Flight Engineer

[Stefan87]

Hello,

I am an aeronautical maintenance engineer student and i want to become a flight engineer. Can somebody teel me something about that job and how to become one?

Thanks, Stefan

[AVIONIQUE]

first get in a time machine and travel back in time a couple of decades.You may be surprised to hear that very few a/c types now fly that have flight engineers,it would certainly be an odd choice of career start.These days you are considered lucky if you get an engineer on the ground!

[Stefan87]

I know a small number of aircraft flying around with FE's. You got the cargo airlines in the states en NWA with there DC-10's but i don't think it's impossible.
It's not very hard to get a job on the ground aswell. KLM is taking loads of guys from my school every year.

[oligoe]

Hello Stefan,

I was thinking the same than you as I finished my engineer apprenticeship.

There are 2 ways on doing the basic training :

Faa :
With 3 years working on aircrafts above 800hp you can do the FEX (FAA flight engineer written exam) at any FAA test center (plenty of them around in Europe).
Then you need 5 hours training at a flight engineer station (on a non revenu flight) and finally a type rating and line training.

1 st problem is, nowhere you will find any company or school giving this 5 hours panel training.
2 nd problem is, even I you can find a lot of school selling type ratings, you will need a FAA commercial IFR licence to attend the course as these are not for PFE (professional flight engineers).
Because with an FAA CPL IR you can go straight to FEX exam followed by a FE type rating.
In the US most of the flight engineer jobs for beginers are actually for pilots waiting to be upgraded as F/O.
PFE jobs are very rare.
You need to be American or hold a green card if you want to work in the US.

JAA :
In europe, there are even less flight engineers as there is less of these DC-8, DC-10, B727, B747 classic...
A JAA FE ticket is even harder to get, especially if you are not a pilot.
-As a frozen ATPL pilot, you only need a 5 weeks technical course.
-As a licenced engineer, you need to pass all 14 ATPL exams plus you need simulator training on Ifr flying and so on...
There are almost no TRTO selling FE type ratings.
All the job openings are for experienced people with thousend of hours on the particular aircraft type(unfortunatly).

Africa or middle east :
If you manage to get an FAA or JAA FE ticket, you might find something (if you are lucky), but you most probably need to know people working for those airlines.
One of the only Airlines I knew witch could have made it possible was MK airlines how requiered only 3 years DC-8 maintenance experince and the flight engineer written exam (FAA FEX). But now they grounded their DC-8 fleet so that's all over.

I also know I guy that managed to do it just a few years ago, he is now FE on DC-8 for AIA. He was trained from ground to flight engineer by a VIP DC-8 operator.

Unfortunatly, times are over where as an engineer you could easyly expect to find a flight engineer job. My dad and uncle both did it this way, they were trained by the airlines they worked for as ground engineers. But that was 30 years ago !

I also hold a Jar 66 B1/B2 on several aircarft types and was ready to take the FEX exam. But I finaly gave up and went for a ATPL. I have not much hope anymore of getting one day a flightengineer job, even if now I would be eligible for a JAA FE licence. Now I can look for both pilot and fe jobs.

I hope I could answer some of your questions, maybe you have difference experiences and storys I would be happy to listen to,

Regards,

og

[Stefan87]

I wanted to become a pilot once, but my education wasn't high enough to do that straight away, so i went to the school i am on right now. I have finished the first 2 years and have a Cat. A license now but im starting in september with new training to get the Cat. B1 and maybe after that 1 more year to get the B2 license.

I like this maintenance thing a lot and don't want to spend €150.000 to get my ATPL without even having job insureance. Maybe CTC wings is the best school to go to but selection seems to be tough.

Maybe i will go to flight school if i chance my mind, but think i will stick with maintenance.

I came up with the FE thing because Kalitta Air is looking for FE's and it looked interesting to me, although the roster they are offering sucks.

Thanks anyway for your story.

Stefan

[oligoe]

The problem is that you can forget all american airlines like Kalitta if you don't have a geen card or are not American.
Regards,

og

[Trash Hauler]

As an FE It was a great job however no western aircraft have been built with an FE station since 1986/7. It does not offer a long term career prospect or even a short career.

TH

[Trash Hauler]

As an FE It was a great job however no western aircraft have been built with an FE station since 1986/7. It does not offer a long term career prospect or even a short career.

The military are now the biggest employer of FEs.

TH

[dixi188]

Sorry to disappoint you but I think you are too late.
I started my aviation career in 1969. Thought I'd have a go at FE in 1980 with British Caledonian but was told it was a dying trade. Then in 1989 got the chance with Channel Express on Lockheed Electra. 7 years later did Airbus A300B-4 course. 9 years later made redundant (Dec 2005). Now back in maintenance.
Only jobs are for type rated people and mostly in Third world countries.
16 years of the good life, sat on backside and getting fat. Now getting fit again.
Best of luck in whatever aviation career you follow.

[TURIN]

I wanted to become a pilot once, but my education wasn't high enough.....
Stefan

If you don't have the education to become a pilot then you have got no chance as a Flt Eng. Most educated bloke on the cockpit is the FE. That's why they engineered him out of a job. Very expensive.

Good Luck anyway.:ok: