Test pilot

[2] Test flying as a systematic activity started during the First World War, at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) in the United Kingdom.

During the 1920s, test flying was further developed by the RAE in the UK, and by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in the United States.

During these years, as work was done into aircraft stability and handling qualities, test flying evolved towards a more qualitative scientific profession.

In America, the United States Air Force Test Pilot School is located at Edwards Air Force Base, the United States Naval Test Pilot School is located at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland and EPNER (Ecole du Personnel Navigant d'Essai et de Reception – "School for flight test and acceptance personnel"), the French test pilot school, is located in Istres, France.

In Russia, there is a Russian aviation industry Fedotov Test Pilot School (founded 1947)[3] located in Zhukovsky within the Gromov Flight Research Institute.

Léon Lemartin , the world's first professional test pilot, [ 1 ] under contract to Louis Blériot in c. 1910
Jimmy Doolittle in 1928 with his Curtiss R3C-2 , around the time he pioneered blind flying
Chuck Yeager and the Bell X-1 , first test pilot to break the sound barrier at Mach 1 in 1947
Neil Armstrong and the North American X-15 after a research test flight in 1960