Aerospace engineers typically do the following:

• Direct and coordinate the design, manufacture, and testing of aircraft and aerospace products
• Assess proposals for projects to determine if they are technically and financially feasible
• Determine if proposed projects will result in safe aircraft and parts
• Evaluate designs to see that the products meet engineering principles, customer requirements, and environmental challenges
• Develop acceptance criteria for design methods, quality standards, sustainment after delivery, and completion dates
• Ensure that projects meet quality standards
• Inspect malfunctioning or damaged products to identify sources of problems and possible solutions.

Aerospace engineers may develop new technologies for use in aviation, defense systems, and spacecraft. They often specialize in areas such as aerodynamic fluid flow; structural design; guidance, navigation, and control; instrumentation and communication; robotics; or propulsion and combustion. They can specialize in designing different types of aerospace products, such as commercial and military airplanes and helicopters; remotely piloted aircraft and rotorcraft; spacecraft, including launch vehicles and satellites; and military missiles and rockets. They often become experts in one or more related fields: aerodynamics, thermodynamics, celestial mechanics, flight mechanics, propulsion, acoustics, and guidance and control systems.