Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Test Pilot

🎯 Role Definition

The Test Pilot is a highly skilled aviator and technical leader responsible for planning, conducting, analyzing, and reporting flight test programs to verify aircraft performance, systems functionality, and compliance with certification requirements. This role combines advanced piloting proficiency with systems-level engineering judgment, flight test instrumentation knowledge, and rigorous safety and risk management. Test Pilots serve as a bridge between design engineering, certification authorities, manufacturing, and operations, providing actionable feedback to improve aircraft design, reliability, and operational procedures.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Military fighter or transport pilot with operational and instructor experience
Civil airline pilot with type-rated experience and experimental/test background
Flight Test Engineer or Experimental Test Pilot trainee (Test Pilot School graduate)

Advancement To:

Chief Test Pilot / Lead Flight Test Pilot
Director of Flight Test or Flight Test Program Manager
Head of Flight Operations or VP of Engineering (aircraft/avionics programs)

Lateral Moves:

Flight Test Engineer / Systems Engineer
Flight Operations Manager / Safety Manager
Certification Liaison (FAA/EASA) or Product Safety Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the development, review, and approval of detailed flight test plans, including objectives, test points, safety margins, instrumentation requirements, and data capture methods to validate aircraft performance and systems integration.
Conduct pre-flight technical briefings with engineering teams, flight test engineers, and maintenance personnel to ensure clear roles, risk mitigation, emergency procedures, and test-case sequencing for each sortie.
Execute advanced envelope-expansion flights and high-risk maneuvers to characterize aircraft handling qualities, performance limits, and stability margins while applying established flight test techniques and safety protocols.
Perform system-specific verification flights for avionics, flight controls (including FBW), autopilots, engine performance, fuel systems, environmental control systems, and mission systems under a variety of environmental and mission profiles.
Collect, validate, and oversee high-fidelity flight test data acquisition (telemetry, onboard instrumentation, recorders) and ensure redundant data capture for post-flight analysis and certification evidence.
Analyze flight test results using engineering tools (MATLAB, Python, Data Acquisition software) and translate raw telemetry into technical findings, trend analyses, and actionable recommendations for airframe and systems engineers.
Develop and write comprehensive flight test reports, anomaly reports, and safety findings that meet company quality standards and regulatory requirements for certification authorities (FAA, EASA, Transport Canada).
Coordinate and represent the flight test organization in technical reviews, design reviews, certification meetings, and cross-functional program reviews with stakeholders including engineering, production, and regulatory agencies.
Perform functional checks, ground runs, taxi tests, and high-power engine checks in coordination with maintenance and ground crews to validate system readiness prior to flight tests.
Conduct in-flight validation of software updates, avionics upgrades, and flight control laws, and provide detailed feedback on human-machine interface, failure modes, and operational limitations.
Lead emergency and abnormal procedures testing, including safe recovery demonstration for simulated failures, degraded modes, and contingency scenarios to ensure robust operational mitigations.
Mentor and train junior test pilots, evaluation pilots, and flight test engineers in flight test techniques, risk management, debrief discipline, and test documentation best practices.
Maintain detailed flight logs, instrumentation calibration records, configuration baselines, and test certification packages to support traceability and repeatability for ongoing testing and regulatory audits.
Act as pilot-of-record for certification flights, providing authoritative assessments and sign-off recommendations for type certificates, supplemental type certificates (STC), and special flight permits.
Participate in root-cause investigations for flight-test anomalies, providing pilot perspective to engineering failure analyses and contributing to corrective action plans.
Implement and maintain a Flight Test Safety Management System (SMS) and participate in Flight Test Safety Committee activities to continuously improve risk controls and human factors mitigations.
Supervise and coordinate chase aircraft operations, range safety, and ground-based telemetry stations to ensure comprehensive coverage and safety during test campaigns.
Plan and execute performance testing across temperature, altitude, weight-and-balance, and environmental conditions to produce certified performance charts and operational guidance for customers.
Validate aircraft maintenance procedures and field modifications by testing repair techniques, rigging changes, and system retrofits in representative flight conditions.
Support flight-test budgeting, scheduling, and logistics coordination including aircraft configurations, instrumentation installation, fuel planning, and personnel assignments to meet program milestones.
Provide direct input to system design trade studies and requirements definition by synthesizing flight-test evidence, operational experience, and pilot feedback into concise technical recommendations.
Maintain currency in high-performance and experimental aircraft operations, including simulator sessions, recurrent training, and type ratings necessary to safely execute proposed test points.
Serve as a company representative during customer flight trials, demonstrations, and acceptance flights—communicating test results, operational limitations, and recommended operating procedures.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc technical briefings, data requests, and exploratory flight test concepts initiated by engineering or product teams.
Contribute to the organization's flight test strategy, roadmap, and continuous improvement initiatives focused on instrumentation, data analytics, and safety processes.
Collaborate with business units to translate customer certification needs, field service feedback, and operational performance goals into engineering-focused flight test requirements.
Participate actively in sprint planning, integrated program reviews, and agile ceremonies when working with cross-functional engineering teams on software or systems updates.
Assist with vendor and subcontractor coordination for specialized instrumentation, telemetry services, and ground support equipment required for complex test campaigns.
Maintain and update standard operating procedures (SOPs), flight test checklists, emergency checklists, and training syllabi as aircraft configurations and systems evolve.
Provide subject-matter expertise for regulatory audits, compliance checks, and certification submissions by assembling technical packages and responding to authority queries.
Contribute to public-facing technical documentation, pilot operating handbooks, and service bulletins by supplying validated flight-test data and operational recommendations.
Support post-deployment monitoring of fielded aircraft performance by analyzing in-service reports, flight data recorder trends, and customer feedback to identify potential follow-on test needs.
Participate in cross-training programs with maintenance and engineering teams to enhance troubleshooting capabilities and reduce time-to-disposition for flight test discrepancies.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Test Pilot School graduate (e.g., USAF TPS, USN TPS, ETPS) or equivalent military/civil experimental test pilot accreditation.
Valid commercial pilot certificate with instrument rating and applicable type ratings; ATP preferred for civil roles; military equivalent highly regarded.
Extensive experience with flight test techniques: envelope expansion, handling qualities evaluation, performance testing, system safety testing.
Proficiency in flight test instrumentation systems, telemetry, data acquisition hardware and sensors (e.g., Airdata, IMU, GPS, strain gauges).
Strong data analysis skills using MATLAB, Python, R, or similar tools to process telemetry, perform signal processing, and generate test metrics.
Deep understanding of aircraft systems: propulsion, flight controls, avionics, electrical, hydraulics, and software-managed systems.
Familiarity with certification standards and processes (FAA FARs, EASA CS, Transport Canada CARs) and demonstrated experience supporting compliance evidence.
Competence in simulator-based testing, model-in-the-loop (MIL), software-in-the-loop (SIL), and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) validation techniques.
Experience drafting, reviewing, and approving formal flight test reports, technical memos, and certification documentation.
Knowledge of safety management systems (SMS), formal risk assessment methodologies (FMEA, HAZOP), and flight test safety board processes.
Proficiency with avionics suites, flight management systems (FMS), autopilot modes, and software update validation workflows.
Experience coordinating with telemetry ground stations, chase aircraft, and range safety for complex flight test operations.
Familiarity with aircraft maintenance documentation, rigging tolerances, and preflight functional checks to validate configuration baselines.
Practical knowledge of human factors, ergonomics, and cockpit interface assessment methodologies.

Soft Skills

Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to craft concise technical reports and present complex findings to multidisciplinary audiences.
Strong leadership and team coordination skills to lead flight test crews under high-pressure and safety-critical conditions.
Sound judgment and decision-making ability in dynamic in-flight situations and during pre-flight risk assessments.
Meticulous attention to detail and documentation discipline to ensure traceability, repeatability, and regulatory compliance.
Collaborative mindset—adept at working cross-functionally with engineers, maintenance, suppliers, and certification authorities.
Resilience and adaptability to operate in diverse environmental conditions and respond to evolving test program needs.
Problem-solving orientation combining operational experience with analytical rigor to isolate root causes and propose pragmatic solutions.
Coaching and mentorship capability to develop junior pilots and flight test engineers in safe, repeatable test practices.
Professionalism and customer focus for external flight demonstrations, acceptance flights, and engagements with regulatory bodies.
Time management and project planning skills to balance multiple concurrent test campaigns and meet program milestones.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related technical field; or equivalent military technical education and operational experience.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or equivalent advanced technical discipline.
Graduation from an accredited Test Pilot School (USAF TPS, USN TPS, ETPS, EPNER, etc.).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Aerospace / Aeronautical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Systems Engineering
Avionics / Electrical Engineering
Applied Mathematics / Flight Dynamics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

8–20+ years of combined operational flying and flight test experience, including substantial time as a lead test pilot or test pilot school graduate.

Preferred:

Minimum 1,000–2,000 hours in relevant aircraft types, including high-performance jets or turboprops; documented experience in experimental/flight test programs.
Prior military test pilot or civil experimental test pilot experience, with demonstrable involvement in certification flights and system validation.
Proven track record of leading flight test campaigns from planning through certification, including interfacing with FAA/EASA or equivalent regulatory authorities.