Flight Operations Engineer

Icarus•El Segundo, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Flight Operations Engineer at Icarus is responsible for the entire lifecycle of flight operations, from preparing the aircraft in the hangar to its return after a mission. This role involves setting up test sites, preparing the aircraft (mechanical, electrical, and payload), conducting preflight inspections, operating the aircraft in flight, and troubleshooting any issues that arise. The engineer will also be involved in developing procedures, configuring systems, and analyzing flight data to improve future missions. This position requires the individual to act as both an operator and an engineer in the field, ensuring the successful and safe execution of flights in the Stratosphere.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, or software engineering, or equivalent hands-on experience in aviation or aviation-adjacent military occupational fields.
3+ years of UAS, flight test, or aircraft operations experience, or equivalent military experience.
Demonstrated ability to set up, preflight, operate, and recover an unmanned aircraft.
Strong technical troubleshooting skills across mechanical, electrical, and software systems.
Proficiency with ground control station software.
Strong Linux command line skills for debugging, scripting, and troubleshooting.
Calm, decisive judgment under pressure, especially with an aircraft in the air.
Strong communication skills.
High trust, extreme ownership, no ego.

Nice To Haves

FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate.
Experience with developmental flight test, first-flight events, or build-up test programs.
Background building RC or UAS aircraft (SAE Aero, Design Build Fly, or serious hobbyist).
FAA Airframe and Powerplant license or military aviation maintenance background.
Aviation-adjacent military specialty with "air sense" (JTAC, CCT, etc).
Experience operating in austere or remote field environments.

Responsibilities

Set up the site and the aircraft, including analyzing test site conditions and atmospheric conditions for flight safety and regulatory adherence.
Assemble, configure, and prepare aircraft for flight, covering mechanical, electrical, and payload setup.
Conduct preflight inspections and checklists, making the final decision on aircraft readiness.
Configure and verify the ground control station, telemetry links, and mission plan before each flight.
Prescribe autonomous mission sets and operate the aircraft in flight by modifying software characteristics to ensure efficient test plan execution.
Monitor telemetry and aircraft health in real-time, responding to anomalies and acting as the primary operator during flight.
Run launch and recovery operations, including non-traditional takeoff and landing configurations.
Write and refine test plans, test cards, checklists, and standard operating procedures.
Configure and tune autopilot, GCS, and aircraft software parameters.
Analyze flight logs and telemetry, perform root cause analysis, and write quick-look and formal test reports.
Build tooling and scripts to expedite setup, data review, and field operations.
Serve as the technical interface between flight operations and the engineering team.
Diagnose and fix mechanical, electrical, and software issues in the field to maintain the test campaign's momentum.
Refurbish and reset the aircraft between flights and prepare it for the next sortie.
Drive the next iteration of aircraft and operations based on flight data and analysis.