually promoted from assembly, machine operation, and mechanical occupations. 

Due to the reliance on computers and computer-operated equipment, classes in computer skills are common. With training, production workers may be able to advance to supervisory or technician jobs. 

To enter some of the more highly skilled production occupations, workers must go through a formal apprenticeship. Machinists and electricians complete apprenticeships that can last up to 4 years. Apprenticeships usually include classroom instruction and shop training. 

Entry level positions for technicians usually require a degree from a technical school or junior college. Companies sometimes retrain technicians to upgrade their skills or to teach different specialties. They are taught traditional as well as new production technology skills, such as computer-aided design and manufacturing and statistical process control methods. 

Job Outlook

Federal defense expenditures on the products of the aerospace industry have fallen dramatically since the late 1980s. During most of the 1980s, large defense purchases of aircraft and missiles, together with support of research to develop new military aerospace equipment, kept employment and output at high levels. Large cuts in Federal defense spending have caused an ongoing restructuring of the defense aerospace industry, and significant declines in employment, as firms adjust to the lower spending levels. Some companies are selling their defense-oriented business and others are merging. Although the aerospace industry is less dependent on defense spending than in the past, defense purchases still support a significant number of aerospace workers. Defense spending, although not expected to decline further, is not expected to return to previous levels.

Although new employment opportunities will be limited in the defense-related sector of the aerospace industry, they should be better in the sector supported by civilian aviation. Rapid growth in air travel and environmental and safety concerns have highlighted the benefits of newer aircraft. As a result, airlines are purchasing more planes to meet the increased demand and to upgrade their fleets. Employment growth is expected in the production of commercial aircraft for both domestic and export purposes.

The expanded use of the Internet, direct broadcasting, and wireless communications services, such as cellular telephones and pagers, have increased the need for telecommunications equipment. Because satellites are widely used in telecommunications, this trend should spur further growth in the aerospace manufacturing industry.

Commercial exports have been rising strongly for years, reflecting the growth in overseas markets. Collaboration between domestic and foreign companies is becoming increasingly common as manufacturers seek to win sales in these growing markets and to share the substantial risks and costs of developing and producing new aerospace products. In addition to commercial exports, foreign military sales also are expected to bolster defense contractors, as countries around the world meet their defense needs with U.S. jet fighters, transports, and helicopters.

Due to past reductions in defense expenditures and competition in the commercial aircraft sector, there have been and may continue to be mergers within the industry that sometimes result in layoffs. In the long run, however, these mergers should have relatively little impact on employment. Even though final assemblers of commercial aircraft and major defense aerospace contractors are being reduced to a very small number, hundreds of smaller manufacturers and subcontractors will remain in this industry.

The continuing focus on advanced technology in aerospace manufacturing will lead to significant employment growth among professional specialty workers. Demand for computer specialists is projected to increase by almost 50 percent over the 2000-2010 period. However, employment of engineers is expected to grow by 13 percent, less than the growth rate of the overall industry. Replacement needs for engineers will be significant because large numbers of engineers who entered the industry in the 1960s are approaching retirement. Overall, professionals in the aerospace industry typically enjoy more employment stability than do other workers. During slowdowns in production, companies prefer to keep technical teams intact to continue research and product development activities, in anticipation of new business. Production workers, on the other hand, are particularly vulnerable to layoffs during downturns in the economy when aircraft orders decline.

Earnings

Earnings in selected occupations in aerospace manufacturing appear in table 3.
 

Table 3. Median hourly earnings of the largest occupations in aircraft and parts manufacturing, 2000
Occupation	Aircraft and parts	All industries
Engineering managers	$42.61	$40.42
Aerospace engineers	32.80	32.66
Materials engineers	31.45	28.41
Computer systems analysts	31.13	28.53
Mechanical engineers	29.72	28.23
Industrial engineers	28.03	28.16
Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers	21.07	19.64
Aircraft mechanics and service technicians	19.77	19.50
Machinists	16.86	14.78
Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic	15.31	13.17

 
In 2000, 25 percent of all workers in the aerospace industry were union members or covered by union contracts, compared with 15 percent of all workers throughout private industry. Some of the major aerospace unions include the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers; the United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America; the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA); and the International Union of Allied Industrial Workers of America.

Source: Career Guide to Industries, Bureau of Labor Statistics

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