Flight test engineer to surface engineer
A flight test engineer already meets 49% of what the surface engineer role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
51.2/ 100
1 How much of what a surface engineer is expected to do is already part of a flight test engineer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the surface engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A surface engineer role treats 10 of its required skills as things a flight test engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- industrial engineering
- manufacturing processes
What stands in the way is 5 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A surface 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.
- already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held production processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held analyse test data information skills
- already held approve engineering design communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held mechanical engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held manufacturing processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 14 carried skills, including the 10 the surface engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn safety engineering required
- still to learn surface engineering required
- optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
- optional, not held semiconductors optional
- optional, not held soldering techniques optional
- optional, not held types of metal optional
- optional, not held welding techniques optional
- still to learn corrosion types required
- still to learn mathematics required
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- still to learn execute analytical mathematical calculations required
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
- optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
- optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
- optional, not held apply phosphate coating to metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held parkerise metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
- optional, not held galvanise metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a surface engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 corrosion types study this
- 02 execute analytical mathematical calculations practise this
- 03 mathematics study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 14 skills that carry over
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- 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 analyse test data skill
- already held electrical engineering knowledge
- already held mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held record test data skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held computer simulation optional
- optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
19 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply phosphate coating to metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held parkerise metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
- optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held computer simulation optional
- optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held galvanise metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
- optional, not held semiconductors optional
- optional, not held soldering techniques optional
- optional, not held types of metal optional
- optional, not held welding techniques optional
20 held skills the surface engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role aerodynamics knowledge
- not needed by the target role aerospace engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role aircraft flight control systems knowledge
- 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 conduct performance tests skill
- not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure aircraft compliance with regulation skill
- 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 plan test flights skill
- not needed by the target role visual flight rules knowledge
16 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn corrosion types required
- still to learn mathematics required
- still to learn safety engineering required
- still to learn surface engineering required
- optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held computer simulation optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held semiconductors optional
- optional, not held soldering techniques optional
- optional, not held types of metal optional
- optional, not held welding techniques optional
Common questions about this move
Can a flight test engineer become a surface engineer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A flight test engineer already covers 49% of what a surface engineer is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 10 of which the surface engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a flight test engineer need to become a surface engineer?
5 required skills are missing, plus 19 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is corrosion types.
How hard is the move from flight test engineer to surface engineer?
Its learning distance is 51.2 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
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.