While at the USAF Test Pilot School, you will likely fly over thirty different kinds of airplanes, including the 3 primary aircraft as well as qual eval aircraft.
Near the end of the course, there is a capstone project, a lengthy and thorough qualitative evaluation of an aircraft that the flight test student has never flown. For me it was the A-10A Thunderbolt II.
For a week, you will immerse yourself in ground training, emergency procedures simulators, and mission planning. On the last day of the week, you will hop into the single seat A-10, and with an instructor on your wing, you will take off and head for the bombing range. While I was at TPS, I shot the gun, dropped bombs, and flew a low level while evaluating many of the design characteristics and human factors of the A-10. I was not able to record that experience, but recently @flightglobal shared this A-10 video.
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Don’t just imagine your dreams–explore them, because we need you. The aerospace industry needs innovators. The flight test community is looking for the next Neil Armstrong, and that’s what this column is about, helping you take that next small step.
Thanks for reading Launch Your Flight Test Career #16. Send a message to @FlightTestFact on Twitter to ask questions about launching your flight test career.
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