Originally Posted by Tester07
The suggestion that a graduate test pilot with a high performance background would not know how to test a light aircraft is far from being a correct statement. I think on reflection you would probably like to re-word that one!
As trained, I don't believe that they would.
Without a doubt, they'll have the ability to learn how to do so, and relatively quickly. But so far as I know, such a graduate will not
yet be familiar with the issues of owner-maintenance, grass-strip operation, civil certification practice, sub-ICAO regulation, B-conditions requirements, appropriate workload for barely qualified PPLs, typical light civil GA operating practice...
Which isn't a criticism of them, TPS graduates are trained - extremely well - for a particular job; but the ability to competently test-fly a new fast jet doesn't automatically encompass testing any other fixed wing aeroplane.
Role relation!
smaller companies do make more use of non-graduate pilots, I suppose because they cannot afford the training.
When 10+ light aeroplanes can cost less than a year at TPS, and the supply of ex-military school graduates is small and expensive, clearly many companies can't afford graduate TPs. But, in many organisations TPs also started life as engineers or company pilots in other roles, and have many years of type and organisation experience (and testing experience). That may make them a better choice than a TPS graduate, or sometimes the only choice available.
I'm not, repeat not, TPS bashing - they remain unsurprisingly the worldwide centres of excellence for TP training; however it is still the case that there are some damned good TPs out there as good as any school product. For example, many of the pilots at
Scaled Composites where if I read the bios correctly, only one out of the 4 Spaceship One pilots is a TPS graduate.
G