flight engineer

American  

noun

1. a member of an aircraft crew responsible for the mechanical systems, fueling, and servicing of the craft.

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flight engineer British  

noun

1. the member of an aircraft crew who is responsible for the operation of the aircraft's systems, including the engines, during flight

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Etymology

Origin of flight engineer

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flight engineer

He later traveled to the station aboard Soyuz MS-05, serving as a flight engineer for Expedition 52 and commander of Expedition 53.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026

Reid Wiseman is a US Navy test pilot turned astronaut, who spent six months on the International Space Station in 2014 as a flight engineer on Expedition 40.

From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026

Mission commander and veteran space pilot Zhang Lu will be accompanied by 32-year-old flight engineer Wu Fei, China's youngest astronaut to undertake a space mission, and payload specialist Zhang Hongzhang, 39.

From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2025

In the 1950s, commercial aircraft cockpits were more crowded, typically with a captain, first officer or co-pilot, a flight engineer, a navigator and a radio operator.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 25, 2022

At 01:42 and 22 seconds, the flight engineer said again, “Go around.”

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell