Test Pilot Career!
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Granby
Age: 22
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Test Pilot Career!
Hello,
I am a 14 year old who loves aviation! I've attended airshows nearby all my life and have decided I'd like to be a test pilot, civilian preferably. I'd just like to know from others who are test pilots or who are knowledgeable about how to become one how I can do my best to follow my dreams. I've applied for an aeronautical and aerospace engineering high school.
Thanks!
noaches232
I am a 14 year old who loves aviation! I've attended airshows nearby all my life and have decided I'd like to be a test pilot, civilian preferably. I'd just like to know from others who are test pilots or who are knowledgeable about how to become one how I can do my best to follow my dreams. I've applied for an aeronautical and aerospace engineering high school.
Thanks!
noaches232
Welcome to PPrune noaches.
The people at the top of the test flying game are generally current or former military test pilots. From where you are at the moment I'd suggest that typically they probably studied (hard) in fairly classical subjects at school - as a working rule, maths and science are a very good thing, after that basically anything that developed their general learning skills although, say, languages can be a very good thing. Any opportunity to get involved in flying (Air Scouts, Air Cadets, gliding club...) is always good also.
They mostly will have done a degree - aerospace engineering is the most common, but other inferior subjects also exist
The route to military TP is typically a service career (don't think just Air Force - joining the army seems to have worked for Tim Peake so far!), and they'll typically have done tours on several aircraft types - the norm is a couple of command tours, an "above average" (this is military speak for very good indeed) rating - then there's a chunk of luck in having the right profile their government expects to need in a new TP in a couple of years, and the preparation to pass entry board for Test Pilot School.
Loads of other stuff in there too - fitness to some extent, integrity is massively important, and two important intangibles - a massive capacity for hard work, and a personality that works really well in any kind of team and environment.
The top civilian TPs almost invariably are ex military.
The second tier are people like me - who took a different route. Perhaps a little more academically high flying, but less flying-flying, we usually are people with one or more aerospace engineering degrees, and went into test flying in the honourable trade of Flight Test Engineer, or FTE. The FTE is the other part of the team - the managers, analysists (and if you play your cards right, airborne observers) and report writers of the flight test team. Most good FTEs can fly to a greater or lesser extent, and a small proportion have migrated into the captain's seat. Equally we usually get the smaller aeroplanes, and less high profile testing tasks and are far more likely to be part time with other roles. (In my case, I'm basically a research manager in aviation, a role I enjoy enormously, but still remain in test flying currency - at the moment I'm spending a chunk of my time testing a prototype motorglider - important, demanding, hellishly interesting but it's not Typhoon or A380 either.)
And a small number of professional civilian pilots who have found their way into test flying without an engineering career. They exist, but are very rare indeed, and whilst they're probably full time TPs, also unlikely to be leading the highest profile projects.
If I've made it sound extremely difficult to enter the flight test profession - that's because it is. However, it is absolutely worth it when you get here.
G
The people at the top of the test flying game are generally current or former military test pilots. From where you are at the moment I'd suggest that typically they probably studied (hard) in fairly classical subjects at school - as a working rule, maths and science are a very good thing, after that basically anything that developed their general learning skills although, say, languages can be a very good thing. Any opportunity to get involved in flying (Air Scouts, Air Cadets, gliding club...) is always good also.
They mostly will have done a degree - aerospace engineering is the most common, but other inferior subjects also exist
The route to military TP is typically a service career (don't think just Air Force - joining the army seems to have worked for Tim Peake so far!), and they'll typically have done tours on several aircraft types - the norm is a couple of command tours, an "above average" (this is military speak for very good indeed) rating - then there's a chunk of luck in having the right profile their government expects to need in a new TP in a couple of years, and the preparation to pass entry board for Test Pilot School.
Loads of other stuff in there too - fitness to some extent, integrity is massively important, and two important intangibles - a massive capacity for hard work, and a personality that works really well in any kind of team and environment.
The top civilian TPs almost invariably are ex military.
The second tier are people like me - who took a different route. Perhaps a little more academically high flying, but less flying-flying, we usually are people with one or more aerospace engineering degrees, and went into test flying in the honourable trade of Flight Test Engineer, or FTE. The FTE is the other part of the team - the managers, analysists (and if you play your cards right, airborne observers) and report writers of the flight test team. Most good FTEs can fly to a greater or lesser extent, and a small proportion have migrated into the captain's seat. Equally we usually get the smaller aeroplanes, and less high profile testing tasks and are far more likely to be part time with other roles. (In my case, I'm basically a research manager in aviation, a role I enjoy enormously, but still remain in test flying currency - at the moment I'm spending a chunk of my time testing a prototype motorglider - important, demanding, hellishly interesting but it's not Typhoon or A380 either.)
And a small number of professional civilian pilots who have found their way into test flying without an engineering career. They exist, but are very rare indeed, and whilst they're probably full time TPs, also unlikely to be leading the highest profile projects.
If I've made it sound extremely difficult to enter the flight test profession - that's because it is. However, it is absolutely worth it when you get here.
G
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Nirvana South
Posts: 734
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
A Third Tier
By far the largest group in any Flight Test organization (apart from all the maintainers, who keep them flying), are the engineers, who write the test plans for all the many systems & performance items that have to be completed before an aircraft can be certified. They may also fly on the aircraft if required - both to ensure the test plan is followed and also to provide immediate feedback as to test success. Finally they have to analyse the test data post-flight and write the reports required by the authorities as evidence that the aircraft does indeed meet the requirements.
In most cases, these engineers will hold a degree or equivalent in a variety of disciplines - mechanical, electrical, computing and aeronautics are some of the more common ones - the majority at the ordinary degree level but some, especially in flight sciences, at the MSc or PhD level.
In most cases, these engineers will hold a degree or equivalent in a variety of disciplines - mechanical, electrical, computing and aeronautics are some of the more common ones - the majority at the ordinary degree level but some, especially in flight sciences, at the MSc or PhD level.
noaches , there is also a rare breed of Tp who put themselves through ETPS [Empire Test Pilots School ] . One springs to mind who qualified and practiced as an Airline Pilot before gaining her Tp qualifications at ETPS .
She initially worked at Cobhams , and now is a Tp at Airbus .
I don't know of her educational quals [ she was a sponsered airline cadet ].... But agree with Ghengis .
The lead in to that is Science GCSEs probably followed by Maths , Physics + 'A' levels . Thence college / uni .
Good luck .
rgdsd condor .
She initially worked at Cobhams , and now is a Tp at Airbus .
I don't know of her educational quals [ she was a sponsered airline cadet ].... But agree with Ghengis .
The lead in to that is Science GCSEs probably followed by Maths , Physics + 'A' levels . Thence college / uni .
Good luck .
rgdsd condor .
there is also a rare breed of Tp who put themselves through ETPS [Empire Test Pilots School ]
I don't know the lady personally, but know who she is.
She didn't do the full ETPS long course, but I think a couple of shorter courses there, and her work is I believe primarily in production, not experimental, flight test.
And full power to her elbow - that's a tough, expensive, route that must have taken massive dedication and ambition. If she ends up as project pilot on full experimental programmes in years to come, she'll have earned that right I'm quite sure.
But, she'll be pretty much a complete one-off, so I'd not necessarily recommend it to anybody as a standard route.
G
She didn't do the full ETPS long course, but I think a couple of shorter courses there, and her work is I believe primarily in production, not experimental, flight test.
And full power to her elbow - that's a tough, expensive, route that must have taken massive dedication and ambition. If she ends up as project pilot on full experimental programmes in years to come, she'll have earned that right I'm quite sure.
But, she'll be pretty much a complete one-off, so I'd not necessarily recommend it to anybody as a standard route.
G
noaches232,
If you as bright a young person as you sound, you will already have realised that the processes described by G take a long time so patience is probably a valuable asset!
Beg flights if you can (you'll enjoy it and start to get comfortable in the air). I was going to offer a trip (nothing exciting, I'm not a TP but have some modest involvement with them as an engineer) but I see you seem to be in Canada. I think a lot of us here are in the UK. Are you asking on other sites?
Good luck and remember to enjoy it.
Oh and he is too modest to say it but read Mr Farley's book. Also everything you can by Eric Brown.
Joe
If you as bright a young person as you sound, you will already have realised that the processes described by G take a long time so patience is probably a valuable asset!
Beg flights if you can (you'll enjoy it and start to get comfortable in the air). I was going to offer a trip (nothing exciting, I'm not a TP but have some modest involvement with them as an engineer) but I see you seem to be in Canada. I think a lot of us here are in the UK. Are you asking on other sites?
Good luck and remember to enjoy it.
Oh and he is too modest to say it but read Mr Farley's book. Also everything you can by Eric Brown.
Joe
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Granby
Age: 22
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks!
To answer JOE-FBS's question, I live in the USA. Connecticut, to be exact. We have Pratt & Whitney. 
Thanks for all of the advice! It seems from your advice that it will be very tough to be a commercial test pilot.
One more question - I heard that you can have companies sponsor you through test pilot school - for us in the USA it's the NTPS. It costs $950,000 for a 50-week semester. How does that work?
noaches232
Thanks for all of the advice! It seems from your advice that it will be very tough to be a commercial test pilot.
One more question - I heard that you can have companies sponsor you through test pilot school - for us in the USA it's the NTPS. It costs $950,000 for a 50-week semester. How does that work?
noaches232
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Nirvana South
Posts: 734
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Noaches,
If you live in the USA, I would suggest trying to get a scholarship into one of the Academies through your Congressman or Senator. That way Uncle Sam is paying both for your degree and learning to fly. I have flown with TPs who have graduated from all three Services - four if you count the Marine Corps as separate to the Navy - and this is probably the most efficient (and economic) way of getting to that high status.
Best of Luck!
If you live in the USA, I would suggest trying to get a scholarship into one of the Academies through your Congressman or Senator. That way Uncle Sam is paying both for your degree and learning to fly. I have flown with TPs who have graduated from all three Services - four if you count the Marine Corps as separate to the Navy - and this is probably the most efficient (and economic) way of getting to that high status.
Best of Luck!
