Team

EURO FLIGHT TEST is a team of highly experienced CAT 1 and CAT 2 flight test engineers and test pilots from the military and industry. The team is complemented by renowned senior subject matter experts from R&D institutions and industry as well as former governmental officials.

EURO FLIGHT TEST Executive Management Board:

Reiner “Tex” Exner
Managing Director & Chief Flight Test Engineer

M.Sc. Aeronautical Engineering, University of Applied Sciences, Munich
Flight Test Engineer at Messerschmitt Boelkow Blohm (MBB) Manching, TORNADO program
US Naval Test Pilot School, 12-months Professional Course, Graduation as Experimental Flight Test Engineer, Patuxent River, Maryland
Flight Test Engineer, EUROFIGHTER Aircraft Prototype, at BAe in the UK
Lead Flight Test Engineer X-31 experimental prototype, delegated to Rockwell International and NASA Dryden, USA
Team Leader Flying Quality Analysis RANGER 2000 prototypes, MBB, Manching
Lead Flight Test Engineer EUROFIGHTER Prototype, DASA Military Aircraft, Manching
Lead Flight Test Engineer MiG 29 Upgrade Program, DASA Military Aircraft, Romania
Senior Manager Flight Test Operations, Hellenic F-4F Upgrade Program, EADS Military Aircraft, Greece
Senior Manager Flight Test Operations BARRACUDA UAS, Cassidian, Manching
Senior Manager Flight Test Operations EURO HAWK UAS, Cassidian / Airbus Defence & Space, Manching and Edwards Air Force Base

Reiner is an active pilot with more than 2.600 flight hours PIC time. He is a member and the former treasurer of the Society of Flight Test Engineers European Chapter (SFTE-EC), where he published several papers.
He is a lecturer at the Technical University of Ingolstadt.

Peter Hemmert
Managing Director & CTKI

M.Sc. Aerospace Engineering, Bundeswehr University, Munich
M.Sc. Industrial Engineering, TFH Berlin
M.Sc. Flight Test & Evaluation, NTPS, Mojave, California
CAT 1 Fixed Wing Graduate as Flight Test Engineer, NTPS, Mojave, California
Technical Officer TORNADO/EUROFIGHTER, German Air Force
Flight Test Engineer TORNADO at WTD 61 (German Military Flight Test Center) Manching
Lead Flight Test Engineer EURO HAWK at WTD 61 (German Military Flight Test Center) Manching / Edwards Air Force Base
Program Management EURO HAWK, Bundeswehr, Koblenz
Program Management A400M, German MOD, Bonn
T&V Engineer NATO AGS, San Diego, USA

Peter is an active pilot with a MEP rating.

Rolf Hellbutsch
Managing Director & Accountable Manager

M.Sc. Aerospace Engineering, Technical University, Berlin
Several Courses as Flight Test Engineer, NTPS, Mojave, California
Flight Test Engineer TORNADO at WTD 61 (German Military Flight Test Center) Manching
R&D Airborne Reconnaissance, Bundeswehr, Koblenz
Research Officer for Fluid Dynamics, US Air Force Academy, Colorado
Program Management EURO HAWK, Bundeswehr, Koblenz
Liaison Officer for UAS & Helicopter Technology, Bundeswehr, Washington DC
Program Management Strategic Airborne SIGINT , German MOD, Bonn

Dr. Dieter Reisinger
Head of Training & Chief Test Pilot

EASA CAT 1 Fixed Wing Test Pilot, NTPS, California
Flight Test Instructor (A)
M.Sc. Aeronautical Engineering, Technical University, Munich
Doctorate in Aeronautical Engineering, University of the Armed Forces, Munich
M.Sc. Flight Test & Evaluation, NTPS, Mojave, California
Research Assistant, Supersonic Aircraft Design, University of the Armed Forces, Munich
Airline Transport Pilot, Lauda Air / Austrian Airlines
Technical Pilot / Maintenance Check Flight Pilot / Acceptance Test Pilot
Flight Test Experience ranging from testing Piston Engines to Modification of Transport Category Aircraft
University Lecturer @ Beihang University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Beijing, University of Belgrade, TU Graz, FH Wiener Neustadt, FH Joanneum
Flight Simulator Evaluator
Certified Aviation Expert
flown over 100 types/makes/models of Aircraft and Helicopters
Flight Instructor for Fixed and Rotary Wing Aicraft
Member of SETP, SFTE and DGLR

EURO FLIGHT TEST Core Team:

Giacomo Grimaldi

EASA CAT 1 Test Pilot (RW / FW)
Flight Test Instructor (RW / FW)
Chief Test Pilot, Vertex Aero s.r.l.
Test Pilot and Instructor Consultant, ITPS
Test Pilot and Instructor, Italian Military Flight Test Center, Pratica di Mare
Test Pilot Instructor, EPNER
Fighter Pilot, Italian Air Force
Advanced Master in Experimental Flight Test Engineering, ISAE Supaero
3000+ FH on 60 different FW and RW aircraft

Robert "Robbs" Hierl

EASA CAT 1 Test Pilot (Fixed Wing), ETPS, Boscombe Down
Chief Test Pilot of the German Armed Forces
Project Test Pilot EUROFIGHTER @WTD61
Project Test Pilot MiG-29 @WTD61
Project Test Pilot GLOBAL 5000 @WTD61
SME on foreign aircraft (Su-22 etc)
Planning, Execution of multiple test campaigns on fighter, transport and training aircraft
Aeronautical Engineer (M.Sc.) @University of the Armed Forces, Munich

Markus Rüdinger

EASA CAT 1 Test Pilot (Fixed Wing), US Naval Test Pilot School
Test Pilot @WTD61 (EUROFIGHTER / TORNADO / MRTT A310)
Planning and Execution of multiple Test Campaigns on Fighter and Transport Aircraft around the world
Active part-time Commercial Pilot A300 @DHL
Active Paradrop Pilot on Pilatus PC-6
Total Flight Time: 7.500 hrs on 110 different aircraft and helicopters
Aeronautical Engineer (M.Sc.) @University of the Armed Forces, Munich

Klaus-Dieter "KD" Hose

EASA CAT 2 Test Pilot (Fixed Wing)
ATPL, FI (CPL, IFR, UPRT)
Experimental Test Pilot & CVE @Deutsche Aircraft GmbH
Experimental Test Pilot & CVE @Dornier Seawings GmbH
Experimental Test Pilot & SME for A/C Modifications & STC @AeroRescue Pty Ltd
Head of Training @AeroRescue Pty Ltd
Experimental Test Pilot & CVE @Fairchild Dornier GmbH
Certified Auditor

Martin Hinterwaldner

EASA CAT 2 Test Pilot (Fixed Wing)
Test Pilot & Flight Test Engineer @WTD61
Instructor Military Flight Safety @German Air Force
Test Pilot & Expedition Pilot @DLR
Flight Test Campaign Leader EUROFIGHTER @Airbus
UAS Flight Test Engineer @Airbus
Head of Flight Test & Operations @Dornier Seawings

Rogerio Arantes

Experimental Flight Test Engineer (Fixed Wing), Brazilian Air Force Test Pilot School
FTE Team Leader for all Flight Tests for new Systems Integration @Brazilian Air Force (BAF)
LFTE for a Challenger 605 major modification
LFTE for A-310 Type Certificate Validation
Instructor of BAF’s Professional Flight Test Course
Head of BAF Flight Test Engineering (e.g. Super-Tucano, F5M etc)

Dave Carbaugh

Chief Pilot Safety @Boeing
30 years Instructor and Experimental Test Pilot @Boeing
Recipient of the “European Flight Test Safety Award”
Winner of the Laurel Award from Aviation Week
Leader of numerous industry teams to develop and test training procedures for wake turbulence and windshear
Military instructor pilot for F-15, C-141,T-37/38/F-5

Michel de Koning

EASA CAT 1 Test Pilot (Rotary Wing), ETPS
Senior Test Pilot @Royal Dutch Navy
Experimental Test Pilot NH90 @Royal Dutch Navy
ASW Expert
SAR Pilot on Westland Lynx
Postgraduate Flight Test & Flight Dynamics @Cranfield Univ.
M.Sc. Aerospace Engineering, TU Delft

Thibaut Cappuyns

EASA CAT 1 Lead Flight Test Engineer (Fixed Wing)
Flight Test Data Analyst Handling Qualities & Flight Control Systems @Airbus
FTE for A-400M and C-130 @Belgian Air Component
EASA Technical Training Continuing Airworthiness, CS-25 Large Aeroplanes & Safety Assessment for Aircraft Systems
Private Pilot Licence with more than 700 FH
Watch featured Video

Dominique Roland

fmr. EASA Head of Policy, Innovation & Knowledge
fmr. EASA Head of General Aviation & RPAS
fmr. EASA Head of Design Organisation
Test Pilot General Aviation
Technical Director APEX / ROBIN & CAP Aviation
World Champion Free Style Aerobatics 1998
Winner Breitling World Cup of Aerobatics 1995

Tarek Salah

Head of Systems and Avionics
Senior Certification Expert
Safety & Compliance Manager
Design & Comliance Verification Engineer in EASA Part 21J DO
Deputy Chief of Department & Office of Airworthiness
Project Manager for Numerous Avionics Upgrades for CS-23/CS-27/CS-29 aircraft
COM/NAV/NVIS/RDR Retrofit Installation & Certification
Aircraft System Safety Course Main Instructor

Alois Bader

Weapon System Officer F-4E, F4F, TORNADO IDS, TONADO ECR
TOP Gun Graduate
Operational Winter Testing & Heat Trials TORNADO
OT&E of TORNADO EW Equipment
Test Director Operational Test and Missile Integration TORNADO ECR
Commercial Pilot License, CRI
National Certification of Annex 1 aircraft
Head of external R&T Projects @Airbus DS

Prof. Dr. Erol Özger

Senior Manager Handlinq Qualities @Deutsche Aircraft
Former Professor Aeronautical Engineering @University of Applied Sciences Ingolstadt
Flight Test Engineer TORNADO & EUROFIGHTER @Airbus
Consultant for the Indian LCA project in the field of aerodynamic model validation
Modelling & Simulation Senior Expert
Experimental & numerical Fluid Dynamics Senior Expert

Renaud Urli

Manager & Expert Flight Test Instrumentation @Airbus
Flight Test Instrumentation System Engineer @Airbus
Flight Test Instrumentation Engineer @Fairchild Dornier
President @The European Society of Telemetry
Chairman of the Test & Telemetry Conference
Leader of the Technical Committee Telemetry & Data Transmission @DGLR
Leader of the Technical Committee Testing @3AF

Peter Huber

Modern Flight Controls Senior Expert
Chief Engineer FCS EUROFIGHTER @Airbus
Head of Weapon System Integration @EUROFIGHTER GmbH
Chief Engineer for the X-31 Experimental Aircraft Project @Airbus
Development, Integration & Test Engineer for the X-31 Flight Control System @Airbus
Test Engineer Flying Qualities TORNADO @Airbus