Flight Test Engineer

Piasecki Aircraft Corporation•Coatesville, PA

About The Position

The Piasecki Aircraft Corporation Flight Test Engineer will be responsible for leading the design and development of tests and conducting test activities to meet project-specific requirements. This role requires up to 20% travel to support flight test operations at various locations. The Flight Test Engineer will work closely with a core team of engineers to design, develop, and integrate test actions with a focus on obtaining actionable data to ensure the safe and efficient operation of aircraft and systems.

Requirements

Minimum of 5+ years of work experience in system development, particularly in VTOL systems, electric, and hybrid vehicle architectures, or related fields.
In-depth understanding of various vehicle architectures, systems, and subsystems, including component design and selection.
Experience with mechanical systems and engines, including thermal testing.
Hands-on experience using electrical/software test and analysis equipment.
Product development experience.
Demonstrated success with engineering problem-solving approaches.
Ability to influence without authority.
Success working in cross-functional, multi-location teams.
Highly developed skills using design/analysis software, Python, and Microsoft Office tools.
Bachelor’s degree in engineering.
Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Graduate degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Work with teams to understand project needs and develop plans for rapid test actions.
Identify commonalities between various applications to recommend platform components and subsystems that meet current and future needs where appropriate.
Develop flight test plans and flight test cards.
Perform data reduction and analysis.
Document test results in test reports.
Monitor flight test parameters during ground and flight tests.
Establish project development schedules and resource estimations from concept to production implementation, including tooling, NRE labor, BOM cost, etc.
Document test requirements and decompose them into component and integration requirements as needed for each test setup.
Create and maintain design documentation, including usable data plots and tables for use in latter stages of the test.
Work with the engineering team to assign requirements, discuss trade-offs, perform design reviews, and ensure successful test execution and data presentation.
Manage technical aspects of testing, integration, and validation of projects and provide status updates to integrated project teams.
Perform detailed post-test analysis of systems, including physical, electrical, and control architecture and integration aspects, emphasizing safety, quality, and cost.
Lead or participate in system, subsystem, and vehicle-level FMEA, and develop design guidelines.
Perform structural analysis, including stress, FEA, and fatigue analysis, to ensure aircraft components meet design and safety standards, and develop any necessary structural repairs.
Interact with purchasing, testing, manufacturing, and external suppliers as needed for the successful completion of projects.
Create and execute (or facilitate the execution of) test plans and component functionality/reliability testing/validation plans before system integration.
Facilitate issue root-cause analysis and resolution.
Identify and communicate risks related to the design, development, implementation, etc., of products and subsystems, and work with the team to prioritize and develop and execute mitigation and contingency plans.
Support the development and continuous improvement of processes, tools, documentation, training materials, etc., to maintain a sustained capability within the organization.
Mentor junior engineers and support their professional development.
Perform other duties and assignments as requested.