Alumni
19 Mar 2025
Testimony of Valentin Balayn
Former student of the Advanced Master® TAS AERO FTE
Identity card
- First name: Valentin Balayn
- Degree: Aeronautical, Architecture and Structures Engineer, ESTACA graduate
- Programme at ISAE-SUPAERO: Advanced Master® TAS AERO, Flight Test Engineering (FTE) option
- Year of graduation: 2015
- Position, company: Lead Flight Test Engineer at DGA Essais en Vol de Cazaux
- Country of residence: France
What is your background?
After taking my baccalauréat S in the Lyon region, I enrolled at ESTACA (an aeronautical engineering school) as a post-baccalaureate student. After graduating, I continued my studies by enrolling in the Advanced Master® TAS AERO FTE at ISAE-SUPAERO.
Why did you join the Advanced Master® TAS AERO FTE?
I’ve always been attracted to the world of testing, so I decided to apply for the Advanced Master® TAS AERO, Flight Test Engineering (FTE) option, with the aim of discovering the world of testing from a theoretical point of view, but also from a practical point of view, thanks to the number of flights I made during the course.
What do you see as the strengths of this programme?
Being able to take to the skies to apply the theory we’ve learned on the ground is one of the very positive aspects of the Master. In my opinion, there’s nothing better than putting into practice the theoretical concepts covered during the year.
What’s more, thanks to the master’s degree, you get to see the whole chain (V cycle) from design to certification, via flight preparation, then production and finally data processing and writing the test report. One of the great assets of this Master’s programme is the diversity of the contributions made by people from industry in a wide range of fields.
Could you tell us more about the FTE major? How has it helped you in your career and in your current position?
Discovering how to prepare, carry out and analyse test flights, as well as learning certain test techniques, gave me my first taste of the world of flight testing. The global vision of the world of testing that the Master’s provides also helps me to gain credibility at job interviews.
What are your next career objectives?
For the last year and a half, I’ve been working as a LFTE (Lead Flight Test Engineer) at DGA Flight Tests in Cazaux, in the Embedded Weapons Systems department. I’m looking forward to continuing my varied activities, particularly on armed helicopters, because of my recent appointment to this post!
About the Advanced Master® TAS AERO FTE
The Advanced Master® in Aeronautical Engineering, accredited by the Conférence des Grandes Écoles under no. 50, is a course in aeronautics that provides a broad knowledge of aerospace engineering and the aeronautical industry.
This aeronautics course develops an integrated approach to aircraft product design. It prepares participants to work on multidisciplinary aeronautical projects with a practical approach.
The FTE - Fligt Test Engineering option provides an introduction to flight test methods, but does not lead directly to an aircrew qualification. However, after a few years working for a manufacturer or government test centre, some of our graduates may be selected for training as experimental test pilots or flight test engineers.
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