Flight Testing
Types of testing
Whether you need 2 flights for a proof of concept or 1,000 flights for a Type Certificate, as a trusted extension of your team, our professional flight testers deliver safe, results-driven testing. From concept to completion, we manage every critical step to ensure efficiency, control risk, and accelerate completion. We deliver to you the data, videos, professional test reports, and FAA approvals.
Our flight-testing services include:
Test Program Management
- Test Planning & Management
- Test Site Selection
- Test Aircraft Procurement
- FAA Interface
Types of Tests
- Developmental and Certification Testing
- Airplane Performance
- Handling Qualities Evaluation
- Envelope Expansion
- Low-Speed / High-Angle-of-Attack
- Spin Testing
- High-Speed / Dive
- Flutter Testing
- Acoustical Testing
- Powerplant, Electrical, and Mechanical Systems Testing
Take the next step with confidence. Schedule your 30-minute consultation with us today to discover why LRL Aviation is the right partner for your flight-testing project
A typical flight test project
Every successful flight test campaign depends on proper planning by experienced professionals. The first step toward success is understanding the scope of your project. That is why we start with a focused, 30-minute consultation call—an opportunity to understand your needs, define your objectives, and see how to leverage our expertise.
Take action today—schedule your 30-minute flight test consultation and set your project in motion.
Start with the end in mind. Focused on your objectives, the flight test professionals at LRL Aviation will plan a path to efficiently get to your finish line. You’ll benefit from our experienced team of flight testers as they flesh out the details of your custom flight test campaign. With a defined project, you’ll know:
- Duration and expected flight hours
- Data to be collected
- Specialty equipment needs
- Who will build or modify the aircrafts
- Step-wise approach we’ll use to safely complete the program
- Key milestones, benchmarks, and safety gates
- Known risks and risk mitigation plans
Every successful flight test campaign begins with a clear, well-structured roadmap. Missteps in planning lead to wasted efforts and costly delays. We’ve done this countless times and that’s why we partner closely with you from the start, defining every detail, tailoring our plan to your project’s unique requirements.
We’ll select the ideal test site, ensuring the right facilities, airspace, and infrastructure to support safe and effective operations. We handle test aircraft selection and procurement, instrumentation, calibration, and experimental certification. We work proactively with the FAA to secure the necessary approvals, anticipate requirements, and address regulatory concerns before they become unnecessary delays.
We coordinate all logistics, including scheduling the test crew, aligning resources, and managing timelines to keep your project on track. We’ll prepare comprehensive test plans and detailed test cards to ensure the crews operate with precision and safety. With decades of flight testing experience, our team streamlines this process, maintaining the highest standards of safety and efficiency.
At LRL Aviation, safety is never an afterthought—it is built into every stage of our process. Our dedicated flight test professionals, proficient and up to date on the industry’s best practices, conduct formal Safety Reviews for each major phase. This critical checkpoint ensures that no first flight of a new or modified aircraft takes place without thorough preparation, risk identification, and risk mitigation. This ongoing evaluation protects pilots, crews, and your investment. By partnering with LRL Aviation, you know that every flight is backed by precision, preparation, and proven safety practices.
Safety is our priority, and your success is our mission.
Once preparation is complete, the focus shifts to executing ground & flight tests. At LRL Aviation, we ensure every test is carried out with precision, discipline, and a relentless commitment to safety.
Flight test programs are a series of methodical steps. Steps, not leaps. Most campaigns begin with ground testing to verify all the systems are working as expected before we take them airborne. First at 0 knots and 1g. Then low-speed taxi tests become progressively faster. With confidence in the aircraft, we move into flight testing – expanding the envelope and obtaining the data you need. Each step builds methodically on the prior step. As experienced engineers themselves, our test pilots are very effective at working with the engineers to resolve issues as they arise.
It is in this phase that our planning reaps rewards, and we solidify the trust of our customers. By partnering with LRL Aviation, you gain the confidence that every test will be executed safely, efficiently, and aligned with your overall objectives.
Flight test data is meaningless until they are processed, analyzed, and presented. At LRL Aviation, we apply sound engineering practices and decades of experience to ensure your data tell a clear, concise, and compliant story.
During the flights, our engineers thoroughly examine every parameter to identify anomalies early and protect the credibility of your data. With good data in hand, we’ll reduce and normalize it using proven methodologies to filter out noise, correct anomalies, and transform raw test records into meaningful results.
Finally, whether you’re developing new technology or showing certification compliance, we compile the whole record into clear, concise, and technically rigorous flight test reports detailing the test objectives, procedures, results, and conclusions in a format designed to satisfy FAA scrutiny and retain company intellectual property.
By entrusting your flight test needs to LRL Aviation, you gain more than just papers — you gain persuasive, authoritative documentation and FAA approval. From data collection to final report, we turn complex results into certification success.
Take the next step today. Partner with LRL Aviation to develop your tailored FAA flight test roadmap and move confidently toward certification success.