When Test Pilots Earn Their Keep

The goal of the first test flight in any aircraft is that it be uneventful, but there's a reason test pilots are among the best in the business. In the warbird community, Steve Hinton is one of the go-tos and while many of his test flights do go off with barely a hitch, they can get interesting. Hinton was at the controls for the first flight of a Douglas A-26 Invader that was rebuilt for renowned collector Kermit Weeks in Chino, California, last May and earned his fee with a cool and collected performance with a successful outcome. Weeks prepared the video above and released it earlier this week.