Excellent advice above, just a few further thoughts:
- Time spent constructing good clear test cards will not be wasted: a standard PLOG isn't appropriate to the task. If your Captain is an experienced flight tester they should be able to give you examples. Always get enough information down on the cards to report without whatever automated data taking is also there.
- The crew should be current enough on the manoeuvres to be flown on a "known good" airframe before conducting them for test purposes.
- Try and schedule it in a manner that avoids unwanted time pressures; if you need to take an extra half hour briefing or debriefing, it should be available to you. Take a long time over the brief, make sure you are both fully happy with the test cards, talk through each manoeuvre.
- It is dangerously easy on tests like this for both crew to get heads-in worrying about the tests. Make sure that one of you is attending to all the usual airmanship/management/lookout issues at all times. I've been known to use "I have lookout", "You have lookout" in this environment, in a similar manner to "I have control", etc which works well. This is a layer of activity on top of everything else you are already trained to do, and needs to be recognised as such.
- Always have agreed "knock it off" criteria throughout. If you reach them, just RTB, if things are going "funny" debate it on the ground, not in the air.
- Lots of free information at
Flight Test Safety Committee that's worth reading through.
G