Somek... a different perspective.
The secondary skill field I am recommending to You is Materials and [fabrication] Processes, IE: M&P engineering.
I have an aero degree and have been in production, liaison, tooling, service, design and materials/processes/parts engineering sides of the business since 1979. In my very first job with a small GA aircraft manufacturer [1979] I was eventually assigned as the liaison engineer for the fabrication group... and had the privilege to see parts that were mere lines on paper become real-world parts... that came-together in another building as real assemblies... that came-together as real airplanes. I was forced to learn the M&P side of the business in a hurry, but had the benefit of some great M&P engineers that had been in the aircraft manufacturing/service business for decades. That 1st job made me realize all real-world aircraft/aerospace vehicles are made from real PARTS: cut, machined, cast, forged, stretches/bent/formed, bonded/cured, etc from metallic and non-metallic materials; and that pre-designed [procurable] hardware such as bolts, nuts, rivets, washers, bushes, bearings, wire-rope, electrical/electronic wires and connectors, tubing and fittings, fuel bladders, caps, valves, engines, instruments, etc all made to rigid M&P generated specifications for consistency and reliability.
I learned that these parts/materials have great capabilities and unique properties; but also came with limitations and critical criteria that must be verified/validated/inspected during design/production, and post production, to ensure that design goals of strength stiffness, lightness, reliability and durability are met. Often, seemingly minor design factors and/or deviations from established manufacturing and assembly norms can cause substantial loss of optimum properties mentioned in the last paragraph.
Reason why I encourage You to pursue M&P as a secondary skill set. SADLY the skill field of ‘pure M&P engineers’ is populated by engineers in love with M&P to the point that the parts they help design/manufacture are 'just parts'... and their use in the real-world aircraft... with all their strengths/limitation/liabilities/compromises/maintenance-issues/etc are relatively meaningless to this group. In-other-words, most of those ‘pure’ M&P engineers today would be equally happy/relevant working in/on: aerospace, diesel engines, automotive, farm-equipment, appliances, medical equipment, etc… parts design/fabrication.
To actually be/become an aero engineer with M&P knowledge means you will be able to demystify the selection/application of the materials, processes and parts that go into the final aircraft/aerospace vehicle that operates in the 'real-world' [or real-off-world] environment. Many times the material selection is the most excruciating part of my job because there is no such thing as the perfect material or finish.
Hey… if You love spacecraft… look into the research reports generated from the Long Duration Exposure Facility [LDEF] experiment placed in orbit by the Space Shuttle Challenger [1984] and retrieved from orbit by SS Columbia in 1990. Hundreds of materials and finishes were flown on the satellite ‘bus’ for almost 4-years longer than ever anticipated. The loss of Challenger caused NASA to soul-search whether to risk retrieval of the LDEF, or-NOT: however, materials scientists finally 'got-across to NASA management' how valuable the findings would be! Sure-enough, the scientific results were fascinating and eye-opening with many implications for space vehicle designs!
Regards, Wil Taylor
o Trust - But Verify!
o We believe to be true what we prefer to be true.
o For those who believe, no proof is required; for those who cannot believe, no proof is possible.
o Unfortunately, in science what You 'believe' is irrelevant. ["Orion"]
o Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist. [Picasso]
