In aviation, a flight engineer (FE) is a member of the aircrew of some aircraft. The flight engineer is responsible for monitoring and controlling many of the aircraft systems during flight.
The first airplanes only had a single operator: the pilot. The pilot was responsible for flying the airplane, navigating, and ensuring that all systems worked correctly. The pilot had to have a great deal of knowledge of the technical details of the airplane,...
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In aviation, a flight engineer (FE) is a member of the aircrew of some aircraft. The flight engineer is responsible for monitoring and controlling many of the aircraft systems during flight.
The first airplanes only had a single operator: the pilot. The pilot was responsible for flying the airplane, navigating, and ensuring that all systems worked correctly. The pilot had to have a great deal of knowledge of the technical details of the airplane, or disaster could occur from mis-handling or failure to recognize and execute corrective action of a minor malfunction. There was also the danger of CFIT (Controlled Flight Into Terrain) due to loss of spatial awareness because the pilot was focused on trying to correct a malfunction.
As airplanes became larger and more complex, and as longer flight durations became possible, a co-pilot was added to the crew to spread the workload and enhance safety. The copilot assisted the pilot or airplane commander in the flying of the airplane. They...
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