A day with a test pilot instructor

We often hear about commercial pilots or fighter pilots, sometimes about transport aircraft pilots, but rarely about test pilots. And yet, they are in charge of doing the first flights of an aircraft to grant it production and flight permits. But that’s not all ! So, let's discover this atypical job together by following one of them, Joseph Kunhapfel, who works at EPNER.

It’s a school for flight crew test and reception in the south of France, on the Air Base 125 in Istres.

First steps at EPNER

When the taxi dropped me off at the entrance of the Air Base, I was welcomed by two soldiers monitoring arrivals and ensuring the security of the premises.

To begin the day, Joseph Kuhnapfel gave me a presentation about EPNER in the car. In fact, the air base is very extensive : it is the biggest French air base and one of the oldest.

Front of the EPNER with a Mirage III. C.Duquesne, 2024

We finally arrived in front of the building, where a Mirage III was on display. The aircraft bears the names of the class of 2001, the last cohort to have been able to fly on this machine.

We put our belongings in the office and one detail struck me. Joe, from his military callsign, has a real collection of patches. They refer to all his missions as a fighter pilot as well as his missions as an instructor. It's a habit when working with new people : everyone exchanges a patch from their unit. It’s the way to costumize the legendary flight suit.

New life goal : to have as many as him !

Our instructor Joseph Kuhnapfel & his patch collection. C.Duquesne , 2024

So, Instructor, what is the program ?

"To begin, let’s say hello to everyone. Indeed, there are 4 main jobs to be trained here : test pilots, test mechanics, test controllers and test engineers. Everyone work together. Then, we take a look in the programmation room. Today, there will be two flights."

As an instructor, Joe has to prepare which exercises he will ask his students to do. He also has to report on the progression. Then he has to complete some administrative tasks with the DGA (Directorate General of Armed forces) and the Army but this part is top secret, so I went off with a test controller instead.

I visited the control tower, with its military and testing parts. It was enriching. Indeed, none of this would be possible without the controllers for security reasons, for example.

The view from the control tower. C.Duquesne, 2024

How does a flight operate ?

There are several options : either the instructor is on the plane, the pilot is alone or the engineer is with them.

But don’t think that because the instructor is not in the plane, the pilot is totally free.

The aircraft are modified : probes, microphones and cameras are added to monitor the flight parameters and how the crew manages them.

Before each flight, a briefing is made so that everyone has the same information, such as the weather, flight zones and the instructional goals. The future test pilot must be able to manage the machine's reaction when testing its resistance to exceeding the aircraft's speed limits as well as their own behavior in the case of hypoxia, for example.

Through these exercises, pilots enhance their risk management skills, an essential aspect of achieving test pilot excellence.

For this flight, there will be no instructor on board; instead, the two student pilots will be monitored from the ground.

So Joe and I went to the listening room which allows the team to exploit equipment data. From breathing and speech rates, instructors draw revealing information about their students pilots. On that day, the future test pilot was a bit stressed. I was surprised by the instructors' ability to understand that the student was reading their checklist and not doing it as a routine.

After lunch, I had the chance to sit in two typical aircraft : the Alpha Jet and the Mirage 2000D. The Mirage 2000 is a supersonic multi-role fighter designed for air superiority and ground attack, while the Alpha Jet is a subsonic trainer aircraft primarily used for pilot training and light attack missions.

The landing gear of a Mirage 2000D and the canopy of an Alpha Jet. C.Duquesne, 2024

Why choose only one plane when you can fly them all ?

According to Joe, one of the best planes is the Alpha Jet, but is it really an exceptional plane or simply his first fighter plane?

It was the first of a long series : our instructor is the perfect example of adaptability with a flight log full of extraordinary experiences.

By the way, his longest flight was in a ... glider!

At the end of this fantastic day, Joe changed hats to take that of flight instructor ! On a small DR400, he teaches the future generation of pilots the basics of aeronautics.

"Fox Delta India, we are lined up, clear for take-off runway 34. We will proceed vertically Marseille and then we will follow the coast of Marseille for a return via the Sainte Victoire."

View of the Marseille coast from the DR400. C.Duquesne, 2024

So, when will you become a test pilot ?