Flight engineer

Aflight engineer(FE), also sometimes called anair engineer,is the member of anaircraft'sflight crewwho monitors and operates its complexaircraft systems.In the early era of aviation, the position was sometimes referred to as the "air mechanic". Flight engineers can still be found on some largerfixed-wingairplanesandhelicopters.A similar crew position exists on somespacecraft.In most modern aircraft, their complex systems are both monitored and adjusted by electronicmicroprocessorsandcomputers,resulting in the elimination of the flight engineer's position.

A flight engineer on anAvro Lancasterchecks settings on the control panel from the fold down seat he used for take off in the cockpit

In earlier days, most larger aircraft were designed and built with a flight engineer's position. For U.S. civilian aircraft that require a flight engineer as part of the crew, the flight engineer must possess an FAA Flight Engineer Certificate with reciprocating, turboprop, or turbojet ratings appropriate to the aircraft. Whereas the four-engine Douglas DC-4 did not require a flight engineer, the FAA type certificates of subsequent four-engine reciprocating engine airplanes (Boeing 307and377,DC-6,DC-7,Constellation) and early two-, three- and four-engine jets (Boeing 707,727,early747s,DC-8,DC-10,L-1011,earlyA300s) required them. Smallertwinjets(DC-9,737,BAC 1-11,Caravelle,Dassault Mercure) were never complex enough to require a flight engineer, while later large two, three, and four-engine jets (Airbus A310,A300-600,Boeing 767,MD-11,747-400,and later) were designed with sufficient automation as to eliminate the need for the position.

History

In order to dedicate a person to monitor an aircraft's engines and its other critical flight systems, the position of "flight engineer" (FE) was created. The FE did not actually fly the airplane; instead, the FE's position had a specialized control panel allowing for the monitoring and control of various aircraft systems. The FE is therefore an integrated member of the flight deck crew who works in close coordination with the two pilots during all phases of flight.

Traditionally, the FE station has been usually placed on the main flight deck just aft of the pilot and copilot, and close to thenavigator.Earlier referred to as a "flight mechanic" on the four-engine commercialseaplaneslike theSikorsky S-42,Martin M-130and theBoeing 314 Clipper,the FE's role was referred to as an "engineer" (much like a ship's engineer) on the first very large flying boat, theDornier Do X.On the Do X the FE operated a large and complex engineering station similar to later large transport aircraft to monitor the twelve engines.

The first US military aircraft to include a FE was theConsolidated PBYwhich was introduced into naval service in 1936. The FE panel was located in the pylon between the fuselage and the wing. The FE did not have ignition, throttle and propeller controls, thus a person in the cockpit was also required to start the engines.

During the war theAvro LancasterandHandley Page Halifaxbombersemployed FEs, as these large aircraft employed only a single pilot. The first Allied military operation during the Second World War involving FEs occurred in February 1941 with aShort Stirling;it was the first four-engined bomber-raid of the war by theRAF.

Duties

The cockpit of a non-operational four-engineIlyushin Il-86,with its flight engineer's station at right

The flight engineer ( "air engineer" in the Royal Air Force) is primarily concerned with the operation and monitoring of all aircraft systems,and is required to diagnose, and where possible rectify or eliminate, any faults that may arise. On most multi-engine airplanes, the FE sets and adjusts engine power during takeoff, climb, cruise, go-arounds, or at any time the pilot flying requests a specific power setting to be set during the approach phase. The FE sets and monitors major systems,including fuel, pressurization and air conditioning, hydraulic, electrics (engine driven generators,auxiliary power units), gas turbine compressor/air turbine motor (APU, GTC, ATM), ice and rain protection (engine and nacelle anti-ice, window heat, probe heater), oxygen, fire and overheat protection of all systems, liquid cooling system, draw through cooling system, forced air cooling system, and powered flying controls.

FEs are also responsible for preflight and postflight aircraft inspections, and ensuring that the weight and balance of the aircraft is correctly calculated to ensure thecentre of gravityis within limits.On airplanes where the FE's station is located on the same flight deck just aft of the two pilots (all western three- and four-man deck airplanes), they also monitor an aircraft's flight path, speed, and altitude. A significant portion of their time is spent cross checking pilot selections. The FE is the systems expert of the airplane with an extensive mechanical and technical knowledge of aircraft systems and aircraft performance.On some military airplanes (Lockheed C-5 Galaxy,Boeing E-3 Sentry,McDonnell Douglas KC-10) the FE sits behind the co-pilot in thecockpit,facing outboard to operate a panel of switches, gauges and indicators or forward to operate throttles, lighting controls, flight controls. On theTupolev Tu-134the FE sits in the nose of the aircraft. On other western military airplanes, such as on theLockheed P-3 OrionandLockheed C-130H Hercules,FEs sit between, slightly aft of (and, in the case of the C-130A-H models, slightly higher than) the pilots. On the P-3 Orion, E-6B Mercury and E-3 Sentry the FE is responsible for starting and shutting down engines at the start and end of each flight, and also during in-flight shutdowns which are carried out to save fuel on long range operations. In some militaries, the aircraft's FE is also authorised to make and certify repairs to the aircraft when it is away from its base. This can eliminate the need for technical repair crews to accompany the aircraft on short deployments.

On civilian airplanes the FE is positioned so that they can monitor the forward instruments, pilot selections and adjust the thrust levers located on the centre pedestal; the FE's chair can travel forward and aft and it can swivel laterally 90 degrees, which enables them to face forward and set the engine power, then move aft and rotate sideways to monitor and set the systems panel. The FE is the aircraft systems expert onboard and responsible for troubleshooting and suggesting solutions to in-flight emergencies and abnormal technical conditions, as well as computingtakeoffandlandingdata. The FE's seat on modern aircraft has a complete range of motion (side to side, forward to aft, swivel, up and down) to accommodate the many positions required to monitor and operate the aircraft systems.

Flight engineers on military aircraft are sometimes responsible for operating weapons systems like the top turret on thisConsolidated B-24 Liberator.

The basic philosophy of a three-person flight deck in many flight operations, should an abnormality or emergency arise, is for the captain to hand over the actual flying of the aircraft to the first officer (co-pilot). The captain and FE together review and carry out the necessary actions required to contain and rectify the problem. This spreads the workload and ensures a system of cross-checking which maximizes safety. The captain is the manager and decision maker (pilot not flying, PNF), the first officer, or co-pilot, is the actual flier of the aircraft (pilot flying, PF), and the FE reads the check-lists and executes actions required under the auspices of the captain. There can be occasions when the roles of the pilots during an emergency are reversed, i.e. the copilot becomes the PNF and the captain becomes the PF; one such example was on theA300B-Series aircraft when there was a complete loss of generator-supplied electrical power, whereupon the standby instruments that were powered were on the captain's side only, requiring the captain to be PF and the PNF and FE to resolve the issue.

DuringWorld War IImany U.S.bomberaircraft incorporated a flight engineer's position. However, this position also doubled as a gunner, usually operating the upper turret, as was the case of theBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress.On some commercial airliners with a flight engineer, the FE is the third in command, after the captain andfirst officer.

Regulation

Unlike commercial pilots, theFederal Aviation Administrationnever set a mandatory retirement age for flight engineers. As a result, some pilots would voluntarily downgrade themselves when turning 60.This policy was the subject of twoU.S. Supreme Courtcases in 1985, when it ruled againstWestern Airlinesthat forced retirement of flight engineers based on the regulations for pilots was a violation of theAge Discrimination in Employment Act.Earlier in the year it had rejected a policy that prevented pilots from "bumping" flight engineers from their positions upon the former reaching retirement age.

Elimination

Flight engineer's station in aBoeing 747-200ofSwissair.Early 747 models were among the last commercial airliners to utilize a flight engineer.

Starting in the 1980s, the development of powerful and smallintegrated circuitsand other advances incomputersand digital technology eliminated the need for flight engineers on airliners and many modern military aircraft.

On two-pilot flight deck airplanes, sensors and computers monitor and adjust systems automatically.There is no onboard technical expert and third pair of eyes. If a malfunction, abnormality or emergency occurs, it is displayed on an electronic display panel. One pilot does the flying while the other pilot starts reading and executing the quick reference handbook (QRH) to resolve the problem. Modern technological advancements in today's aircraft have reduced the dependence upon human control over systems.

The most recent aircraft built with FE stations include military variants of theBoeing 707,such as theE-3 SentryandE-6 Mercury,both built through 1991,theTupolev Tu-154,the final example of which was delivered in 2013,and theScaled Composites Stratolaunchwhose sole example first flew in 2019.The last major US passenger airline to fly aircraft equipped with a flight engineer's station wasNorthwest Airlines,who retired their final 747-200s from charter service in 2009.The final major cargo operator to employ flight engineers wasFedEx Expresswhen they retired the last of their 727s in 2013.FedEx continued to operate the DC-10 until the end of 2022, all of which were originally delivered with a flight engineer's station, however all examples that were still in the fleet had been converted to MD-10 standard, which provided for a two-crew cockpit.

See also

• Flight management system

References

External videos
B-29 Flight Engineer