Test Flying should not be confused with Flight Testing. There is a very large difference between the two. Flight Testing covers the work of an infinite variety of people, while Test Flying is done by pilots and observers only. It is with the work of the pilots that this paper will deal.

A Test Pilot is presumably a pilot who tests aircraft, but it is a very loose, term. Out of the multitude of pilots engaged on test work in aircraft, only a small percentage actually test the aeroplane itself, while the remainder may be divided into two classes: those who do flight inspections, and those who use the aircraft merely as a vehicle for the testing of equipment and engines.