Aeronautical engineer

People are notoriously distracted when they board an aircraft. They may be engaged in looking for their seats, worrying about whether their luggage has been loaded safely – or hoping they remembered to turn off the stove.

But young engineer Jack Miller, of Aeronautical Engineers Australia (AEA), hopes they take some time to spare a thought for the people working behind the scenes to ensure the aircraft is operating exactly as it should.

Miller is part of a design team at AEA, based at Bankstown Airport. He uses his technical and mathematical knowledge to assess aircraft damage. He then formulates solutions for fixing them, designing the components required to get them back in the air. He also works to create more efficient and safe components and models for future aircraft.

”When I was a kid, I liked to break things. I was the kind of kid who took the remote control apart and put it back together. If something wasn’t working, I had to find out why,” Miller says.

”At the moment I’m also working with my team to design aeromedical components that could be attached to an aircraft to lift incapacitated people on to planes, on a stretcher or in wheelchairs and things like that. I’d recommend this job for people who are interested in finding out why stuff works and why it doesn’t work.

”It’s not just sitting at a desk doing maths, it’s also a combination of 3D modelling, building prototypes, making sure components are strong enough, paperwork, lateral thinking and creative problem solving.”

Miller studied for a Bachelor of Engineering (Aerospace) at UNSW and says there are other pathways into his profession. Several universities offer similar courses, including University of Queensland and Victoria’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

Qualifications
Jack Miller (pictured) studied a Bachelor of Engineering (Aerospace) at the University of New South Wales for four years, gaining various industry experiences in addition to his passion for mathematics and sciences.

Course
Apart from the University of New South Wales, high school graduates can apply for a Bachelor of Engineering (Aeronautical) at the University of Sydney, RMIT in Melbourne offers a Bachelor of Engineering (Aerospace Engineering) and the University of Queensland offers Aeronautical Engineering as part of various degrees.

From the inside
”People get on a flight expecting it to be safe, just taking for granted all the work that goes into making it the safest mode of transport there is [per passenger kilometre],” Miller says. ”Engineers are the unsung heroes.”