test pilot

noun

: a pilot who specializes in putting new or experimental airplanes through maneuvers designed to test them (as for strength) by producing strains in excess of normal

Examples of test pilot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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This aircraft was piloted by Sergey Bogdan, the senior test pilot for aircraft designer Sukhoi. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024 Coleman's website said he was based out of California and was an engineer, aerobatic and test pilot with more than 10,000 hours of flight time. CBS News, 22 Oct. 2024 As a test pilot, Sobczak works primarily out of the San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Nicolas Vega,celia Fernandez,jennifer Liu, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2024 Boom Supersonic Boom tested its flutter excitation system (FES) at Mach 0.6 ... which must be unnerving for a test pilot. New Atlas, 10 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for test pilot 

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of test pilot was in 1917

Dictionary Entries Near test pilot

Cite this Entry

“Test pilot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/test%20pilot. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

test pilot

noun
: a pilot who puts new aircraft through tests

More from Merriam-Webster on test pilot

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