Director of Production Flight Test

Department: Flight Operations
Reports To: Vice President of Flight Operations
Location: Frisco, Texas
Employment Type: Full-Time, On-Site
Travel: Required

Position Summary

The Director of Production Flight Test is responsible for planning, managing, and executing post-production flight testing required to validate aircraft conformity, performance, airworthiness, and readiness for customer delivery.

The Director serves as the operational authority for production acceptance flight testing and ensures every aircraft delivered by Avrex Aerospace conforms to its released configuration and meets established operational and performance requirements.

The position works closely with Flight Operations, Engineering, Airworthiness, Systems Engineering, Propulsion, and Production to transition completed aircraft from manufacturing through final flight validation and customer acceptance.

Key Responsibilities

Production Flight Test

• Lead production-level flight-test activities for completed aircraft.

• Conduct and oversee:

  • Acceptance flight tests

  • Post-assembly validation flights

  • Customer-configuration validation

  • Functional system verification flights

  • Performance-confirmation sorties

• Confirm each aircraft conforms to released engineering configuration.

• Validate aircraft performance against established delivery requirements.

• Identify and document discrepancies discovered during production flight testing.

Airspace & Regulatory Operations

• Ensure production flight testing is conducted within approved regulatory and airspace frameworks.

• Coordinate and maintain applicable:

  • Certificates of Authorization (COAs)

  • FAA waivers

  • Restricted or controlled airspace approvals

  • BVLOS authorizations

  • Test-range coordination

  • NOTAM coordination

• Maintain documentation supporting regulatory compliance.

• Ensure aircraft are not operated outside approved authority parameters.

Delivery Readiness

• Verify aircraft configuration against the approved baseline before delivery.

• Confirm software versions are correctly loaded and documented.

• Verify propulsion-system performance.

• Validate communications and data-link functionality.

• Verify payload and mission-system operation.

• Confirm weight-and-balance documentation.

• Verify maintenance and aircraft records are complete.

• Certify aircraft readiness for customer acceptance flight and delivery.

Production & Engineering Coordination

• Coordinate with Production regarding aircraft assembly completion and readiness.

• Coordinate with Engineering regarding configuration release and change control.

• Coordinate with Systems Engineering regarding software validation.

• Coordinate with Propulsion personnel regarding power-system verification.

• Coordinate with Airworthiness personnel regarding inspections and documentation.

• Ensure discrepancies discovered during testing are documented, assigned, resolved, and formally closed before aircraft delivery.

Test Procedures & Standardization

• Develop and maintain standardized production flight-test cards.

• Establish acceptance-test procedures.

• Maintain abnormal-condition test checklists.

• Develop delivery-validation protocols.

• Establish flight-test data capture and archival standards.

• Ensure production flight testing is repeatable, disciplined, and appropriately documented across aircraft.

Safety & Risk Management

• Ensure aircraft receive appropriate inspections before flight.

• Evaluate known non-conformances prior to flight.

• Conduct operational risk assessments for production test activities.

• Ensure test conditions are appropriate for aircraft maturity and configuration.

• Document and investigate anomalies discovered during flight.

• Coordinate production testing activities with the Company's Safety Management System.

Reporting & Documentation

• Maintain production flight-test records for individual aircraft.

• Track flight hours and test activity.

• Document test results and discrepancies.

• Track corrective actions through closure.

• Maintain performance-validation data.

• Complete final acceptance documentation.

• Support customer delivery packages and regulatory documentation.

Production Scaling

• Develop flight-test processes capable of supporting increasing aircraft production rates.

• Identify constraints affecting production flight-test throughput.

• Coordinate aircraft scheduling, flight crews, test-range availability, and support equipment.

• Establish repeatable processes that prevent flight test from becoming a production bottleneck.

• Provide Flight Operations and Production leadership with visibility into aircraft awaiting test, aircraft in discrepancy resolution, and aircraft cleared for delivery.

Qualifications

• Significant aviation, UAS, flight-test, production-test, or aircraft-operations experience.

• Demonstrated experience conducting or managing aircraft flight testing.

• Strong understanding of aircraft configuration control, maintenance documentation, airworthiness, and operational risk management.

• Experience operating within FAA and controlled-airspace requirements.

• Ability to interpret engineering documentation, aircraft configurations, test procedures, and performance requirements.

• Experience coordinating across Production, Engineering, Maintenance, and Flight Operations organizations.

• Strong documentation, communication, and organizational skills.

• Ability to travel and support production and customer acceptance activities as required.

Success in This Role

Success is measured by safe and predictable production flight-test execution, aircraft conformity, complete documentation, rapid discrepancy resolution, and the ability to move aircraft efficiently from final assembly through flight acceptance and customer delivery without compromising safety, quality, or airworthiness.