Also called: Engineering Test Pilot
Flies brand-new aircraft for the first time and pushes them to their limits to see what they can really do.
You brief for hours on a single test point, then fly the airplane into a deliberate stall or dive while engineers watch the data live. Afterward you explain exactly how the plane felt so the design can be improved.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Engineering degree plus military or civilian test pilot school and thousands of flight hours.
Ways in: Military, 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.
Growing about average (about 4% over 10 years). Uses BLS commercial pilots projection; very few positions.
Low risk for 10 years. Autonomy is being tested too, but flying unproven aircraft to their limits and making split-second safety calls stays human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Physical education, JROTC.
Official data: O*NET occupation 53-2011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.