Flight Test Engineer - Flight Control Systems (Onsite)

Date Posted:

2024-06-21

Country:

United States of America

Location:

HIA32: Cedar Rapids, IA 400 Collins Rd NE , Cedar Rapids, IA, 52498-0505 USA

Position Role Type:

Hybrid

Joining Collins Aerospace isn’t just about finding a job; it's about embarking on a journey to redefine the future of aerospace. 

 

The Flight Controls Department at Collins Aerospace is developing Fly-By-Wire (FBW) and Automatic Flight Control Systems (AFCS) for the current and next generation of business, regional, air-transport and military aircraft. Flight Test Engineers are part of a highly specialized group responsible for optimizing AFCS control laws on customer aircraft. Our mission is to provide Collins’ customers the flight controls support required to ensure a quality certifiable product installed as part of the Collins avionics suite. 

 

Flight Controls is seeking a highly motived, experienced flight test engineer to join our flight test team to support flight test activities at our customer locations. If you thrive on solving challenging problems, working directly with customers, flying on a variety of airplanes, all while getting to travel the globe this position may be the career with purpose you have been looking for. 

 

WHAT YOU WILL DO: 

• Create test plans, instrumentation plans and test cards. 

• Coordinate and conduct ground and flight test events with internal and external stakeholders. 

• Attend test readiness reviews and safety briefings with customers. 

• Set up experimental flight test equipment. 

• Travel to customer facilities around the world to support flight test activities. 

• Conduct briefings and debriefings with test pilots, engineers and certification authorities. 

• Execute test cards as part of the flight crew in simulators or on board an aircraft. 

• Perform flight data analysis and control law tuning to achieve desired aircraft performance. 

• Seek input from test pilots on system performance and utilize feedback to inform real-time decisions related to test execution. 

• Document test results and prepare test reports. 

• Investigate customer snags and in-service occurrences. 

• Serve as a focal point for engineering and program management on flight test related matters. 

• Become proficient in Collins’ AFCS control laws and system architecture. 

• Acquire working knowledge of aircraft systems beyond flight controls. 

• Develop flight test tools and processes to improve test execution and data analysis. 

• Mentor and coach junior flight test engineers. 

• Conduct aircraft ground testing of the control system including general AP systems. 

• Be familiar with aircraft regulatory requirements as they relate to AFCS systems. 

• The FTE must be comfortable in the test aircraft environment. 

• Travel extensively, often for extended periods away from home to customer locations both domestic and international. 

• Must be comfortable flying on experimental flight test aircraft. 

• Work off or extended hours if needed to accommodate the customer’s schedule. 

 

QU