The job of test pilot is a “small job”. There must be fewer than a hundred active test pilots in France. Some work for the state, within DGA EV, others for manufacturers: Airbus, Dassault, Daher.
Of course, it is a question of trying prototypes that have never flown, but also derived, modified or new configurations. But a test pilot also has other important tasks, such as defining the systems, in conjunction with the design offices. In practice, he always has a team and the main pair is the INE: Engineer Navigant d’Essais. The role of this pair is to understand, explain and translate into technical terms the elements felt in flight during the tests and to contribute, during discussions with the program engineers of the design office, to find the right technical solution, to test it in flight, etc. The test pilot is responsible for important customer relations or promotion to potential future customers.
Afternoon of conferences with:
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Rotary wing tester : X3, Racer, …
presented by Dominique FOURNIER, Flight Test Engineer, Airbus Helicopters - 30 years of flight tests on both military and civil aircraft
presented by Yves KERHERVÉformer Dassault Aviation test pilot, AAE member
Free admission in the limit of available seats.
or to follow live on the Youtube channel of the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie
