For many pilots, having a career as a test pilot is the ultimate goal. Pursuing such a position however involves a lengthy commitment, and a great deal of dedication. Test pilots tend to be those with military backgrounds. Plus, there are very few formal civilian test pilot training programs. What does test pilot training entail?
- Military test pilot training
Military aviators typically need to dedicate at least 10 years of their lives to the service, but they acquire a very thorough and prestigious aviation education from any branch of the armed forces.
How selective is test pilot training selection for military positions? According to statistics, only one in eight pilots in the Air Force who apply will get accepted. Competition is even stiffer with the Navy, where only one in nine flight officers can expect to be accepted. Both the Army and the Marine Corps have their own pilot training programs focusing on what test pilots do. The odds aren’t necessarily better for applicants to these programs however.
- Non-military training
Non-military pilots seeking careers as test pilots could potentially acquire the requisite training at the National Test Pilot School located in California. While this school does accept civilians, most of their accepted applicants come from foreign military services, government positions or aircraft manufacturers.
Aspiring pilots- both military and civilian- can improve their chances by acquiring the right academic degree(s). In general, mere pilot training in the armed services is not necessarily enough to land a test pilot position. Pilots should also have a technical degree. Having an advanced engineering degree can also put an applicant ahead of the pack.
- A day in the life
A test pilot’s life might not be nearly as exciting as one would assume at first. Most pilots who’ve worked in test flying describe what test pilots do as occasional heart-pounding, terrifying moments, combined with long hours of boredom. The truth is many test flights are uneventful and dull. The dangers of test pilot work have decreased over the years in light of steady technological improvements in aircraft design and testing procedures–along with more sophisticated flight simulators.
Nevertheless, occasional accidents attest to the fact that the life of a test pilot is not without risk. For example, in April 2011, a Gulfstream G650 went down in a test flight crash in Roswell, New Mexico. This crash resulted in the death of two test pilots and two flight test engineers. It’s important to consider the risk in any type of flying. Even piloting passenger flights has elements of risk and danger.
A test pilot’s daily tasks include planning, preparing, and executing tests that analyze the airworthiness of new aircraft. They also evaluate the design and equipment before they are finalized. These tasks mean test pilots must handle certain demands that don’t exist anywhere else in the aviation industry. However, any test pilot will agree that what test pilots do makes for a career that is both challenging and fulfilling–during both the dull routines and the fleeting moments of terror.
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