Test Pilots Make Flying Safer for Others

They were senior test pilots and as a young fighter pilot he was very impressed after interacting with them. Finding their work "very challenging", he decided to go in for test flying. "This is one profession where you get first-hand experience of many facets of aviation that many just get to read about," says Gp Capt C Subramaniam of the Indian Air Force (IAF), who is working on deputation as deputy chief test pilot, flight operations (fixed wing), at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), India's only government-owned aircraft production unit.

Subramaniam, who holds an MSc in defence and strategic studies from Madras University, says, "A test pilot is a super-specialist in the field of aviation." According to Gp Capt (retd) Kapil Bhargava, IAF, "a test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific manoeuvres, allowing the results to be measured and design evaluated." A test pilot checks newly designed or overhauled aircraft to determine quality and ensure safety for operations, says Bhargava.

"The Indian aviation industry is one of the few rapidly expanding industries in the world of aviation. A number of new aircraft and systems are in the pipeline," says Subramaniam. As a result, test pilots in India have a lot of scope to fly a prototype (newly developed) aircraft or a production (already in service) aircraft, or work in advisory roles connected with aviation activities based on test flying experience.

International experience too is a possibility. "There are no rules preventing an Indian test pilot from working abroad," says Subramaniam.

Military aviation is in expansion mode around the world today, especially when it comes to electronic systems, air-launched weapons, sensor fusion technologies etc, and "test pilots can contribute handsomely in these fields", says Subramaniam. However, as of date, Indian test pilots have worked abroad "only on behalf of the government of India, on deputation", says Bhargava.

Becoming a test pilot is not easy. "It is not possible for just any qualified pilot to become a test pilot," says Bhargava. In India, an IAF pilot from either the fixed-wing stream (fighter or transport aircraft) or the rotary-wing stream (helicopters), "after attaining a set of minimum experience in flying can apply for the entrance examination conducted by the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), in Bangalore", says Subramaniam.

The selection of a test pilot is done based on eligibility and performance as a pilot. He has to undergo rigorous tests, which assess flying capability, maturity, technical knowledge and aptitude for flight-testing. A few are selected to undergo a 46-week course conducted by ASTE. Once he completes the course, "he is cleared to become a test pilot capable of testing any aircraft," explains Subramaniam.

The job has its own challenges. Test pilots are required to keep themselves up-to-date with changing technology. "Rapid technological advancements and very high performance aerial vehicles are putting the test pilots under pressure to keep pace with the knowledge growth and acumen requirements," says Subramaniam. And challenges like these have made the profession both "interesting and thrilling."

 

Author: Pranab Ghosh (HT Horizons)

Date: 16th December, 2010

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