Unmanned aircraft are still being designed and developed based on manned flying qualities criteria or revised versions of those specifications. This thesis investigated the application of manned flying qualities criteria used to evaluate unmanned aircraft handling qualities. The purpose of this research was to investigate how we can rely on historically proven criteria and apply lessons learned in manned aviation to unmanned aircraft. In many areas this demand is being met, but regulation and design criteria are still lagging with respect to handling qualities. By investigating the application of the manned flying qualities standards to unmanned aircraft, it provides more data for ongoing efforts to develop flying qualities criteria for UAV. This study focuses on the short period mode of the longitudinal motion being evaluated through flight experiment in an aircraft simulator. The goal was to assess the short period handling qualities of an unmanned vehicle compared to the manned aviation criteria. This was achieved by developing a UAV model for simulation and test pilot evaluation of the aircraft’s handling qualities.