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

He attended test pilot school at Edwards Air Force Base, the site of many daring Armstrong flights and space shuttle landings, then served with the Navy’s Dust Devil test pilot squadron in China Lake, Calif.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Reid Wiseman, a 50-year-old former naval aviator and test pilot who also formerly served as a deputy chief of NASA's astronaut office, will be in command.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 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

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 • Dec. 22, 2025

My sister’s husband was a pilot also, but he was a test pilot.

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