Aeronautical Telecommunications Engineer: a hybrid craft

Published: Tuesday, 18 July 2017 15:53

Basically an engineer, specialist in aeronautical telecommunications must go through continuous training to acquire complementary and specialized knowledge.

In general, there is no direct training of aeronautical telecommunications engineers. There are however several ways to become a specialist in aeronautical telecommunications.

Most at times, when there is no particular specialisation training course in civil aviation engineer, the holder of a diploma in telecommunications, electronics, electrical engineering or computer engineering is continuously trained to acquire additional knowledge and enable him become a specialist in aeronautical telecommunications. In addition, the National School of Civil Aviation in France (ENAC) offers a Master's Degree in Communication, Navigation and Satellite Surveillance (CNS), which also gives engineers from the above fields, the capacity of becoming telecommunications specialists.

Basically, gaining access to any training engineering is conditioned by obtaining an A/Level in the Science series or A/Level in Technical studies.

Any aeronautical telecommunications specialist must thereafter follow a path that includes three steps: a basic training which lasts two years and permits u gain basic knowledge in mathematics; A specialisation phase which lasts three years and which makes it possible to acquire technical training in one of the aforementioned fields; And finally a series of modules generally offered by the major aviation schools such as the African School of Meteorology and Civil Aviation (EAMAC) in Niamey, the National School of Civil Aviation (ENAC) in Toulouse, the Administrative Civil Aviation Authority Training Centre-Singapore, and many others.

This training permits the young engineer to take up studies and supervisory positions in a Civil Aviation Administration, Organisations in charge of air navigation for the installation and maintenance of Electrical equipment and aeronautical radio, air transport companies and to the computer applications, electronics in multiple sectors related to civil aviation.

The aeronautical telecommunications specialist is an engineer in charge of the systems and techniques for the implementation of all fixed and mobile sets and related equipment in the field of aeronautical telecommunications. It therefore intervenes in the planning process of aeronautical telecommunication systems in the broad sense of the term. These include radio navigation aids (VOR, ILS, DME), radar surveillance and anti-collision systems (ACAS, EGWPS), digital data communication and voice communications (VHF, HF) systems.

For the implementation of all these systems, it is also responsible for the elaboration and / or monitoring of telecommunications procedures, including those that are similar to the procedures for air navigation services and participate in spectrum management of aeronautical radio frequencies.