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Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians

Operate, install, adjust, and maintain integrated computer/communications systems, consoles, simulators, and other data acquisition, test, and measurement instruments and equipment, which are used to launch, track, position, and evaluate air and space vehicles. May record and interpret test data.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Inspect, diagnose, maintain, and operate test setups and equipment to detect malfunctions.
    • Finish vehicle instrumentation and deinstrumentation.
    • Confer with engineering personnel regarding details and implications of test procedures and results.
    • Adjust, repair, or replace faulty components of test setups and equipment.
    • Design electrical and mechanical systems for avionic instrumentation applications.
    • Construct and maintain test facilities for aircraft parts and systems, according to specifications.
    • Test aircraft systems under simulated operational conditions, performing systems readiness tests and pre- and post-operational checkouts, to establish design or fabrication parameters.
    • Record and interpret test data on parts, assemblies, and mechanisms.
    • Identify required data, data acquisition plans, and test parameters, setting up equipment to conform to these specifications.
    • Operate and calibrate computer systems and devices to comply with test requirements and to perform data acquisition and analysis.
    • Adjust, repair, or replace faulty components of test setups and equipment.
    • Design electrical and mechanical systems for avionic instrumentation applications.
    • Fabricate and install parts and systems to be tested in test equipment, using hand tools, power tools, and test instruments.
    • Construct and maintain test facilities for aircraft parts and systems, according to specifications.
    • Record and interpret test data on parts, assemblies, and mechanisms.
    • Fabricate and install parts and systems to be tested in test equipment, using hand tools, power tools, and test instruments.

    Skills

    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    Abilities

    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.

    Knowledge

    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    Education

    Education
    Associate's degree
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    105910/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    50.92/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    420
    Yearly Projected Openings
    40

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Analytical Thinking
    • Integrity
    • Adaptability/Flexibility
    • Initiative

    Tools

    • Accelerometers
    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Ball peen hammer
    • Bench vises
    • Borescope inspection equipment
    • Box end wrenches
    • Calipers
    • Cold chisels
    • Combination wrenches
    • Compasses
    • Compression testers
    • Coordinate measuring machines CMM
    • Countersinks
    • Depth gauges
    • Drill press or radial drill
    • Eddy current examination equipment
    • Explosive initiators
    • Fall protection lanyard
    • Farmers own file
    • Fire extinguishers
    • Flat hand file
    • Flat taper file
    • Flowmeters
    • Force or torque sensors
    • Forklifts
    • Form tools or toolbits
    • Gage block set
    • Gantry milling machine
    • Gas welding or brazing or cutting apparatus
    • Go or no go gauge
    • Goggles
    • Gyroscopic instruments
    • Hacksaw
    • Half round file
    • Hammers
    • Height gauges
    • Hex keys
    • Hole gauge
    • Horizontal turning center
    • IR 192 radiography examination equipment
    • Impact hammers
    • Infrared imagers
    • Lasers
    • Leak testing equipment
    • Liquid penetrant examination equipment
    • Magnetic particle examination equipment
    • Mainframe console or dumb terminals
    • Mallets
    • Manipulators
    • Mass spectrometers
    • Metal cutters
    • Micrometers
    • Mill saw file
    • Offset screw driver
    • Open end wrenches
    • Paint application system
    • Personal computers
    • Pneumatic drill
    • Power screwguns
    • Precision file
    • Pressure indicators
    • Profiling and duplicating milling machine
    • Protractors
    • Punches or nail sets or drifts
    • Respirators
    • Rivet tools
    • Round file
    • Rulers
    • Safety harnesses or belts
    • Scaffolding
    • Screwdrivers
    • Scribers
    • Shielded metal arc welding or stick welding machine
    • Shot peen machine
    • Sockets
    • Soldering iron
    • Spanner wrenches
    • Specialty wrenches
    • Speed sensors
    • Squares
    • Straight edges
    • Strain gauges
    • Taps
    • Telescopes
    • Telescoping gauge
    • Theodolites
    • Thermocouples
    • Thickness measuring devices
    • Thread counters or gauges
    • Thread repair kits
    • Tinners snips
    • Torque wrenches
    • Torx keys
    • Track cranes
    • Traveling column milling machine
    • Turret lathe
    • Ultrasonic examination equipment
    • Vacuum ovens
    • Vibration testers
    • Voltage or current meters
    • Welder torch
    • Wire lug crimping tool
    • Wire twister
    • X ray radiography examination equipment

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Data base management system software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Development environment software
    • Document management software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise application integration software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Graphical user interface development software
    • Industrial control software
    • Inventory management software
    • Object or component oriented development software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Presentation software
    • Process mapping and design software
    • Program testing software
    • Project management software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Transaction server software
    • Web platform development software
    • Word processing software