Antifragility is a concept where an entity actually gains from suffering an adverse event. As an example, consider the mythological beast, the Hydra, who is able to grow back two heads when one gets chopped off. Applying antifragile techniques to aircraft design brings the potential for safer airplanes with the improved ability to react to catastrophic events when they occur.

Let’s take a closer look at these engineering innovations aimed at improving passenger safety.

Supporting an Iterative Design Process

The iterative nature of the aircraft engineering design process reflects antifragility concepts when it comes to terms like “fail-safe” and “damage tolerant.” As engineers work their way through testing aircraft designs, the parts of a design that work are retained, while failures are removed. This iterative process is known as stochastic tinkering.

Testing remains a vital aspect of the stochastic tinkering used in aerospace engineering. The worse case scenarios must be tested and retested, while engineers document the in-stress performance of components that must not fail compared against those other components which can fail due to the redundancies that were part of the aircraft’s initial design.

Visual Inspections still Important in the Aircraft Industry

Even when leveraging design techniques like antifragility and stochastic tinkering, certain airplane components can incur a certain level of structural failure while still maintaining flight safety and security. In these situations, it is important that any critical damage is visible to airplane inspectors performing a pre-flight check up.

Additionally, when performing load testing, it is vital to increase the load factors to account for the potential of catastrophic events — both known and unknown. Still, it is up to the aerospace engineer to analyze the cause of any catastrophe and feed what they learned back into that same design and testing process. Safe flight using antifragile aircraft is the ultimate goal of this engineering discipline.

If you are inspired to improve your aerospace engineering career, talk to The Talley Group. As one of the top engineering staffing agencies in Washington, they are a great source of Seattle aerospace engineering jobs. Make it a point to talk with The Talley Group today!

If you are looking for aerospace engineering jobs in Seattle stay up-to-date on industry trends:

The aerospace engineering industry is a lucrative one, especially in the Seattle metropolitan area. This is a discipline of engineering known for innovation, with new technologies moving quickly from the drawing board to testing and their subsequent commercial implementation.

Let’s take a look at a few key aerospace engineering trends, which are items anyone in the industry needs to keep on their radar screen. Some trends are relevant today, while others may come into to play in the future.

Craft-to-Craft Communication sees Wider Use

While collision avoidance systems remain a prime use-case for craft-to-craft communication systems, expect other applications for this growing technology trend. Boeing is developing a swarming system to be used by drones for primarily military reasons, but expect swarming to have applications for commercial air flight as well.

Airplanes also generate Big Data

Somewhat related to craft-to-craft communication is a DARPA project aimed to get handle of the massive amounts of data generated by aircrafts during flight. Some of this data could be use to communicate with other airplanes, while some can help pilots to make quick and accurate in-flight decisions. The U.S. Government earmarked $200 million to improve data handling and analysis in airplanes.

Is the Age of the Flying Commuter Close at Hand?

Workers commuting to and from their jobs in personal aircraft may no longer be the stuff of science fiction. Multiple designs for jet packs are in development and some firms are working on prototypes for flying cars. This new airborne morning commute looks to be a perfect application for Boeing’s swarming system.

A New-found Interest in Aerospace Engineering Education

These newfangled aerospace technologies need bright, young minds to help foster their successful implementation. There are now 25 stand alone aerospace engineering degree programs in the United States. Over 10 percent of the new aerospace engineering jobs that opened up in 2012 were taken by students.

Aerospace jobs in Seattle are generally plentiful. If you are interested in exploring a career in this rewarding industry, talk to the engineering staffing experts at The Talley Group. One of the leading engineering agencies in the Seattle area, they can help you find a new position in aerospace engineering. Schedule some time with them today!

Those of you looking for a position in the lucrative aerospace engineering field need to check out this list of states with the highest paying jobs in aviation technology. Remember as well to take into account any local cost of living data when deciding whether to make a move to a new region.

Here are the five states where it’s financially rewarding to be an aerospace engineer.

Washington: Home to Boeing and More

Considering Boeing maintains a long tradition of aircraft manufacturing in the Seattle area, it is not surprising that Washington ranks first on the list. With Metro Seattle also home to Microsoft and many other high-tech companies, it is obviously a good place to live for anyone in the engineering field.

Kansas: Not Just a Spot on the Prairie

Somewhat surprisingly, Kansas ranked number two on the list for aerospace engineering. A robust aircraft industry in “The Sunflower State,” centered on Wichita, includes over 200 aviation suppliers that employ close to 30,000 workers.

Alabama: the Rocket Industry Thrives Here

With Huntsville earning the moniker of “The Rocket City,” it makes sense that Alabama ranks highly on a list for the highest paying aerospace jobs. The city, in the northern part of the state, is the home for the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal, where the Fed’s rocket and missile programs are located.

Connecticut: United Technologies’ Worldwide HQ

United Technologies Corporation’s subsidiaries include the helicopter giant, Sikorsky, as well as the airplane engine manufacturer, Pratt and Whitney. Considering UTC’s headquarters are in Connecticut, it stands to reason that high paying aerospace engineering jobs are plentiful here.

Florida and the Space Coast

In addition to being the location of Cape Canaveral and several Air Force bases, 500 aerospace companies also call Florida home. High paying aeronautics jobs here also have the added benefit of no state income tax.

If you are an aerospace engineer, Washington State and the Seattle area remain the place to be for a high-paying position. Spending some time with the experienced recruiters at The Talley Group is a great way the further your career. Since they are one of the top engineering staffing firms in the Seattle area, why don’t you give them a call today!

If you are looking for aerospace engineering jobs in Seattle Washington, search our job board today.