Aerodynamics

Demands are most critical now for men to fill the aerodynamics groups. Men in this group are more concerned with the physics of flight than those in others. The duties of the topmost of several jobs in this group are to conduct the preliminary analysis of new or modified airplane designs.

The aerodynamicist performs complicated mathematical analysis in order to predict the flight characteristics of a plane still on the designer's drawing board. He advises the design groups regarding the influence of aerodynamic considerations on the eventual design of the airframe.

For this reason, virtually all men accepted into aerodynamics groups have advanced degrees. To have the Ph.D. degree in aeronautics is the ideal qualification for the job. While most other types of aeronautical engineering require only four years of college training, the enormous complexity of the problems dealt with by the aerodynamicist make graduate work almost imperative.

Aeroelasticity

In recent years, as air speeds have risen across the threshhold of the sound "barrier," a specialized aspect of aerodynamics, aeroelasticity, has come firmly into its own. For planes to fly faster, it was found that their life and control surfaces had to be thinner, in order to out down the drag offsets of air resistance. As these structures became thinner, it was seen that at certain speeds, they developed a noticeable flutter. When wings flutter, their airfoil shapes are distorted, and they sometimes lose all their lifting ability.

At certain speeds planes grow sluggish and fell out of control for no known reason. Until recently, very little was known about flutter. Now, most aircraft companies have their own "fluttering groups," working along with the aerodynamicists.

Designers are the backbone of the aircraft industry. Aeronautical engineering consists mostly of the design of the detail components that go into an overall design. It is here that aeronautical engineering differs most from other forms of science and engineering. The main enemy of the designer is weight, for every ounce of extra weight in the airframe means one less ounce of payload. The designer works in media almost unknown in other industries. He designs strong structures from thin, light metals. These metals impose rigid limitations on the designs, for it is frequently difficult to fashion them.

In the last analysis, it is the man who has the practical understanding of how things can be made in the shops who is successful as a designer. Graduate training is not so important in this field.

The Creative Touch

Very few aircraft designers work on the whole plane. Those that do are the cream of the group. These men, called preliminary designers, create the original design of an airplane. Working only from specifications of a customer, they have the opportunity to use their creative talents to the fullest extent, Needless to say, a preliminary designer must be well versed in aerodynamics and the other aspects of engineering.

At the bottom of the engineering ladder are the stress analysts. Except in rare cases, these men spend most of their time doing detailed calculations of the various forces that are imposed on the plane's components. College graduates with bachelor's degrees frequently start out in stress analysis; after a few year's experience here they move on to design groups.

When other parts of the airplane besides the airframe are considered, myriads of other specialists come into the picture. Mechanical engineers may design the engine, physicists the instruments, electrical engineers the wiring.

Electronics

Tremendous numbers of men with training in electronics are now being hired in aviation. In the age of push-button warfare which we are now approaching, these men must design the devices which seek out the enemy and guide the pilotless aircraft.