Today, aircraft typically only require two flight crew: the pilot and the co-pilot. But this was not always the case. Before the development of more sophisticated microprocessors and computers, various larger commercial aircraft needed a flight engineer to help monitor the aircraft and ensure it was functioning properly.

The march towards autonomous systems continues. The prospect of pilotless commercial aircraft is becoming increasingly feasible with advancements in technology. With military aircraft, the new B-21 Raider strategic bomber is known to be optionally manned, while the Tempest/GCAP sixth-generation fighter jet is also being developed to be optionally manned. But while pilotless commercial aircraft may still be a long way off, the role of flight engineer has long been eliminated. Here is what to know about the last US-built aircraft to have a flight engineer.

The Role Of The Flight Engineer

Flight engineers (also called PFEs or air engineers) were once essential to flying, and they were responsible for managing and operating the airplane’s complex systems. Flight engineers would work closely with the pilots, particularly during takeoff and landing, to ensure everything ran smoothly. They were found on larger airplanes as well as some helicopters and spacecraft.

FAA type certificates require certain types of aircraft to have flight engineers. Boeing examples include the Boeing 307, Boeing 377, Boeing 707, Boeing 727, and early model Boeing 747s. Douglas aircraft needing them included the DC-6, DC-7, and early models of the DC-8 and DC-10. Other examples include early Lockheed L-1011 TriStars, early Airbus A300s, and the Lockheed Constellation.

Smaller twin-engine jets like the Boeing 737, DC-9, and Caravelle were not considered complex enough to require a flight engineer. Meanwhile, by the time widebody jets like the Airbus A310, Airbus A300-600, Boeing 767, McDonnell Douglas MD-11, and later Jumbo models were built, technology had advanced to the point that they were no longer needed.

End Of Flight Engineers

These days, the aircraft’s complex systems are monitored and adjusted by onboard microprocessors and computers, rendering the role of a flight engineer redundant. At the same time, all the older commercial aircraft that require a flight engineer have retired from scheduled passenger service with US-based airlines. The flight engineer is one of those roles, like telephone operators, that new technological advancements create, only to be made redundant by subsequent technological advancements.

From the 1980s, small and powerful integrated circuits, along with other advancements, were developed, including digital technology. Today, modern aircraft are two-pilot flight deck airplanes. The air freighter industry tends to operate aircraft for longer than the commercial passenger sector. FedEx continued to operate DC-10s until 2021. These were originally delivered with a flight engineer’s station, but had been subsequently upgraded to the MD-10 standard, eliminating that role.

The mostly historic role of a flight engineer in the cockpit should not be confused with that of a Licensed Aircraft Engineer (LAE). Skybrary defines the role of an LAE as « A person who has been trained as an aircraft engineer and holds a licence issued by a NAA which allows them to certify work carried out on an aircraft. »

Last US-Made Commercial Airplane With Flight Engineer

What was the last US airplane built with a flight engineer station? The answer varies depending on what aircraft are considered. The military continued to purchase military variants of the Boeing 707 (as the E-3 Sentry and E-6 Mercury), requiring a flight engineer after commercial production had ceased.

More recently, Northrop Grumman’s subsidiary, Scaled Composites, delivered the Model 351 Stratolaunch (aka Roc). By some measures, Roc is the largest aircraft flying today and is used as a mothership. It is partly built from recycled Boeing 747 Jumbos, and only one example has been built. The aircraft has two pilots and one flight engineer.

The final US-built commercial aircraft with a flight engineer may have been a Boeing 747-200F (delivered after the final Boeing 747-300). It was initially registered as JA8194 and delivered to Nippon Cargo Airlines, and is now registered EP-FAB flying for Fars Air Qeshm in Iran. That aircraft (MSN 25171) was the last Boeing 747 Classic built, is 33.7 years old, and remains active today. There were later military aircraft with flight engineers like the Boeing E-3D Sentry (registered ZH107), based on the Boeing 707, built for the Royal Air Force. That example was delivered in 1992, but was broken up in 2023.

Aircraft Still Requiring A Flight Engineer

The role of flight engineer is a disappearing one, but it still exists. The last major freighter to use flight engineers was FedEx when it retired the last of its Boeing 727s in 2013. Meanwhile, Northwest’s Boeing 747-200s were likely the last passenger aircraft from a major US carrier to use flight engineers. These Boeing 747-200s were used as charter flights in their final years, retiring in 2009. There are still very few old civilian aircraft flying that need flight engineers.

Today, it is more common to find flight engineers on military aircraft and old Soviet/Russian-built aircraft. The iconic An-225 required multiple flight engineers, while the An-124 Ruslan, the largest military transport flying today, requires a chief flight engineer and an electrical flight engineer (a total crew of six). The US Air Force C-5M Super Galaxy requires two flight engineers.

Boeing didn’t eliminate the need for a flight engineer in its Boeing 747 Jumbos until the 747-400. The Air Force’s VC-25 ‘Air Force One’ Presidential transports are based on the 747-200B and require flight engineers. The Boeing E-4 Nightwatch (Doomsday airplane) is also based on the 747-200 and likely requires a flight engineer. New military aircraft are sometimes a mix of futuristic and, from a commercial standpoint, aging or obsolete aircraft. For example, while the sixth-generation F-47 fighter jet will represent the cutting edge of technology, the Air Force is purchasing the KC-46A tanker based on the Boeing 767, which has been superseded by the 787.

Making A Comeback In Russia?

There may yet be one corner of the world where commercial aircraft could once again be built with flight engineers. In 2022, the West imposed crippling sanctions on Russia’s aviation industry, effectively halting its commercial aircraft production overnight. As of mid-2025, Russia has failed to deliver any commercial aircraft, barring a few Superjets assembled with pre-stocked components.

As Russia is cut off from purchasing Western components, it is looking backwards to restarting production of old Soviet-era obsolete passenger jets like the Tupolev Tu-214/Tu-204 and Ilushin Il-96. While Russia produced updated variants, these variants were produced with no-longer-available Western components. According to the BBC, writing in December 2024, Russia is considering putting the older, more obsolete, but simpler variants back into production.

These old Il-96s and Tu-214s require flight crews of three and have very low levels of automation. Pilots need to keep track of things like making sure the wings remain balanced with the same amount of fuel. In order to fly these aircraft, Russia would need to reopen a training school for flight engineers and to train pilots to fly antiquated systems. It’s unclear if these aircraft will actually be made. Aeroflot has stated it doesn’t want the Tu-214s, while FlightGlobal reported in 2024 that Russia was looking for ways to give it a flight crew of two.

The Cases For 1991 & 2019

The final commercial aircraft with flight engineers was built in the United States until 1991, while military examples continued for another year or so. Commercial aircraft that need flight engineers have, by and large, all been retired. Some aircraft (like FedEx’s DC-10s) were also retrofitted later in life to eliminate the need for a flight engineer. It is possible Russia could soon put examples of obsolete commercial aircraft requiring flight engineers, including the Il-96 and Tu-214, back into production.

The most recent example of an aircraft built with a flight engineer is the unique Scaled Composites Model 351 Stratolaunch. That distinctive twin-boom, six-engined aircraft has components of two stripped-down Jumbos and is currently used to launch test hypersonic missiles. The aircraft is sparingly flown, having only flown around 25 times since 2019.

While it is possible to find examples of commercial aircraft flying with flight engineers around the world, more are found in military service. This includes modified Boeing 747-200s in US Air Force service and Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy strategic airlifters. It is also common with operators of Soviet-era aircraft. There will continue to be an ever-narrowing niche for flight engineers for years to come. The final American commercial aircraft requiring a flight engineer rolled off the production line in 1991.