Reps. Whitesides and Obernolte Introduce Bipartisan PILOT Act to Expand Job Opportunities for Local Civilian Pilots and Engineers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Reps. George Whitesides (D-CA) and Jay Obernolte (R-CA) introduced the bipartisan PILOT (Providing Increased Local Opportunities for Test-pilots) Act to study expanding job opportunities for civilian pilots and engineers trained at local flight schools. Under current law, flight test professionals trained at civilian flight schools, like the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, have to go through an additional waiver process when applying for military flight testing positions, which makes it more difficult for candidates from civilian flight schools to be considered. By ordering a review of the current military test pilot capacity and the possibility of changing the waiver policy, the PILOT Act takes steps to reduce barriers for local pilots and engineers.

"Our district is home to so many dedicated flight test professionals looking to assist our military with flight testing, who often face barriers to certain opportunities based on existing requirements and bureaucracy," said Rep. Whitesides. "The PILOT Act studies the prospect of expanding access to high-quality jobs for qualified candidates in our area who have graduated from accredited flight schools and want to pursue public service. By removing bureaucratic obstacles that block local pilots from job opportunities, we can draw from the immense local talent we have here at home."

"Test pilots and flight test engineers are essential to ensuring the safety and effectiveness of the advanced aircraft and systems our military depends on," said Rep. Obernolte. "The PILOT Act will help the Department of Defense evaluate whether graduates of accredited U.S. civilian test pilot schools can play a greater role in supporting military test activities while maintaining the rigorous training standards this work requires. This is a responsible step toward strengthening our test pilot workforce and supporting the next generation of American aerospace innovation."

"For more than four decades, the National Test Pilot School has provided high quality, professional flight test training to military and commercial aerospace organizations from around the world," said Jeff Trang, National Test Pilot School CEO. "The PILOT Act provides critical legislation that will enable NTPS to better complement the U.S. military Test Pilot Schools, by increasing training capacity and creating training opportunities not otherwise available for civil servants and civilian flight test professionals. Congressman Whitesides understands that this legislation will play a key role in accelerating DoD's flight test activities, essential to its efforts in fast-tracking state-of-the-art capabilities to the operational warfighter. I look forward to continued collaboration with the Congressman in supporting the local flight test community at Edwards AFB, USAF Plant 42, and Defense partners across the Antelope Valley."

The legislationdirects the Department of Defense to review whether the number of civilian test pilots meets their current test flight needs and look into ways to expand opportunities for graduates of accredited civilian flight schools. By assessing opportunities to make the application process more efficient and easier to navigate, the PILOT Act will help lower the barrier to entry for qualified local pilots.

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