test pilot

American  

noun

1. a pilot employed to test-fly newly-built aircraft.

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test pilot British  

noun

1. a pilot who flies aircraft of new design to test their performance in the air

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Etymology

Origin of test pilot

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Parmitano was a test pilot for the Italian Air Force before becoming a colonel, and was selected as an ESA astronaut in 2009.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

Victor Glover is a former US Navy fighter pilot and test pilot who was selected as a Nasa astronaut in 2013.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Victor Glover — a former Ontario High School wrestler and Navy test pilot who often wears his excitement on his royal-blue jumpsuit sleeve — will be the first Black person to reach the moon.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Crew-12 marks the first spaceflight for mission specialist Sophie Adenot and pilot Jack Hathaway, both of whom have test pilot backgrounds.

From Science Daily • Feb. 2, 2026

So I went back to school, something I had never expected to do again, to learn how to be a test pilot, at the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins