Difference between aircraft maintenance and engineering

What is the difference between aircraft maintenance and aircraft engineering for a degree in the UK? Aren't they do the same thing?

Reply 1

Mara1680

Original post by Nicolas.

What is the difference between aircraft maintenance and aircraft engineering for a degree in the UK? Aren't they do the same thing?

I would imagine that maintenance is literally what it says - maintenance. Which systems need to be maintained, how often, who is qualified to do so etc.

Whereas engineering would be more to do with things like how does an aircraft operate, what kind of forces are acting on it in different scenarios, what design features have to be taken into account etc.

Reply 2

mnot

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by Nicolas.

What is the difference between aircraft maintenance and aircraft engineering for a degree in the UK? Aren't they do the same thing?

In the UK the term engineering is used very broadly, however in general I would say engineering is about the application of physics to solve problems/generate solutions. So sircraft or aerospace engineering is inherently scientific - it's about understanding how you can use physics to create aircraft for a specific need whilst considering a wide variety of factors (environmental, cost, lifecycle, available materials...), and aircraft engineering is in itself a complex web of many systems combined together.

Aircraft maintenance is what it says on the tin, it is about the management of the product in the "field", ensuring it is within tolerance and up to certain specifications to ensure consumer/commercial viability and safety.

They are fundamentally different things. Now it gets complex because many people who work in aircraft maintenance will describe themselves as engineers and the jobs often described as "hands-on" engineering.