Flight Test Engineer

SkyBridge Aviation; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

SkyBridge Aviation seeks an experienced Flight Test Engineer for its Huntsville, AL office to support ground and flight testing of aircraft modification programs. You will work on OML, avionics, systems, and interior changes for Part 23/25 aircraft, collaborating with pilots and engineers to ensure performance and certification compliance.

The role requires a 2+ year background in flight test, strong aerospace fundamentals, and the ability to obtain DoD/FAA clearances.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics or related field.
• Minimum of 2 years direct flight test engineering experience.
• Ability to obtain and maintain FAA Class III Medical Certificate.
• Strong understanding of aerodynamics, flight mechanics, and aircraft systems.
• Experience with data acquisition, flight test instrumentation, and data analysis tools.
• Foundational knowledge of aircraft certification processes and regulatory requirements.
• Strong math, physics, and problem-solving skills; able to multitask.
• Must be a U.S. citizen capable of obtaining a DoD Secret clearance.
• Willingness to travel up to 20% domestically and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Develop flight test plans for performance, flight characteristics, systems, and certification.
• Assist with data acquisition, flight test monitoring, and data reduction.
• Prepare flight test cards and engineering reports.
• Coordinate with pilots, engineers, technicians, and program teams.
• Ensure compliance with FAA, DoD, and customer requirements.
• Define instrumentation requirements and support flight test readiness.
• Support testing, weight and balance, and airworthiness evaluations.

Skills

Flight test engineering

Data analysis

Regulatory knowledge

Cross-functional collaboration

MS Office

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace/Mechanical/Electrical Engineering or related

Tools

MATLAB

Python

Dewesoft

Job description

We are seeking an experienced full-time, permanent Flight Test Engineer for our Huntsville office. This role supports ground and flight testing for aircraft modification programs involving OML (Outer Mold Line), avionics, systems, and interior changes on Part 23 and Part 25 certified aircraft.

The Flight Test Engineer supports the planning, execution, and analysis of flight test programs for aircraft, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and aerospace systems. Working under the guidance of senior flight test engineers, this role is responsible for assisting with test planning, data acquisition, flight test monitoring, data reduction, and preparation of engineering reports. The ideal candidate will have a strong technical foundation in aerospace engineering principles, excellent analytical skills, and a passion for aviation and aircraft performance evaluation. This position offers the opportunity to work closely with pilots, design engineers, technicians, and program teams to ensure aircraft systems meet performance, safety, and certification requirements.

Job Responsibilities

• Test & Certification Support: Assist with the development of flight test plans for performance, flight characteristics, systems, envelope expansion, certification, and operational test programs.
• Regulatory Compliance: Support certification planning and regulatory compliance activities in coordination with engineering specialists and subject matter experts.
• Instrumentation Setup: Define instrumentation requirements, including data parameters, ranges, accuracy, and sampling rates.
• Aircraft Preparation: Prepare aircraft for testing, maintain test aircraft configuration control, and support conformity inspections, weight and balance control, and airworthiness evaluations.
• Test Cards & Briefings: Prepare flight test cards and assist in conducting pre- and post-test briefings for ground and flight test events.
• Flight Operations Support: Support the operation of test aircraft during baseline, development, envelope expansion, and certification flight test programs to collect engineering data.
• Safety & Risk Management: Apply company safety, risk identification, and risk management procedures across all assigned test programs.
• Program Tracking: Track test-point progress and provide clear status updates to program management as requested.
• Cross-Functional Coordination: Coordinate flight test support with maintenance personnel, remote sites, contractors, subcontractors, vendors, and airworthiness authorities.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or a closely related technical field.
• Experience: Minimum of 2 years of direct flight test engineering experience.
• Medical: Ability to obtain and maintain an FAA Class III Medical Certificate.
• Technical Foundations: Strong understanding of aerodynamics, flight mechanics, aircraft systems, propulsion, and engineering analysis/testing methods.
• Data Analysis: Experience with aircraft performance, flight characteristics, systems testing, flight test instrumentation, and data acquisition systems; ability to analyze and interpret test data using engineering tools.
• Regulatory Awareness: Foundational knowledge of aircraft certification processes and FAA, military, or customer regulatory requirements.
• Core Skills: Strong math, physics, and technical problem-solving skills, with the ability to prioritize and organize assignments across multiple programs.
• Security Clearance: Must be a U.S. citizen capable of obtaining and maintaining a Department of Defense Secret clearance.
• Travel & Schedule: Willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 20% to customer sites, hangars, and test locations; willingness to work overtime during active flight test windows.
• Software: Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Desired Skills/Experience

• Background in aviation airframe modifications or the aerospace industry.
• Prior DoD or military flight test environment exposure.
• Experience with data acquisition systems, telemetry, instrumentation, and engineering tools (e.g., MATLAB, Python, Dewesoft).
• Fixed-wing flight test or operation experience.