Of all the enthusiasts in aviation the engineers are probably the most devoted to their jobs. Who else would want to work and enjoy working in the cold or rain? And yet in all my years in aviation I never met one engineer who ever complained about working on a plane. And often you’ll find them giving their expertise to private pilots or the restoration of old aircraft on their days off!

Engineers are responsible for the airworthiness of an aircraft. That is to say that their routine inspections before and after flights is an integral part of the design and operational philosophy of an aircraft.

Aviation engineering is as close to perfection as knowledge allows. Routine inspections before and after flights are an essential  part of the safety philosophy of aviation. Engineers are responsible for the airworthiness of an aircraft. Engineering is divided into the operational day to day maintenance and the sort of work done in a hangar. An engineer will normally be qualified on one or two parts of the aircraft structure. The aircraft is divided into its systems. An engine would have a propulsion engineer, a hydraulics engineer, a fuel system engineer and so on. There is clearly some overlap in these responsibilities but it is not unusual to see more than one engineer dealing with a departing aircraft.

But when you see an engineer working on your aircraft just before flight rather than say to yourself  “What’s wrong?”  say to yourself  “‘I’m glad they’re keeping my aircraft in perfect  condition”. Because that’s what aviation engineering is, as close to perfection as knowledge allows. Engineers are highly specialised in their trade to keep aircrafts flying safely day in, day out, engineers perform checks and routines to ensure the utmost safety. When a component has to be checked or replaced at least two engineers are involved.

There’s absolutely no reason that your fear of flying worries should be made worse by worrying about the ’state’ of the plane you’re flying in. One does the work the other, independently, checks that it meets the appropriate safety standard  in accordance with the schedule laid down. There is information about engineers in our help products available from the shop.

Within an airline the engineering will be divided mainly into the operational day to day maintenance and the sort of work that is done in a hangar when overhauling an aircraft. This second group is further divided into those who work on the plane itself and the technicians who repair test and certify individual components.

Almost every pilot on finishing his or her career will make a final entry in the aircraft’s technical log thanking the engineering staff for their dedication and work in keeping them safe.

There can be no better recommendation about the quality of aircraft engineers.

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