pimashahs

Hey guys,

I don't know if this is the correct forum or not but currently I have a Bachelors in Aviation Science with Commercial Pilot's License with Multi-Engine and a CFI and CFII. I also have about 1100 hours. I'm currently back in school and pursuing a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering. My question is, what is the process of becoming a Flight Test Engineer and what are my chances of getting a good job out of college? I looked online on google but there is very little information about it.

Any help will be appreciated

Thanks

JamesNoBrakes

It's likely a long path any way you go. You usually need to be a pretty darn good engineer, and a pretty darn good pilot. Possible shortcuts involve the military and eventually getting sent to test-pilot school. I would still stress how important it is to be a good engineer though. Often times the few that make it into test pilot school are part of the small cadre of civilian test-pilots employed by the big manufacturers like boeing and others. When they aren't, it's the types that have been successful at both with lots of hours and experience under their belt. Civilians AND military pilots get sent to "test pilot school", but the cost is usually covered by the sponsoring entity (it's bloody expensive, like million or more invested in you during the school). People usually only get to that spot after years of experience and training elsewhere.

Really think this one over. Maybe flying P8s (recently mentioned) AND having an EE degree (think about electronic warefare) would be a good way to go, because then you get boeing time and a shot at working for them when you get out, maybe in engineering, maybe in piloting, maybe get hired at a lower level or field not as related and then work your way there. No one is going to do this fast, you're likely going to reach "test pilot" status when you are getting kind of old (like most good things in life ), but really think about how you might go about this. Don't stack things up against you like not getting an engineering degree, or maybe competing for flighter jet slots when they are dwindling down, not to say that is necessarily a bad route, just make sure to think it over.

tomgoodman

These two websites may be helpful:

SFTE Home

SETP Home

Cubdriver

I did the job for several 5 years and know a thing or two about it. See this thread-

Test Pilot

Not hard to get into the field, but it is hard to advance to senior levels without NTPS background, or some pretty good luck and determination. It can be done though, I have seen many people flow through such departments in my little time.

hookdupin

With many of the Cold War era engineers on the verge of retirement and the explosion of the UAV industry, FTE jobs are around...even at the entry level. As Cub said, not much movement career-wise beyond the mid level in flight test. Those that do move up have to switch into program management.

pimashahs

Thanks for the perspective guys. Cubdriver, how did you get into the field? I was looking at internships for FTE jobs and I found some but not many. I'm just a little lost on how I can take the next step into this career. Im only a sophomore in college for my engineering degree and I just want to make sure I do it right this time around.

Cubdriver

I got into flight test work through a lateral company transfer while working at a bizjet manufacturer. I had no idea they would offer it to me, but the company I worked for was big on hiring from within. Many companies are.

So... target a company you want to work for, then try and move laterally within after some time showing you are a good person to have around. Good plan, worked for me.

If you poke through the other thread(s) linked to this one on test pilot and flight test work, you can find more tidbits of opinion on how best to target either flight test engineer or test pilot jobs. A have a BS in aerospace engineering, but a mechanical degree would also suffice if you could supplement it with flight certificates. You need to really be into airplanes. If you do not have the AE degree, it would be best if you are a pilot of some sort. I know a fellow with an ME degree who does not fly, but he is a skydiving instructor with an AE degree from a good school, and Cessna Flight Test picked him up recently in an entry level position. But being an airplane pilot helps- have at least a private with instrument rating, better yet a commercial certificate. Most people in a given FT department are at least instrument pilots, except the secretaries maybe. Senior staff are advanced pilots with advanced ratings, it is common for management and non-flying engineers to have turbine types, commercial certs, and considerable flight hours. Of course the test pilots tend to be advanced pilots, usually very advanced although occasionally you will meet one who got in through lateral transfer and has less flying experience. Such pilots tend to be where they are because they are "company men" and know a lot about the particular product.

Short of getting the NTPS half-million-dollar flight test engineering training, you could get an AE degree then go to a quality grad school that offers flight test engineering curriculum. University of Tennessee Space Institute is an example of such a school, but there are several. Wichita State University is another, University of Kansas also. An advanced degree would probably substitute for going the lateral transfer route that I used, it says "this person knows what he/ she wants to specialize in (flight test), no doubt about it, and has a good start".

Good luck, it's a great field!

pimashahs

Cubdriver, I have a commercial pilots license with CFI and CFII with about a thousand hours, i know ita nothing for a test pilot candidate... Would a Electrical Engineering degree suffice? I already have a Aviation Science degree but I don't know how much it is going to help me because it hasn't helped me yet .I looked at some companies like Garmin,Cessna and Cirrus and it states that an Electrical Engineering would suffice for a Flight Test Engineer.I read most of the threads about Test Pilot and Flight Test Engineers but it didn't answer all of my question and there are a lot of rants on there. Lol

Cubdriver

Excellent pilot credentials for an entry level FTE (flight test engineer).

The CFI is useless pretty much, except as a way to gain flight experience. For a test plot slot, you have only begun gathering the necessary qualifications so I would not get too worked up about that quite yet. Test pilot jobs are highly competitive, many are former Air Force and Naval aviation high achievers. If you can only see yourself as a test pilot then you had better look at a pilot slot in the armed forces as the best way to go down that road.

Yes- EE degree is a valid way to punch the engineering ticket. You will be a bit weaker than MEs and AEs in fluid mechanics and what not, but an EE degree is actually a plus for companies that manufacture avionics (Rockwell, Garmin, etc.) and you would actually have an advantage doing that kind of testing, even if the company you end up at is Cessna, Gulfstream, or Bombardier. Garmin has a flight test department in Olathe, KS. They have a King Air and several other airplanes, and they are big on GPA. In time you'll see that companies emphasize different things, one may look at GPA, another looks at school name and prestige, a third looks at your pilot resume as a supplement to your engineering details. Others do not care about any of that specifically, purely good 'ol boy networking. They just want good team players.

Do you want to specialize in avionics flight testing? The EE degree will prepare you in that direction quite well, otherwise I would go for ME or AE especially if you plan to end up flying in some capacity within flight test.

A great way to open doors in FT is to get a masters in that field of study. Embry-Riddle has an advanced degree I think, I know Tennessee Space Institute has one, if you want to work for Cessna then get an AE degree and/or a masters at Wichita State and I guarantee they will hire you into flight test in a year or two afterwards. A masters is generally worth the time and money spent in this field. It greatly increases your chances of getting hired, and when you get hired, it increases your ability to specialize and make yourself useful.

pimashahs

I haven't looked at avionics flight testing at all. I was one of those guys who always wanted to fly and spent thousands of dollars on flight training, went to the regionals and found out the hard way it wasn't for me for many reasons, mainly the pay and quality of life, and to this day after not touching and airplane for over a year, I still want to fly... but i want to make money and learn about the technicality of machines. I chose a electrical engineering degree because I want to keep my options open and also if for some reason if the FTE or Flight Test Pilot does not pan out, I want to design circuits for cell phones and computers for a chip manufacturer. This is the main reason why I didn't purse AE or a ME degree. You can say that at this point I am still trying to figure out what field I want to go into but I do know that I want to do EE. I would prefer a flying job but my priority is to make sure the QOL is good and I get paid well.