Today the terms Aerospace and Aeronautical are used interchangeably. Do Aerospace and Aeronautical mean the same? The word aero in both terms is a Greek word that means air or atmosphere.
The following deliberation shed some light on the difference between the two terms.
Aeronautical Engineering (AEG)
The branch focuses on flight and activities within the atmosphere. It is the branch that encompasses the practice of creating, designing, building, and maintaining aircraft, like airplanes, spacecraft, satellites, and helicopters that operate within the confines of the earth’s atmosphere.
The Aeronautical Engineering students learn topics such as,
- Thermodynamics
- Heat Transfer
- Aircraft Structures
- Flight Mechanics
- Aircraft Stability and Control
- Aircraft Performance and Structures
- Automatic Control and Guidance
- Material Science
- Propulsion
The aeronautical engineer’s tasks involve,
- Meeting clients
- Reviewing design proposals
- Conducts safety tests of the aircrafts
- Determine the cost production
- Recommending solutions
- Studying product performance
- Identify the ways to minimize the environmental damage from aircraft.
Work area of an Aeronautical Engineer (AE)
The AEs work in aeronautical labs, manufacturing companies, space research centres, and the government of private airlines.
Aerospace Engineering
The branch involves designing and developing civil aircraft, maintenance, building, and testing of missiles, rockets, space shuttles, and space stations. The field comprises of various smaller fields of engineering.
The Aerospace Engineering students learn several exciting topics such as,
- Designing Spacecraft, aircraft, missiles, or space stations
- Intro to the field of Aeronautics & Orbital Mechanics
- Basic jet propulsion principles.
The aerospace engineer’s tasks involve,
- They endeavor to develop advanced technology in defense systems and aviation.
- Create precise criteria for quality standards and design methods.
- Problem identification of damaged or malfunctioning goods, and investigates solutions to fix those problems.
Workplace of an Aerospace Engineer
Aerospace engineers work in manufacturing plants, laboratories, and offices.
Common Areas
- Both focus on the study of flight stability, aerodynamics, aircraft control, and other traditional engineering issues.
- The engineers of both branches have a bachelor’s degree in mechanical, computer, or electrical engineering, before earning a higher degree in computational mechanics or space engineering.
The Major differences are as follows,
- AEG focuses on flight and flight activities with an atmosphere.
- Aerospace engineering focuses on activities within an atmosphere and applications where there is no atmosphere.
- AEs regularly specialize either in Aeronautical or Astronautical Engineering.
Skillsets
There are a few qualities one should possess to be a successful Aeronautical or an Aerospace engineer, and they are,
- Speed and accuracy
- Strong Analytical skills
- Team player
- Leadership traits
- Physically fit
- Normal color vision
- Good presence of mind
Salary for Aerospace Engineer
The student can expect a starting salary of up to RS 5 lakh. The salary packages depend on the colleges that a student has graduated.
Salary for AE
The student can expect a starting salary of up to RS 6-11 lakh depending on the college of graduation.
Conclusion
The above-profiled information questions all answers regarding the differences between Aeronautical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering. The career opportunities are wider in India and Abroad. Be professional to become a professional by enrolling at HICET, one of the IT colleges in Coimbatore. The college offers facilities like hands-on training, guidance from experienced faculties, and many more that are affordable.