Flight Test Engineer

VLinc

$95K — $115K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, or related field.
  • 5+ years in aircraft test and evaluation, or aviation systems engineering.
  • Experience in developing test plans, analyzing data, and writing test reports.
  • Proficient in MATLAB or Python for data analysis.
  • Active DoD SECRET clearance or ability to obtain one.
  • U.S. citizenship required.
  • Ability to qualify for non-pilot aircrew duties, including passing a flight physical.

Responsibilities

  • Develop test plans, cards, and schedules for ground and flight test events.
  • Define instrumentation and data acquisition requirements and oversee their implementation.
  • Support hazard analyses, risk assessments, and safety reviews for test operations.
  • Participate as non-pilot aircrew on test flights, running test cards and recording data.
  • Analyze flight test data and recommend engineering actions for anomalies.
  • Prepare comprehensive and defendable test reports and accompanying documentation.
  • Collaborate with pilots, engineers, and program staff to enhance test operations.

Benefits

  • Medical benefits offered.
  • 401(k) retirement plan available.
  • Paid time off provided.
Full Job Description
Flight Test Engineer to support rotary-wing developmental test and evaluation. This is a hands-on role. You will plan test events, ride along as non-pilot aircrew when the test calls for it, work the data afterward, and write the reports that engineering and program decisions get made from. You will work side by side with an experienced developmental test pilot and a multi-discipline team of engineers, maintainers, and program staff.

If you have spent time around flight test and want to be the engineer the test team relies on, not one of fifty on a large program, this is a good fit.

What You Will Do
• Develop test plans, test cards, procedures, and schedules for ground and flight test events.
• Define instrumentation and data acquisition requirements, and coordinate installation, calibration, and configuration control.
• Support test hazard analyses, risk assessments, safety reviews, and test readiness reviews.
• Fly as a non-pilot aircrew member on test flights: run test cards, monitor aircraft and test systems, and record data in flight.
• Reduce and analyze flight test data, chase down anomalies, and recommend engineering or corrective action.
• Write clear, defensible test reports and supporting technical documentation.
• Review test plans and reports prepared by other members of the test team.
• Work directly with test pilots, design engineers, OEM representatives, and program staff.

Required Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, or electrical engineering, or a related technical field.
• At least 5 years of experience in aircraft test and evaluation, aviation systems engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• Experience developing test plans, analyzing test data, and writing engineering test reports.
• Proficiency with data analysis tools such as MATLAB or Python.
• Active DoD SECRET security clearance, or the ability to obtain one.
• U.S. citizenship.
• Ability to qualify for and perform non-pilot aircrew duties, including passing a flight physical and completing aircrew survival and egress training.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, and the ability to lift up to 50 pounds unassisted.

Preferred Qualifications
• 10 or more years of flight test or aviation engineering experience.
• H-60 series experience, or other military rotorcraft test experience.
• Graduate of a recognized flight test engineer course (USNTPS, USAF TPS, or National Test Pilot School).
• Experience with flight test instrumentation and data acquisition system design or operation.
• Familiarity with military airworthiness qualification processes.
• NVG-aided or shipboard/dynamic interface test experience.
• Master's degree in an engineering or technical field.
• Society of Flight Test Engineers (SFTE) membership or certification.

Compensation and Benefits

Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications. VLinc offers medical benefits, 401(k), and paid time off.

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