How to Become a Test Pilot

Aviation job helps to ensure aircraft prototypes are in safe condition for flight.

Friday, January 24, 2025 at 03:26 PM ET

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Test pilots walk toward a Leonardo SW4 helicopter equipped with Daedalean’s visual air traffic detection system. [Courtesy: Daedalean/ file photo]

Key Takeaways:

Test pilots play a critical role in ensuring aircraft safety and performance by rigorously testing prototypes and new airframes beyond normal operations to identify issues.
Becoming a test pilot generally requires extensive experience and specialized qualifications, often attained through military test pilot schools (requiring significant flight hours and STEM degrees) or through a civilian path involving advanced pilot certifications, STEM degrees, and substantial flight experience.
Training demands high levels of expertise; military candidates typically need over 1,000 hours of flight time, while civilians often transition from roles like flight instructors or airline pilots and may attend specialized civilian test pilot schools.
The career offers competitive compensation, with a median income exceeding $100,000 and potential for over $200,000 annually for specialized and senior roles.

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Test pilots have an opportunity like no other. They get to ensure that aircraft prototypes and newly built airframes are safe for further development, test flying, and eventual commercial operation.

Safety pilots also have a significant responsibility. They must put an airplane through a range of maneuvers and operations beyond normally expected and denote any irregularities and problems that must be fixed by engineers and production staff.

John McDermott

John McDermott is a student at Northwestern University. He is also a student pilot with hopes of flying for the airlines. A self-proclaimed ""avgeek,"" John will rave about aviation at length to whoever will listen, and he is keen to call out any airplane he sees, whether or not anyone around him cares about flying at all. John previously worked as a Journalist and Editor-In-Chief at Aeronautics Online Aviation News and Media. In his spare time, John enjoys running, photography, and watching planes approach Chicago O'Hare from over Lake Michigan.