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

See Examples For:

test pilot

The agencies told him that Rush not only wasn’t an elite military test pilot, as he had claimed to the CIA, but he also held no pilot credentials at all.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

Air Force colonel with more than 27 years of experience as an instructor pilot, fighter pilot, and test pilot.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 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

I really liked my job as a test pilot; in fact, I thought it was the best possible job I could have, except for one thing.

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