Overview
Otto Aerospace is hiring a Chief Test Pilot in Jacksonville to establish and execute the Phantom 3500 airborne test programme from first flight through type certification. Reporting to flight-operations leadership, this person becomes the programme’s technical and safety authority for experimental flying and contributes directly to aircraft design, certification planning, cockpit development, and programme decisions. The role leads test planning, reporting, operational policy, safety analysis, and flight-crew development while coordinating with engineering teams and regulators. It requires long-term progressive flight-test experience, recognised test-pilot-school training, turbine experience, substantial total time, and the ability to work on site with periodic travel.
Responsibilities
- Act as pilot in command for experimental and certification test flights.
- Lead the preparation and execution of flight-test plans, procedures and reports.
- Author handling-quality, performance and test-pilot assessments.
- Provide pilot input to aircraft design, cockpit development and flight-manual work.
- Establish flight-operations procedures and a safety-management framework.
- Recruit, train and manage test pilots and flight-crew personnel.
- Coordinate certification activity with regulators, engineering and programme leadership.
- Lead flight-test hazard analysis and safety-review processes.
Requirements
- Hold a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering or a related technical field.
- Have graduated from an accredited test-pilot school or recognised equivalent.
- Have at least 15 years of progressive flight-test experience.
- Have at least 3,500 hours of total flight time, including turbine experience.
- Have significant experimental or certification test-flight experience as PIC.
- Have led work on turbine-aircraft certification programmes.
- Have experience writing formal flight-test documentation.
- Hold an FAA ATP and a current First Class medical, or be able to obtain the medical.
- Be legally authorised to work in the United States.
- Work on site in Jacksonville and travel up to approximately 25 percent.