Regarding the "qualified test pilot non-debate". There's always been more or less subtle conflicts between pilots with different backgrounds. Hearsay has it that Chuck Yeager questioned Neil Armstrong's abilities because he was not only a pilot, but also a qualified engineer. (and to the best of my knowledge, none of of them attended any "test pilot school"). If the scaled pilots were not qualified, I have no doubt at all that the NTSB will uncover that. If there ever was a red herring, the question about the pilots qualifications is a prime example.
Last edited by deptrai; 5th Nov 2014 at 05:46.