diff --git a/tests/Aetheria.Shared.Tests/BrownoutTests.cs b/tests/Aetheria.Shared.Tests/BrownoutTests.cs
index 95958170c..3ac400c56 100644
--- a/tests/Aetheria.Shared.Tests/BrownoutTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aetheria.Shared.Tests/BrownoutTests.cs
@@ -53,7 +53,8 @@ public sealed class BrownoutTests : IDisposable
     {
         DefaultEntitySettings = new EntitySettings(),
         Tiers = new[] { new RarityTier { Name = "Common", Quality = .5f, Color = new float3(1, 1, 1) } },
-        QualityPriceModifier = new ExponentialLerp()
+        QualityPriceModifier = new ExponentialLerp(),
+        ThrustScale = 1f // these pin a thruster's authored push, not the global flight tuning
     };
 
     private static PerformanceStat Constant(float v) => new PerformanceStat { Min = v, Max = v };
diff --git a/tests/Aetheria.Shared.Tests/ConditionRatioTests.cs b/tests/Aetheria.Shared.Tests/ConditionRatioTests.cs
index 00d446384..3e02965db 100644
--- a/tests/Aetheria.Shared.Tests/ConditionRatioTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aetheria.Shared.Tests/ConditionRatioTests.cs
@@ -28,7 +28,8 @@ public sealed class ConditionRatioTests : IDisposable
     {
         DefaultEntitySettings = new EntitySettings(),
         Tiers = new[] { new RarityTier { Name = "Common", Quality = .5f, Color = new float3(1, 1, 1) } },
-        QualityPriceModifier = new ExponentialLerp()
+        QualityPriceModifier = new ExponentialLerp(),
+        ThrustScale = 1f // these pin a thruster's authored push, not the global flight tuning
     };
 
     private static PerformanceStat Constant(float v) => new PerformanceStat { Min = v, Max = v };
diff --git a/tests/Aetheria.Shared.Tests/RestoredHullsTests.cs b/tests/Aetheria.Shared.Tests/RestoredHullsTests.cs
index 6dd235551..121d468b3 100644
--- a/tests/Aetheria.Shared.Tests/RestoredHullsTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aetheria.Shared.Tests/RestoredHullsTests.cs
@@ -31,7 +31,15 @@ public sealed class RestoredHullsTests
     // (tools/AetherDb/AuthoredSettings.cs) is the same headless YAML reader tools/AetherDb already uses to
     // inspect Settings.asset outside Unity; this loads the real GameplaySettings the same way instead of
     // hand-copying its fields a second time.
-    internal static GameplaySettings Settings() => AuthoredSettings.Load(FindRepoRoot()).Read<GameplaySettings>("GameplaySettings");
+    internal static GameplaySettings Settings() => PinnedFlight(AuthoredSettings.Load(FindRepoRoot()).Read<GameplaySettings>("GameplaySettings"));
+
+    // The authored settings with the global thrust tuning at 1 (GameplaySettings.ThrustScale, 0.1 in play): tests that pin
+    // what a thruster, a hull or a brain does read the gear's own thrust, so a retune of the knob does not move them.
+    internal static GameplaySettings PinnedFlight(GameplaySettings settings)
+    {
+        settings.ThrustScale = 1f;
+        return settings;
+    }
 
     // Same composition FireControlCut7Tests.OpenReadOnlyRealCatalog uses: a registry scoped to the shipped
     // assembly's own [CultDocument] types, so this test's own process-wide type registration never pollutes the
diff --git a/tests/Aetheria.Shared.Tests/RunStartTests.cs b/tests/Aetheria.Shared.Tests/RunStartTests.cs
index 69b040d4e..efd17eb71 100644
--- a/tests/Aetheria.Shared.Tests/RunStartTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aetheria.Shared.Tests/RunStartTests.cs
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ public sealed partial class RunStartTests : IDisposable
         _galaxy = new Galaxy(tutorial, authored.Read<SectorBackgroundSettings>("TutorialBackgroundSettings"),
             _cache, new PlayerSettings(),
             Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(_root, "Narrative")), _ => { }, null, GalaxySeed);
-        _items = new ItemManager(1u, _cache, new ProvenanceLedger(), authored.Read<GameplaySettings>("GameplaySettings"), _ => { });
+        _items = new ItemManager(1u, _cache, new ProvenanceLedger(), RestoredHullsTests.PinnedFlight(authored.Read<GameplaySettings>("GameplaySettings")), _ => { });
         _protagonist = _galaxy.ResolveFaction(tutorial.ProtagonistFaction);
 
         // GameSettings.StartingHullName is a plain field of the Unity settings object, not a ServerShared subtree