Test Pilots

If you are the Captain of let's say Emirates B777 or A380 and you rake in up to $80,000-$100,000 a year. One would say yes you have reached the height of your piloting career. Its a dream come true. For some pilots they just scratch the surface. There are a group of special aviators that go an extra mile in the world of aviation, "TEST PILOTS"
Test piloting is a branch of aviation that requires a special and authentic skill, a vast and wealthy knowledge for aviation or airplanes. Generally we know test pilots as those who write the aircraft manual for airplanes. Well its true that's just a fraction of their job specification, but it goes a whole lot deeper than that.
Test Pilots are not your average commercial airline pilots, they are very well above average pilots. Test pilots may work for military organizations or private, (mostly aerospace) companies. Testing military aircraft, in particular, is regarded as the most challenging and risky flying.
Unlike commercial airline pilots, test pilots are required to have a degree in an aviation related course like, aeronautical Engineering or aeronautic sciences, Aerospace Engineering or science, flight science etc. Accompanied with an advanced degree. Test pilots should be able 2 understand and have an in-dept knowledge about airplanes.

A test pilot must be able to:

-Understand a test plan;
-Stick to a test plan, flying a plane in a highly specific way;
-Carefully document the results of each test;
-Have an excellent feel for the aircraft, and sense exactly how it is behaving oddly if it is doing so;
-Solve problems quickly if anything goes wrong with the aircraft during a test;
-Cope with many different things going wrong at once.
-Test pilots must have an excellent knowledge of aeronautical engineering, in order to understand how they are tested and why.
Test pilots must be above average pilots with excellent analytical skills and the ability to fly accurately whilst following a flight plan.

Let's take a look at a summary of my favourite test pilot. Captain Mark Feuerstein. His achievements usually gets my head spinning everytime.

Capt. Mark Feuerstein is currently chief pilot of 747 programs for The Boeing Company. In this position, Feuerstein is responsible for engineering flight-test activities related to all Boeing 747 airplane models. He is also involved in design activities of the new Boeing 747-8I and 747-8F. He was appointed to this role in October 2007. Feuerstein joined The Boeing Company in 1997. His previous assignments include chief pilot for new airplane product development, assistant chief pilot 747, assistant chief pilot 787, and deputy military and special projects pilot. He has more than 7,000 hours of flight time in over 100 types of airplanes, and holds an FAA type rating in the 707, 737, 747, 747-400, 757, 767, 777, A-320 and A-330 airplanes.

Feuerstein received his bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University in 1981. In 1987, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School as an engineering test pilot. In 1994, he received his Masters of Science in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. He is also an associate fellow in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and is the Boeing Commercial Airplanes pilot representative to SAE International's Flight Deck and Handling Qualities Standards for Transport Aircraft committee (S-7).
Mark served as assistant chief pilot for both the 747 and 787 airplane programs, and as the deputy Military and Special Projects pilot where his responsibilities included flight-testing of Boeing’s commercial derivative military airplanes, including the KC/RC-135, E-6 and E-767.
Talk about an impressive CV.