What is the current state and future direction of Aircraft Systems Engineering?

[viscousflow]

Hello all,

I've been doing some research on the emerging field of Aircraft Systems Engineering. There are a few meanings of 'Systems Engineering' however, I'd like to focus on one for the topic of discussion.

Systems Engineering on the other hand is the process used to develop integrated physical or software components such that the resulting system or product meets the system level requirements.

http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/academics/grad/aircraftsystems.pdf

I am interested in this field and I wonder if any engineers on the board know of it and possibly know of its present state and/or where it is going.

This field seems to have no clear cut definition in industry as almost every other recruiting ad has a different job description.

I am planning to possibly pursue this choice of graduate study. Just to let you know, it is either this or Aircraft Flight Control Systems.

Your input would be appreciated greatly.

 

[minger]

I'm fairly familiar with it. Systems Engineer are kind of like a Project Engineer. They are concerned with the entire product as a whole. Whereas Design Engineers are typically on a component-by-component basis, the systems engineer tries to make everything work nicely together.

 

[Mech_Engineer]

Why is aircraft systems engineering an emerging field? Aircraft system design has been around since the '40s or '50s (although it may not have been called that specifically).

When you think of an "aircraft system" what are you imagining?

 

[viscousflow]

I didn't want to post too much from the link but here this may clarify it a bit more:

The word “system” is contextual in nature. For example, an avionics product can be
considered as a system, or as a subsystem of the aircraft system, or as comprised of a
number of other subsystems. To apply Systems Engineering and Architecting
techniques, one must decide “what constitutes the system”. To provide a framework,
consider the following “levels”:

Level 1 The air transportation system (aircraft, airports, air traffic management ...) or
the air defense system (aircraft, satellites, missiles, ground stations...)

Level 2 The aircraft and/or related systems (trainers, manufacturing systems,
maintenance systems...).

Level 3 Major aircraft subsystems or subassemblies (flight control, propulsion
hydraulic, power, flap, landing gear...)

Level 4 Components (radar, pumps, nacelles, control surfaces...)

Level 5 Parts (fittings, fasteners, blades...)

The focus of Aircraft Systems Engineering is primarily on Level 2 - the entire
aircraft. Level 1 is addressed in our department’s Air Transportation Systems program,
while Level 3 is the focus of many of our other programs. Although presented as a clean
hierarchy herein for the sake of brevity and clarity, it is often the interactions of the
various (sub)-systems and/or levels that introduces complexity and a set of key issues that
the systems engineer must examine. The systems engineer must, at least, be aware of the
levels immediately above and below the levels in which they work and consider the
interactions caused by their work within their specific level of consideration.

From a historical perspective, the field of systems engineering developed well after
aircraft were invented. This has led to an evolutionary lexicon in the aircraft industry. In
some aircraft companies, the words “systems engineering” is applied to Level 3
subsystems such as flight control, hydraulic, etc. However, the entire aircraft should be
viewed as a system, and systems architecting and engineering methods applied to its
definition, design, production, operation and maintenance. This tends to be the case more
for military than commercial aircraft. It is emphasized that within the MIT program,
“systems engineering” is applied to Level 2 for the entire product life-cycle from
conceptual design to operation and maintenance, as well as with interactions with Levels
1 and 3.

The reason why I said/thought it was emerging is the scarcity of that particular role in job applications

 

[norkitt]

I have a great interest in this field, and I'm considering pursuing a graduate course in this. I would like to know what is required to pursue this profession. I have a degree in Aerospace Engineering and I am currently pursuing a B1/B2 license while working as a maintenance planner and technician with an AMO. Is this experience relevant to working as an aircraft systems engineer?

 

[dhanish]

i even have a huge interest in this field.can i know what's the daily job of an aircraft maintenance engineering?and what's the personal requirement that is need to be an maintenance engineer? and more over,why do one want to be an aircraft maintenance engineer?

 

[reazon1n1]

Aircraft Systems Engineering is one of the fields that i plan to pursue as my higher studies. I love aircraft and want to work in a field related to aircraft as a whole rather than a component, like engines, control. i think pursuing this degree would give me a broad knowledge of aircraft system than any other program. however, at one point in the linked pdf, it says that "...tends to be the case more for military than commercial aircraft." I am an international student doing my undergraduate in the US. Since foreigners do not have a job prospect in the military /government aerospace programs here in the US, is this program not a good option for me then?