Flight test pilot - Career description, activities, functions and salary

How much does an Flight test pilot earn

A Flight test pilot earns between $1.608 and $4.900 per month, with an average monthly salary of $2.332 and a median salary of $2.000 according to an Averwage.com salary survey along with to data of professionals hired and fired by companies in the labor market.

Our research is based on the salaries of 27 professionals hired and dismissed by the period from 06/2021 to 05/2022 (last year).

Professional job categories

• Science and arts professionals
• • professionals of the exact sciences, physics and engineering
• • • professionals in air, sea and river navigation
• • • • aeronautical piloting professionals

Related Positions:

Main workplaces

Aeronautical piloting professionals these workers work in areas linked to air transport, research and development, public administration, defense and social security, recreational, cultural and sports activities. They are registered employees. They work with occasional supervision, individually and in teams, in vehicles and at irregular hours. Eventually, they work under pressure, leading to a stressful situation, spend long periods in uncomfortable positions, at great heights, confined and exposed to toxic materials, high temperatures, intense noise and sunlight.

What does it take to work in the field of Aeronautical piloting professionals

To enter these occupations, it is necessary, at least, to complete high school, three to four years of professional experience and a basic qualification course of up to two hundred class hours for the Flight Instructor and more than four hundred class hours for the others. This family is composed of professionals who reach the levels of experience and technical competence required by the DAC - Department of Civil Aviation to be qualified as PLA - Airline Pilots (airplane) or PLAH - (helicopter). With the growth of the Brazilian aviation industry, the test pilot course was created at the CTA, which is enabled by the DAC.

Functions and activities of Flight test pilot

Aeronautical piloting professionals must:

Activities

measure aircraft performance;
drop aircraft;
teach student in flight planning and management;
validate normal procedures;
provide information to passengers;
demonstrate discipline;
coordinate test safety team;
master the english language;
analyze risk levels;
check aircraft documentation;
check systems functionality;
analyze test results;
guide student on each phase of flight (taxiing, takeoff, ascent, descent, landing);
record student performance;
evaluate student;
flying aircraft within operational limits;
demonstrate oral and written expression;
calculate fuel quantity;
represent the aircraft operator;
demonstrate adaptability to the environment;
according to relevant regulations;
conduct cruise flight (navigation);
demonstrate physical and psychological ability;
calculate aircraft weight and balance;
consult publications and aeronautical information;
demonstrate self-control;
supervise student in the execution of maneuvers;
proceed to descent the aircraft;
work as a team;
learn about the weather conditions of the route and destination;
define cabin layout;
prove regulatory compliance;
use standard phraseology;
make decisions;
optimize flight plan (route, altitude, speed);
enter occurrences in the logbook;
coordinate crew activities;
work as a team;
consult aircraft operating manuals;
inform positions;
demonstrate self-confidence;
mitigating risks;
prepare aircraft systems;
push aircraft;
get information about the weather conditions of the route and destination;
take off;
schedule student instruction;
taxir aircraft;
act in emergency situations;
open aircraft flight domain;
check compliance with approved project;
establish contact with the company;
manage conflicts;
establish communication with other aircraft;
establish communication with air traffic agencies;
validate simulation models;
prepare aircraft for overnight stay;
monitor aircraft systems;
handle aircraft controls;
demonstrate persistence;
evaluate flight quality;
adjust the student's instructional program;
assist student in the execution of maneuvers;
fly in formation;
explain maneuvers;
produce aeronautical information;
deliver theoretical courses;
validate emergency procedures;
check flight quality;
monitor aircraft supply;
interpret weather information;
monitor risk tests;
evaluate operational limits;
position student in cabin;
check aircraft performance;
demonstrate instruments and their purposes;
check cargo and passenger manifest;
demonstrate humility;
land aircraft;
complete flight plan;
request air traffic authorization;
forward student to proficiency exam;
approve functionality of aircraft systems;
demonstrate spatial orientation;
demonstrate quick thinking;
check actions and procedures of each stage of the flight through the checklist;
approve test programs;
providing support services and comfort material for passengers;
perform limit maneuvers;
demonstrate maneuvers;
release student for solo flight;
define regulatory verification methods;
perform ascent to cruise level;
demonstrate interpersonal skills;
participate in the analysis of consequences of possible failures;
fall aircraft;
create reports;
perform external inspection of the aircraft;
synchronize activities with crew;
develop normal and emergency procedures;
report emergency situations;
demonstrate motor coordination;
follow air traffic guidelines;
approve flight manual;

Sectors that hire Flight test pilot the most in the job market

• aircraft manufacturing
• retail sale of new cars, vans and utility vehicles
• air taxi service and aircraft rental with crew
• attorney services
• maintenance and mechanical repair services for motor vehicles
• manufacture of parts and accessories for the brake system of motor vehicles
• holdings of non-financial institutions
• driverless car rental