It's a supremely satisfying moment to watch a screaming new fighter jet take off down the runway to the applause of spectators – and realize you helped design it.

REX C. CURRY/Special Contributor

Rebecca Stockstill, whose work with Lockheed Martin has included the F-16, says she chose aeronautical engineering because it's challenging and exciting.

Aeronautical engineers design things that fly, including, but not limited to, military and commercial aircraft, helicopters, guided missiles, space vehicles and satellite launchers.

The thrill of working on high-profile projects and the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology are among the reasons engineers gravitate toward this specialty.

"Aero is one of the most exciting and technologically advanced areas of engineering, which is ultimately why I chose it," says Rebecca Stockstill, a flight engineer who has worked for a decade with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth.

Straight out of graduate school, she was put to work on the Army's F/A-22 fighter jet, providing support for aircraft in the field.

"The most rewarding thing is actually watching a plane you have worked on for years take off for the first time," she says.

Aerospace is a growing field again, following an employment slump that coincided with the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s. With about 652,800 workers, aerospace employment today is still only about half what it was in 1990, according to the Aerospace Industries Association (based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Compounding the need generated by industry growth, "a lot of people who entered the field in the '60s when [aerospace] was popular are now retiring," says Don Wilson, interim chairman of the University of Texas at Arlington's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. "This has created a lot of opportunities for young people."

Dr. Wilson notes that enrollment in UTA's aerospace engineering program has quadrupled in the last 10 years, accounting for 250 of the engineering school's 800 students. The university is one of only three in Texas offering a specialization in aerospace engineering (the others are the University of Texas in Austin and Texas A&M).

Two astronauts have graduated from UTA, although because of its relationship with area businesses, the school focuses more on atmospheric flight mechanics rather than astronautic or orbital flight mechanics.

Area employers are concerned about having enough engineers to meet their needs, and in some cases are coming up with some creative recruiting solutions.

"Nationwide our colleges and universities do not have the capacity to fill the needs for the foreseeable future for scientists and engineers," says Patricia Robertson, executive director of business development and management in Bell Helicopter's engineering division in Fort Worth. Aerospace companies have to compete against other industries to recruit engineering students for a finite pool of candidates, she says.

And, "because of federal regulations, many aerospace companies that do business with the Department of Defense can't allow non-U.S. citizens to work on government projects or come into contact with data, which further restricts the people we can hire," she says.

Bell Helicopter held its first "engineering boot camp" this year to introduce junior-level university students to the working environment at an aerospace company. Teams of six or seven students worked on a design problem for a week, toured the company's assembly plants and met with Bell's leadership. The strategy is to interest students "first in aerospace, then in rotocraft and then Bell Helicopter" before they reach their senior year and begin interviewing, says Ms. Robertson.

Likewise, Lockheed Martin has invested in programs from kindergarten to high school in order to interest students in math – everything from one-on-one mentoring to robot-building competitions.

"I think the entire industry is recognizing demand in the future could exceed supply," says Joe Stout, spokesman for Lockheed Martin.

"We're approaching this in a strategic way and hoping they will think of us in the future."

Although a master's degree or doctorate in aerospace engineering is a confirmed passport for entry into the field, mechanical, electrical and software engineers are also needed. Even chemical engineers are needed for research related to advanced new materials composition. In many cases, midcareer professionals can successfully transfer their skills.

businessnews@dallasnews.com

The 2007 Aviation Week Workforce Survey reported more than 40,000 job openings in North America and the European Union in the field of aeronautics.

Other findings from the survey:

Salaries: The average salary for an entry-level aerospace engineer is $71,600. Mid-career engineers (6-15 years) earn between $93,000 and $96,000 on average. Senior engineers with more than 25 years of experience average $115,600 per year.

Age: Despite continued commitment to new-graduate hiring, the industry's average age remains fairly stable at 45.

Fields of endeavor: New, environmentally sound approaches to power and propulsion and deep space exploration are among the hot areas of technological research among aerospace companies.

Citizenship: Of the 40,477 job openings by companies that responded to the survey, 45 percent require U.S. citizenship.

J. Dee Hill