Originally Posted by
FlyingCookie33
I can only speak for Airbus due to my experience there.
A good way to become an FTE would be to join the design office of an aircraft manufacturer as an engineer, in a discipline that would give you direct exposure to flight testing such as handling qualities, control laws, Auto Pilot, aerodynamic modelling, anemometry/clinometry, systems, MAP, propulsion, basically to work as closely with the flight test department as possible, and become a bit of a technical reference to them regarding your area of expertise. Ideally you might want to work in at least two different fields related to flight testing, and have knowledge of certification requirements (Airbus have Designated Certification Specialists for example), so you're not just specialised in development flight testing, but you have a good grasp of certification flight testing too.
Any additional flying experience whether private (PPL, gliding, aerobatics, etc.) or commercial (if you have a good knowledge of how airlines / commercial pilots operate) is of course a massive bonus.
At Airbus FTEs usually have a bunch of Flight Test Support Engineers (FTSEs) working for them to help them out (the workload can be incredibly high: lots of simulator sessions, meetings, flight test requests to prepare/review, flight tests to follow in the telemetry room, tons of reports, etc.). So FTSEs have often been considered ideal candidates to become FTEs. However these days FTEs can be recruited from a broader background, so they don't only recruit FTSEs.
Finally you want to have the relevant experience by the age of 32 and definitely 35 max. New FTE positions don't come up very often, there are a lot of good CVs and aircraft manufacturers don't really recruit candidates beyond 40 years old, because of the investment it represents and the time it takes to be fully proficient.
And finally you need to have the brains to be able to graduate from the flight test school they send you to (generally EPNER in France of ETPS in the UK).
This job is one of the best if you love planes, but be careful, the workload is intense, especially during a flight test campaign, and it will most likely take over your life, so you need to keep that in mind regarding potential family plans.