Above: Engineer Aidan Sesnic gives a tour of the factory where he works on 737 flight decks. (Vanessa Misciagna photo © Boeing)

Flight deck engineer Aidan Sesnic knows that every detail matters when it comes to airplane design and manufacturing. 

When Sesnic was 16, a friend of his died in a light plane crash. Years later, that personal connection still serves as a defining event that motivates his engineering work at Boeing. He says he finds purpose in emphasizing safety in his engineering work. 

• “It shows you that there’s a lot riding on every little decision that you make,” he said. “There’s a lot of people who I know personally who are relying on the safety of our products every day.”

A dream realized: In his role, Sesnic designs and certifies flight deck components on the 737. He’s been an employee at Boeing for about three years, but he’s been dreaming of an aerospace career for as long as he can remember. 

When he graduated high school in Colorado, he asked his family for a trip to Washington state so he could take the Boeing factory tour. 

• “I remember just being amazed and in awe that I was really here,” he said. 

Staying curious and creative: Though Sesnic relies on his technical knowledge in everyday engineering work, he finds ways to lean on his creativity as well. 

• “I would say creativity is a necessary part of the job,” he said. 

His creativity also feeds his curiosity, which has helped him solve problems. Early in his Boeing career, his team was working on quality issues with ashtrays in the flight deck. Sesnic wondered about the need for ashtrays decades after smoking had been banned on airplanes. 

• “It may sound trivial, but there’s a lot work to do to both go through the process of designing and certifying and proving it’s safe and making sure you understand the downstream impacts on your customers,” he said. 

Why it matters: Design changes typically aren’t just one tweak away from being complete, he said. It takes teams of people and a bit of creativity — while adhering to regulations — to get the job done safely.

• “I think it’s important to everybody at The Boeing Company that we further the cause of safety,” he said.