Flight Test Engineer - Education For Flight Test Engineers

Education For Flight Test Engineers

The flight test engineer may have a degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering or cognitive science. A bachelor's degree is generally required, and a master's degree is recommended. Many university aerospace engineering departments offer elective flight test courses for those interested in this field of engineering.

The military services have formal training programs for experimental flight test pilots and flight test engineers. These training programs may be attended by selected military or government-employed civilian pilots and engineers. Most military test pilot schools combine pilot and engineers in one class, where they work together just as they would in the real world. The United States Air Force Test Pilot School and the United States Naval Test Pilot School are two of the very selective military programs. As of 2008, all graduates of the United States Air Force Test Pilot School receive an accredited masters degree in flight test engineering from the U.S. Air Force Air University. There are also several commercially operated civilian schools for test pilots and flight test engineers such as the National Test Pilot School located in Mojave, California, USA. The University of Tennessee Space Institute in Tullahoma TN offers a MS degree in flight test engineering via traditional and distance education and offers short courses in flight test subjects.

While not required, many FTEs are also civilian or military rated pilots. Though the FTE doesn't actively control the aircraft during tests, this flight background is valuable in understanding flight operations.