Editing Flight engineer (section)

{{Short description|Air crew member responsible for systems monitoring}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2009}}
[[File: Lancaster flight engineer WWII IWM CH 12289.jpg|thumb|A flight engineer on an [[Avro Lancaster]] checks settings on the control panel from the fold down seat he used for take off in the cockpit]]

A '''flight engineer''' ('''FE'''), also sometimes called an '''air engineer''', is a member of an [[aircraft]]'s [[flight crew]] who is responsible for monitoring and operating its complex [[aircraft systems]]. In the early era of aviation, the position was sometimes referred to as the "air mechanic". Flight engineers can still be found on some larger [[Fixed-wing aircraft|fixed-wing]] [[airplane]]s and [[helicopter]]s. A similar crew position exists on some [[spacecraft]]. In most modern aircraft, their complex systems are both monitored and adjusted by electronic [[microprocessor]]s and [[computer]]s, resulting in the elimination of the flight engineer's position.

In earlier days, most larger aircraft were designed and built with a flight engineer's position. For U.S. civilian aircraft that require a flight engineer as part of the crew, the flight engineer must possess an FAA Flight Engineer Certificate with reciprocating, turboprop, or turbojet ratings appropriate to the aircraft. Whereas the four-engine Douglas DC-4 did not require a flight engineer, the FAA type certificates of subsequent four-engine reciprocating engine airplanes ([[Boeing 307]] and [[Boeing 377|377]], [[ Douglas DC-6|DC-6]], [[Douglas DC-7|DC-7]], [[Lockheed Constellation|Constellation]]) and early two-, three- and four-engine jets ([[Boeing 707]], [[Boeing 727|727]], early [[Boeing 747|747s]], [[McDonnell Douglas DC-8|DC-8]], [[DC-10]], [[Lockheed L-1011|L-1011]], early [[Airbus A300|A300s]]) required them. Smaller [[twinjet]]s ([[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|DC-9]], [[Boeing 737|737]], [[BAC One-Eleven|BAC 1-11]], [[Sud Aviation Caravelle|Caravelle]], [[Dassault Mercure]]) were never complex enough to require a flight engineer, while later large two, three, and four-engine jets ([[Airbus A310]], [[A300-600]], [[Boeing 767]], [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11|MD-11]], [[747-400]], and later) were designed with sufficient automation as to eliminate the need for the position.