What is a Test Pilot?
A test pilot is a pilot who flies experimental aircraft and aircraft under development, carefully documenting the flight experience to provide feedback for the engineers working on the aircraft. Working as a test pilot requires a great deal of experience, a high level of skill, and the ability to precisely follow test plans and report on their outcome. While test pilots are often viewed as daredevils by the general public, they are actually very methodical, safety-conscious, and deliberate, since a simple mistake can be very dangerous in a new aircraft. This profession has its origins in First World War-era Britain, when companies working on military aircraft needed pilots to test them. Well through the Second World War, most test pilots were thrill-seekers, since aircraft technology in general was so new that flying experimental aircraft was viewed as a pursuit for the insane. As aircraft became more refined, however, a different type of test pilot evolved, and militaries and private
by Unknown Author 173 Test Pilot by Gill Robb Wilson 176 840 by Accident by Unknown Author 177 ASTRONAUTS AND SPACE The Leap by Preston F. Kirk 178 To A Husband Who Must Seek The Stars by Pat Collins 178 “Mountain” by Daniel C. McCorry, Jr. 180 A Nation Cried by Misty Sorensen 181 AIR RACING Race Gear by Gill Robb Wilson 182 Reno Races by Michael J. Larkin 183 Air Race by Patricia Rockwell 185 The Bendix by Gill Robb Wilson 187 DEATH BY FLYING The Troop Who Rode One In by Unknown Author 190 To the Man I Never Met by P. H. Liotta* 190 To Have Been for Tony Dater by James A. Grimshaw, Jr.* 194 From a Pilot: for Walton F. Dater, Lt Col USAF (1932-1974) by John Clark Pratt 195 To A Pilots Widow by Eileen Lundin 196 For Dawes, On Takeoff by Walt McDonald 197 The Choice by Geoffrey H. Tyler 198 The Lady Let Him Fly by Kathleen M. Rodgers 199 Celestial Flight by Elizabeth MacKethan Magid 200 Flying West by Michael J. Larkin* 201 Last Flight by Judy Humphrey* 202 The Path We Choose by Dr. Jame
P. 173, 840 by Accident p. 177, Untitled p. 205, Silly Old Baboon p. 133, The Troop Who Rode One In p. 190, Why I Want To Be A Pilot p. 126, The Forgotten Man p. 149, and The Eagles And Black Nights p. 148. Patty Wagstaff: Biography p. 225, Notoriety p. xix, and To All Pilots p. 55. Gill Robb Wilson: Biography p. 226, Historical Significance p. xix, Dawn p. 31, The Man in the Cabin p. 41, The Old Helmet p. 43, First Things First p. 128, The Broken Model p. 130, The Nameless Legion p. 153, The Bendix p. 187, Empty Tanks p. 67, Race Gear p. 182, Test Pilot p. 172/176, The Beam p. 145, Amelia p. 170, Memory Patrol p. 215, Buckaroo p. 48, The Last Bouquet p. 50, and Listen, Sister p. 51. Chris Woods: Biography p. 226 and The Voice p. 108.
