Editing Flight engineer (section)

== History ==
In order to dedicate a person to monitor an aircraft's engines and its other critical flight systems, the position of "flight engineer" (FE) was created. The FE did not actually fly the airplane; instead, the FE's position had a specialized control panel allowing for the monitoring and control of various aircraft systems. The FE is therefore an integrated member of the flight deck crew who works in close coordination with the two pilots during all phases of flight.

Traditionally, the FE station has been usually placed on the main flight deck just aft of the pilot and copilot, and close to the [[navigator]]. Earlier referred to as a "flight mechanic" on the four-engine commercial [[seaplane]]s like the [[Sikorsky S-42]], [[Martin M-130]] and the [[Boeing 314 Clipper]], the FE's role was referred to as an "engineer" (much like a ship's engineer) on the first very large flying boat, the [[Dornier Do X]]. On the Do X the FE operated a large and complex engineering station similar to later large transport aircraft to monitor the twelve engines.

The first US military aircraft to include a FE was the [[Consolidated PBY Catalina|Consolidated PBY]] which was introduced into naval service in 1936. The FE panel was located in the pylon between the fuselage and the wing. The FE did not have ignition, throttle and propeller controls, thus a person in the cockpit was also required to start the engines.<ref>US Navy. Pilot's Handbook Model PBY-5 Flying Boat</ref>

During the war the [[Avro Lancaster]] and [[Handley Page Halifax]] [[bomber]]s employed FEs, as these large aircraft employed only a single pilot. The first Allied military operation during the Second World War involving FEs occurred in February 1941 with a [[Short Stirling]]; it was the first four-engined bomber-raid of the war by the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]].<ref>Stringman, D.C. (Flt. Lt.). ''The History of the Air Engineer: Training in the Royal Air Force'', U.K.: RAF Finningley, 1984, pp. 39–43.</ref>