PT. Smart Cakrawala Aviation is looking for a Design Engineer in Aerodynamics & Flight Sciences to join our Design Organisation Approval (DOA) Class C team for small aircraft (CASR Part 21 / Part 23), within the Office of Airworthiness / Design Engineering Department.
In this role you will be the lead engineer for the aerodynamic side of aircraft modifications: producing design data, estimating aerodynamic loads for the structures team, evaluating how external installations affect performance, stability, and handling, and preparing the compliance evidence needed for airworthiness approval.
Responsibilities
- Calculate lift, drag, and aerodynamic moments on external modifications (sensor pods, cameras, dispenser funnels, antennas, fairings) across the critical speed envelope (VA, VC, VNE/VD), and pass the resulting loads to the CVE / DE Structures as the basis for structural substantiation.
- Estimate drag penalties and their effect on aircraft performance (rate of climb, take-off and landing limits, fuel consumption), and draft Aircraft Flight Manual Supplements (AFMS) or POH Supplements.
- Assess the qualitative impact of aerodynamic changes on static stability, trim characteristics, and possible buffet or airflow disturbance on the tail and control surfaces.
- Prepare Engineering Reports, Compliance Statements, and technical justification showing compliance with CASR Part 23, in particular Subpart B (Flight Requirements) and CASR 23.831 (ventilation, contamination-free airflow).
- Develop qualitative Flight Test Requirements and Procedures together with operational pilots to verify flight characteristics and the function of each modification.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree (S1) in Aerospace / Aeronautical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering from an accredited university. A Master's degree (S2) in Aerospace Engineering specialising in aerodynamics, flight mechanics, or thermofluids is preferred.
- 1 to 3 years of experience in aircraft aerodynamics or aircraft modification, for example in the aerospace industry, a modification facility, MRO engineering, or an aerodynamics research institution.
- Fresh graduates with a relevant thesis or an aerodynamic / aircraft performance analysis portfolio are welcome to apply and will work under supervision.
- Solid grasp of applied aerodynamics: fluid flow theory, airfoil and 3D wing characteristics, drag build-up analysis, and force estimation across angles of attack and sideslip.
- Able to extract aerodynamic loads (lift, drag, side force, moments) on external components for hand-over to the structures team.
- Able to calculate performance changes (take-off, climb gradient, cruise, landing) caused by added parasite / form drag.
- Proficient with semi-empirical and rapid methods (DATCOM, Hoerner Fluid-Dynamic Drag correlations) or panel method / vortex lattice tools (OpenVSP / VSPAERO).
- Familiar with CASR Part 23 Subpart B (controllability, trim, stability, stalls, performance) and CASR Part 21 design change procedures.
- Able to communicate technically and write engineering reports in both Bahasa Indonesia and English.
Good to Have
- Hands-on experience with aircraft modification, civil airworthiness certification (CASR/FAR Part 23 or Part 25), or qualitative flight testing.
- 3D CFD experience with OpenFOAM, ANSYS Fluent, or STAR-CCM+ for complex flow visualisation and separation / wake verification.
- Scientific programming in Python, GNU Octave, or MATLAB to automate aerodynamic calculations.
- Experience modelling 6-DOF flight dynamics for dynamic control response analysis.
Competencies
Applied Aerodynamics | Aero-Loads | Aircraft Performance & AFM | CASR Part 23 / Part 21 | Semi-Empirical Methods | CFD & Scripting | Technical Reporting
