Table 1Transition record

flight test engineertoaerospace engineer

A flight test engineer already meets 48% of what the aerospace engineer role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

From flight test engineer

48%

Overlap1

To aerospace engineer

17 Skills carried over

7 Required, not held

55.4 Difficulty2

Career overlap Partial match

48%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

55.4/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the aerospace engineer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the flight test engineer profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A aerospace engineer role treats 12 of its required skills as things a flight test engineer already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

adjust engineering designs
aerospace engineering
approve engineering design
engineering principles
engineering processes
ensure aircraft compliance with regulation

What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A aerospace engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a flight test engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held plan test flights management skills
already held aerospace engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held aerodynamics engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held ensure aircraft compliance with regulation assisting and caring
already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held production processes engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 17 carried skills, including the 12 the aerospace engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 30 missing skills fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 engineering, manufacturing and construction 2 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held aircraft mechanics required
required, not held safety engineering required

optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
optional, not held unmanned air systems optional
optional, not held fluid mechanics optional
optional, not held material mechanics optional
optional, not held state estimation optional

02 information skills 2 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held assess financial viability required
required, not held execute feasibility study required

optional, not held analyse production processes for improvement optional
optional, not held oversee assembly operations optional

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held troubleshoot required

optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
optional, not held design prototypes optional
optional, not held draft design specifications optional

04 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held computer simulation required

optional, not held CAE software optional

05 business, administration and law 1 required

required, not held quality standards required

06 management skills 4 supplementary

optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
optional, not held control production optional
optional, not held develop test procedures optional
optional, not held manage product testing optional

5 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a aerospace engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 17 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held adjust engineering designs skill
already held aerospace engineering knowledge
already held approve engineering design skill
already held engineering principles knowledge
already held engineering processes knowledge
already held ensure aircraft compliance with regulation skill
already held industrial engineering knowledge
already held manufacturing processes knowledge
already held perform scientific research skill
already held production processes knowledge
already held technical drawings knowledge
already held use technical drawing software skill
already held aerodynamics knowledge
already held conduct performance tests skill
already held mechanical engineering knowledge
already held plan test flights skill
already held record test data skill

The 5 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 2 supplementary

optional, not held synthetic natural environment optional
optional, not held mathematical modelling optional

08 services 2 supplementary

optional, not held defense system optional
optional, not held stealth technology optional

09 working with computers 2 supplementary

optional, not held use CAD software optional
optional, not held use CAM software optional

10 arts and humanities 1 supplementary

optional, not held design principles optional

11 handling and moving 1 supplementary

optional, not held build a product's physical model optional

23 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held defense system optional
optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
optional, not held stealth technology optional
optional, not held synthetic natural environment optional
optional, not held unmanned air systems optional
optional, not held CAE software optional
optional, not held analyse production processes for improvement optional
optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
optional, not held control production optional
optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held design prototypes optional
optional, not held develop test procedures optional
optional, not held draft design specifications optional
optional, not held fluid mechanics optional
optional, not held manage product testing optional
optional, not held material mechanics optional
optional, not held mathematical modelling optional
optional, not held oversee assembly operations optional
optional, not held state estimation optional
optional, not held use CAD software optional
optional, not held use CAM software optional

17 held skills the aerospace engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role aircraft flight control systems knowledge
not needed by the target role analyse test data skill
not needed by the target role aviation meteorology knowledge
not needed by the target role common aviation safety regulations knowledge
not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
not needed by the target role inspect aircraft manufacturing skill
not needed by the target role instrumentation engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role instrumentation equipment knowledge
not needed by the target role operate cockpit control panels skill
not needed by the target role operate radio navigation instruments skill
not needed by the target role operate two-way radio systems skill
not needed by the target role oversee aircraft sensor and recording systems skill
not needed by the target role perform flight manoeuvres skill
not needed by the target role perform routine flight operations checks skill
not needed by the target role perform take off and landing skill
not needed by the target role visual flight rules knowledge

15 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held aircraft mechanics required
required, not held computer simulation required
required, not held quality standards required
required, not held safety engineering required
optional, not held defense system optional
optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
optional, not held stealth technology optional
optional, not held synthetic natural environment optional
optional, not held unmanned air systems optional
optional, not held CAE software optional
optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held fluid mechanics optional
optional, not held material mechanics optional
optional, not held mathematical modelling optional
optional, not held state estimation optional

Index

Other moves recorded from flight test engineer

Full index of moves from flight test engineer

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.