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 identifying irregularities in prototypes and newly built airframes before commercial operation.
Becoming a test pilot is rigorous, often requiring extensive flying experience (e.g., 1,000+ military hours), advanced STEM degrees, and specialized training from military academies or civilian test pilot schools.
Both military and civilian pathways exist for aspiring test pilots, with military pilots typically transitioning from service and civilians building experience through conventional flying roles before specializing.
It is a well-compensated career, with a median income over $100,000 annually, potentially exceeding $200,000 for highly 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.