What does a flight test engineer do?
A flight test engineer is primarily in charge of testing and overseeing aircraft performances, ensuring every aspect aligns with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other governing agencies' policies and regulations. Their responsibilities revolve around planning and developing efficient test structures and criteria, examining mechanical and electrical systems, coordinating with other staff to gather necessary documentation, assessing risks, and identifying an aircraft's strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, as a flight test engineer, it is essential to analyze data and produce extensive reports that explain all test procedures and observations in detail.
Flight test engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real flight test engineer resumes:
- Track and manage team budget, schedule, risks, change information, BOMs, labor and materials costs.
- Manage Terraform and refactore from monolithic to application specific components.
- Create complex flight test plans to meet DoD and FAA requirements.
- Test facility engineer (TFE) responsible for design and development of test rigs, test stands, and fixtures.
- Maintain a DOD secret security clearance.
- Support both STC approval and design qualification.
- Target Bluetooth profile testing against A2DP, AVRCP.
- Utilize FEA experience to develop on-site FEA capability.
- Work with external vendors and external STC developers.
- Develop DO-178B compliant systems for new equipment interfaces.
- Provide support for FAA/JAA DO-178B certification, and pilot training.
- Perform various types of testing like functional, regression & automate testing.
- Analyze offsite navigation data collect using SBS 1553 and ARINC interface cards.
- Design, manufacture, assembly & test for cockpit controls and missile equipment.
- Collect video during the flight simulating an air-to-ground missile diving into various targets.
Flight test engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 7% of Flight Test Engineers are proficient in Control Room, Data Analysis, and Test Procedures. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Business skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Flight Test Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Control Room, 7%
Briefed aircrews, directed mission control room and led team through adversity while monitoring real-time data and orchestrating test.
- Data Analysis, 6%
Supported and coordinated flight test activities through real-time data monitoring and post-test data analysis.
- Test Procedures, 6%
Developed test procedures, instrumentation and configuration needed to successfully perform assigned testing.
- Avionics, 6%
Design, Coordinate and Integrate all avionics/electrical and dynamic system modifications and processes regarding the recapitalization program of OEM aircraft.
- DOD, 5%
Verified hardware and RF/electrical interfaces involving DoD payloads.
- Test Execution, 4%
Developed and maintained a flight test database designed to aid the flight test execution process.
"control room," "data analysis," and "test procedures" are among the most common skills that flight test engineers use at work. You can find even more flight test engineer responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a flight test engineer to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "aerospace engineers must be able to evaluate project design elements and propose improvements, if necessary." Flight test engineers often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "obtain accurate data for various system parameters required during flight test operations. "
Business skills. Many flight test engineer duties rely on business skills. "meeting federal standards in aerospace engineering requires business knowledge, including commercial law," so a flight test engineer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways flight test engineer responsibilities rely on business skills: "support future business pursuits, which include avionics systems development for military applications, proposal, and acquisition efforts. "
Math skills. For certain flight test engineer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "math skills." The day-to-day duties of a flight test engineer rely on this skill, as "aerospace engineers use calculus, trigonometry, and other math in their analysis, design, and troubleshooting work." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what flight test engineers do: "developed and maintained flight test database for data analysis, part tracking, hw failure trending, and reliability statistics. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for flight test engineer responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of flight test engineers all the time, as "aerospace engineers upgrade designs and troubleshoot problems to improve aircraft, such as for increased fuel efficiency or safety." An excerpt from a real flight test engineer resume shows how this skill is central to what a flight test engineer does: "performed engineering investigation/resolution on both repetitive and unique flight test problems. "
The three companies that hire the most flight test engineers are:
- Lockheed Martin23 flight test engineers jobs
- Northrop Grumman17 flight test engineers jobs
- Axient8 flight test engineers jobs
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Compare different flight test engineers
Flight test engineer vs. Aviation consultant
A stress analyst is a type of aerospace engineer; they design, construct, and test aircraft. They may also work on missiles or spacecraft. They primarily study design requirements for the overall strength of a craft. They analyze the stress data of structural components and prepare mathematical models of issues.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between flight test engineers and aviation consultant. For instance, flight test engineer responsibilities require skills such as "control room," "data analysis," "test procedures," and "avionics." Whereas a aviation consultant is skilled in "client relationships," "federal aviation administration," "icao," and "airspace." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Aviation consultants tend to make the most money working in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $75,453. In contrast, flight test engineers make the biggest average salary, $95,877, in the transportation industry.On average, aviation consultants reach lower levels of education than flight test engineers. Aviation consultants are 5.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Flight test engineer vs. Master lay out specialist
A senior structural designer designs structures such as bridges, dams, parks, or telecommunication structures. They create designs, document them, and analyze structural functionality. Frequently, they must attend meetings and seminars to distribute designs to junior structural designers. They also perform peer reviews and write reports.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real flight test engineer resumes. While flight test engineer responsibilities can utilize skills like "control room," "data analysis," "test procedures," and "avionics," master lay out specialists use skills like "customer service," "cloud," "crm," and "business development."
Master lay out specialists may earn a higher salary than flight test engineers, but master lay out specialists earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $128,240. On the other hand, flight test engineers receive higher pay in the transportation industry, where they earn an average salary of $95,877.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Master lay out specialists tend to reach higher levels of education than flight test engineers. In fact, they're 6.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Flight test engineer vs. Stress analyst
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, flight test engineers are more likely to have skills like "control room," "data analysis," "test procedures," and "avionics." But a stress analyst is more likely to have skills like "abaqus," "airframe," "structural integrity," and "ansys."
Stress analysts earn the best pay in the manufacturing industry, where they command an average salary of $87,231. Flight test engineers earn the highest pay from the transportation industry, with an average salary of $95,877.Most stress analysts achieve a higher degree level compared to flight test engineers. For example, they're 6.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Flight test engineer vs. Senior structural designer
Types of flight test engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
