The purpose of this blog is to encourage and inform people about the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering field. It may seem complicated but I assure you that if you keep an open mind and stay persistent, everything will come easier. I will break down the basics on how to get into this field as well as what to prioritize to give yourself the best opportunity to obtain a career.
Don’t be intimidated but the pathway to being an Aerospace and Mechanical Engineer is paved with long nights and countless projects. The first step in conquering these insurmountable adversities is to establish why you’re putting yourself through them in the first place. Thankfully, in my case, I was exposed to the field early and often.
I grew up close to an airport so I would always watch airplanes fly in preparing to land. One day my parents took me to an airshow where they showcased countless military and commercial aircraft. I was hooked from the start. Finding that one gem that inspires you every day is priceless.
I hope I can shed some light on my experience in the field that will lead to something you can resonate with.
In the sequel of Back to the Future directed by Robert Zemeckis, Marty Mcfly travels to 30 years into the future landing in the year 2015. During his time, he saw flying cars among other “future devices”. Little did anyone think that this would actually happen but in 2016 however, Uber revealed their next big project, UberAir.
This was to be a flying taxi platform capable of transporting 4-6 people via E-VTOL from one place to another. The appeal of disregarding traffic is a major factor as well as being able to travel from Sacramento to San Jose in about 15 minutes. If this system were to be implemented into today’s society, it would identify a new era of large scale transportation. Opening doors to an integrated system between users and their daily activities.
Cost
One view on the UberAir design is an article titled “Will You be Able to Afford UberAir’s Flying Car Service?“. This source is an online article I found doing a regular search regarding the financial analysis of a “flying taxi”. The genre of this source is an online article. The author’s name is Antuan Goodwin, he works as a Review Editor under Roadshow who is owned by CNET. After reading his review, you can tell he’s a little skeptical about the UberAir/Uber Elevate idea but I mean who isn’t skeptical? It’s a flying car, it’s understandable to be wary of something never done before.
The source goes in depth about how much a trip, using the UberAir, will cost. Not only does he review the finances from a consumer’s point of view, but he also speaks about production cost, pilot training, “cost of maintaining large helipads and paying landing fees” (Antuan 1). Similarly, this source (non-member) was using techniques to pull in the reader and spoon feed the information.
Financial costs almost always limits aerospace/mechanical engineers, especially when traveling to space. Each rocket we send into space costs millions and billions of US dollars. Financial analysis must be conducted before any project starts. Accordingly, it is a goal of aerospace/mechanical engineers to reduce the cost of such projects. One solution that is being implemented right now in commercial airliners is composite alloys replacing metal frames. This allows for lighter aircraft reducing fuel costs and lowering emissions, now we just need to apply something similar to spacecraft.
Consumer’s Thoughts
Another view on UberAir’s flying taxi is titled “Check Out the Uber Air Flying Car That Will Transport Passengers of the Future“. This source is an online article written by Fortune. It describes a more consumer review on Uber’s flying taxi idea that many people have questions about. This source is an online magazine article full of videos and pictures, so I definitely recommend it if you’ve never heard of UberAir. The author of this article is Don Reisinger, a popular author hired under Fortune. It doesn’t appear that he is an expert in aerospace/mechanical but based on the content in the article, you can tell he has consulted with multiple experts to validate his post. Reisinger describes the “UberAir” model as if he attended the Uber Elevate summit quoting directly from the presentation. He illustrates the vehicles key components such as the rotor height, speed, passenger capacity, and range. Based on what I read, Reisinger has an indifferent view of Uber’s flying taxi therefore he is unbiased. You can find more information about Reisinger at the following link.
I feel that Reisinger wanted to give an overview of the concept to guide your thoughts and help facilitate your own opinion on the matter. Similar to Antuan’s article, Reisinger’s piece gives feedback to Uber allowing for some revision. Hearing public opinions about the project will help Uber refine the goals towards consumer’s needs.
Some current aerospace engineers might think this article is “dumbed-down” but I think it’s just more thoroughly explained to allow someone without technical experience to comprehend the topic. Another thing Reisinger does is he commonly gives his opinion on the matter to help you agree or disagree with his thoughts. Many aerospace and mechanical engineers lack this communication skill but I know if we learn to write like Reisinger does, we can transform the way engineers communicate.
Overview
Lastly, Uber’s own view on their UberAir product titled “Fast-Forwarding to a Future of On-Demand Urban Air Transportation”. This source is a research paper presented by Uber regarding their new air transportation concept model projected to start testing in 2020 and possible implementation in 2030. The genre of this source is a research paper. I’m sure this paper was written and edited by many people but since it is not explicitly stated, we must assume the whole company is the author.
This paper discusses the concept of a “flying taxi” and how it can benefit our way of travel saving us money and time while being efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly. The concept of a quick and reliable aircraft used for commercial transportation has been a big research option over the past couple of years. NASA, Bell, and other aerospace/mechanical companies have either worked with Uber or tried to come up with their own model to patent it. Luckily for Uber, they’ve worked directly with NASA to come up with a nearly perfect model. Working with a company such as NASA allows Uber to have direct contact with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) which means less time for things to get approved.
Uber has consulted with plenty of experts to verify their work is following FAA protocol and safety factors. Uber is following a goal set out for all engineers, improve today’s technology so that the next generation can tackle new problems with tools not previously known.
How You Can Get Involved
Well first thing’s first we need to get you a degree since Uber is in high demand for designers, engineers, and financial analysts. If you’re just finishing up your high school career, this is perfect because by the time you get out of college, Uber will be towards the end of their journey on the first model. This means you don’t have to go through the minutia of micromanagement issues that are inevitable in the beginning of each project. You simply hop on the train. If you’re interested in the UberAir concept, go check out the Uber Elevate Summit on June 11-12 2019 in Washington D.C. and if you can’t make it their holding a live stream tomorrow morning at 6:00 am. For more information follow the link.
If I had a dream job this would be the one. Being an Aerospace Engineer at NASA is one of the most difficult positions one could obtain, but I know if we work together, anything is possible. To work in a world-renowned government agency, there are a couple filters an applicant must bob and weave through. NASA’s top priorities are, of course, education and previous work experience in a related field, so a good place to start if you’re thinking of this career is to do the best you can in school mainly focusing on math and science.
Minimum Requirements
Bachelor’s Degree from an ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accredited college or university
I know it can sound a little daunting especially seeing what the minimum requirements are then it’s like, well if that is the minimum, what do I have to do to make myself stand out to secure a position? To answer that question, I will give an example of a job description from USA Jobs for a NASA Aerospace Engineer and provide extra details that they’re subtly suggesting.
This career a typical high-level position among aerospace engineers at NASA. That being said, this is our goal that we will work up to over time. Although this is not where we are going to start right after college, we can build up some skills that this career needs from an early standpoint. There are hard skills and soft skills that we must learn to become competitive applicants but some examples include showing improvements in efficiency, proving leadership, and facilitating work flow. Once we build our skills, we are bound to get promoted. A good thing to look into before getting promoted is what are some of the new responsibilities you will attain.
The responsibilities of this career include “Provide day-to-day technical direction, coordination and integration to the team of Element LSEs to confirm a technically integrated vehicle system with the SLS Lead Systems Engineer (LSE)” (USA Jobs). All this means is that you’re the big boss who makes decisions based on your expertise. Now I’m not saying that you’re going to have the highest chair and just sign off on paperwork, you will also be on the floor working on projects. You’re essentially the manager that all other engineers look up to. Due to the high level of authority this position holds, there are additional special documents required.
One of these documents is a security clearance. This position holds the top security clearance at NASA titled, secret (I know it sounds spooky and awesome at the same time). According to the USA Jobs website, ” A special sensitive position security has the potential to cause inestimable damage to the national security” (USA Jobs). So pretty much if you were that one tattle-tale back in elementary school, we might want to brush up on that skill.
I was once told that if you can gain a security clearance, through a previous job, while you’re still an undergraduate at a university, government agencies are more likely to hire you. One way to do this is to simply apply for NASA’s undergraduate summer internship positions. They’re very competitive but if you’re lucky enough to land an internship, the possibilities are endless.
In addition, a resume and background check are required before receiving a formal offer. Your resume should be heavily project based and show, in detail, previous work experience relating to the position you’re applying for. NASA probably doesn’t want any delinquents working in their company, so just do your best to stay out of trouble.
Hands-on Work, this is usually from working on projects in classes or clubs
Communication is key, since you’re mainly working in teams, being able to communicate what you want effectively is critical. Also given the NASA career above, you will most likely have to present ideas and findings to your boss whom might not be in your related field. Being able to communicate to anyone regardless of their background is undoubtedly the most important skill, I cannot stress this enough. Here’s a helpful link to increase those presentation skills.
Remember, we always have to start from somewhere. Each and every one of us are in a different stage in our lives. Some of us are just starting high school while others are taking their first steps into the “real-world”. No matter where we are at, we all can improve to become better aerospace and mechanical engineers. Working together is what we do best. For those just beginning their journey, shoot for the moon and even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.
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