uSHING THE I E n advanced fighter jet loaded with bombs loses control It begins tumbling out of the sky For most pilots it is a nightmare situation For test pilots it is just another day on the job XTREME QUOTE We take the aircraft or the weapons system or a combination of the two and we put it through the paces for the first time Somebody's got to do it for the first time and that's our job Major Troy Fontaine U S Air Force Test Pilot
Test pilots are the first to fly brand new aircraft They make sure the machines are safe They also fly newly modified aircraft Test pilots are highly skilled and educated Their work is full of risks but they love pushing aircraft to their limits O
Test pilots have thousands of hours of flight experience They are also well educated More than half of their job is spent on the ground planning each flight While flying they collect scientific data Then they report back to the aircraft
Flying new aircraft can be very dangerous There are many unknown risks Malfunctions can cause aircraft to fly poorly or crash Test pilots coolly deal with such risks They make sure the pilots who come after them can depend on the safety of their aircraft XTREME FACT Test pilots face danger every day but gone are the days when they kick the tires and light the fires Today's test pilots plan well in advance to make their job as safe as
