Your day-to-day duties will depend on your role but may include:

• developing navigation, communications or weapons systems
• researching ways to make fuel-efficient parts, such as wings, fuselage and engines
• using CAD software for design
• testing prototypes
• collecting and analysing test data
• planning and supervising the fitting of aircraft and components
• signing off projects under strict industry regulations
• scheduling and supervising maintenance

You could work in an aircraft hangar, on an aircraft, at a client's business, in a factory or in an office.

Your working environment may be cramped.

With experience, you could specialise in a particular field like:aerodynamics; fuel efficiency; space technology; investigating air accidents

You could also move up to become a project manager or consultant aerospace engineer.