>> I'm intersted in pursuing an aeronautical engineering degree with a
>> design technology concentration. I really would like to design aicraft
>> as a career. I enjoy drawing my own designs even now. I was wondering
>> do aeronautical engineers design the aircraft as a whole or do they
>> split the parts up. Is there a group of people that designs the shape
>> of the aircraft?
>>
>
> I'm a junior in an aerospace engineering program. "Design technology"
> isn't a "concentration" in aeronautical/aerospace engineering. Every
> course, every bit of physics and math helps build your intuition to let
> you design and analyze aircraft. In school you focus on academic areas
> like Aerodynamics/Propulsion, Structures or Dynamics/Controls. How you
> apply that background, whether in research, design or analysis, is
> determined by which job you use. And one could say that effectively,
> every engineer is a "designer" in some way.
>
> Read the AIAA's "Ask An Engineer" for more info:
> http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=214
>
> Realize that being an aerospace engineer isn't about doodling fun
> pictures on paper. If anything, that's what automotive designers do
> (not automotive _engineers_). Engineering today involves sitting at a
> computer crunching numbers and heading off to wind tunnels to gather
> data. It means pulling textbooks off of your shelf looking up equations
> and tables to help you do your work. As an aeronautical engineer,
> that's what you and a small army of colleagues will do to create
> something that flies.
Designing aircraft today doesn't just involve a small army of colleagues
perhaps like it did back in the good ole' days (albeit Skunk Works' a very
different story). It's a multidisciplinarian effort from an armada of
groups
usually scattered across various time zones (even with military aircraft
nowadays), from conception right thru to flight-testing. Not to mention
the
in-service sup****t. Modern aircraft design involves sub-dividing the
conceptual airframe into various elements such as its fuselage, wings,
powerplants etc. Each sub-divided element inturn has it's own group of
designers and analysts for every part comprising each sub-system.
Attention
to detail is paramount. It relies heavily on the grounding received in all
subjects typical of an aeronautical or aerospace engineering course. Prior
understanding of the physical sciences like physics, chemistry, as well as
mathematics is essential. You don't need to be Einstein or Hawking but a
solid understanding is required of each.
Inspiration from your own designs sounds like a good place to start but it
will need to mature. It does come in handy when resolving conflicts in the
design especially if you can visualise it before the computer can, but on
it's own, drawing to "shape" the aircraft or car really belongs to the
realm of the industrial designer. It's generally referred to as "lofting"
and is directed primarily by the aerodynamicists, especially in aircraft
design. No matter which specialisation, being an aerospace or aeronautical
engineer involved in aircraft design will involve the stuff jc has pointed
out and more. Discipline and focus is the only thing that will ensure that
the engineer gets through the usually ardous task of justifying the
airworthiness of the design through seemingly endless hours of designing,
analysis, testing and discussion. It's not an easy path but it's rewarding
especially once the end objective is reached. It's also not an ego trip.
It's about getting the airplane to fly safely and reliably.
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