test pilot

American  

noun

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

---

test pilot British  

noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of test pilot

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

A top Chinese military test pilot told a Chinese newspaper in 2016 that domestically made engines struggled with insufficient thrust, high fuel consumption rates and poor reliability.

From The Wall Street Journal

Wandt, a former Swedish Air Force fighter pilot who was Saab’s chief test pilot, currently serves as the company’s chief innovation officer.

From The Wall Street Journal

And the only way to achieve this was to join the military and become a test pilot.

From BBC

He added that the questions sought to assist in establishing why "25 passengers and four crew were placed in an unairworthy aircraft that the MoD's most experienced test pilots were forbidden to fly."

From BBC

In another project, Strachan honored America’s first Black astronaut, Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. He died in a plane crash while training a test pilot in 1968 before he could take part in any space mission.

From Los Angeles Times