Why Train at the National Test Pilot School?


The National Test Pilot School offers the best value in flight test training in the world.


NTPS is located and uses the best flight test area in the United States, the R-2508 Complex used also by Edwards AFB and China Lake NAS.  NTPS has modern facilities employing the latest technologies including specialized laboratories and simulators, weapons ranges and telemetry systems.  Many of the thirty-seven (37) aircraft operated by NTPS are instrumented for flight test training and no other school owns the variety of specially acquired aircraft to support flight test training.  Flight simulators are used to bridge the gap between classroom and cockpit to allow students to explore flight environments that cannot be safely duplicated in flight.  The NTPS flight instructors have an average of twenty (20) years flight test experience and an average of ten (10) years of test pilot instructional experience at various test pilot schools.

NTPS is recognized as the most innovative and the leader in customized flight test training in the world.  Innovations include:

  • The first to offer an alternative to military test pilot schools.
  • The first to offer the professional course in modules to improve the student learning experience and to support continuous professional development.
  • The first in conferring professional and academic Master level degrees.
  • The first to offer Pre-TPS courses to help bridge the gap to a very demanding course.
  • The first to make avionics systems testing 50 percent of the professional course content, following feedback from our customers.
  • The first and only test pilot school to provide every test pilot and flight test engineer an individual unknown aircraft final project.
 

Faculty Qualification and Experience

The NTPS employs a full time professional staff.  The full time staff is complimented by ten (10) part time academic and flight instructors.  All are highly experienced.  

Name

Specialty

Highest Degree

TPS Graduate

Years Flight Test Experience

Years TPS Teacher

Flying Experience

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greg Lewis

TP

MS

yes

32

21

>8,300

Al Peterson

TP

ScD

yes

20

1

>3,500

Mike Hill

TP

MS

yes

14

5

>6,900

Bob Mcshea

FTE

BS

no

26

14

>1,200

Yannis Tsolekas

TP

BS

yes

8

2

>3,200

Ed Solski

TP

BS

yes

16

9

>6,400

Terry Donovan

TP

PhD

yes

34

18

>8,000

Mark Swaney

FTE MS yes 17 3 >5,000

Russ Stewart

TP

MS

yes

31

12

>8,000

Ken Clarke

TP

MSC

yes

39

19

>3,000

Lester Ingham

FTE PhD yes 15 3

>500

Steve Cherry

TP

MS

yes

22

15

>4,200

Nigel Speedy

TP BS yes 8 2 >3,800

Nicola Pecile

TP MS yes 8 3 >4,500

Ilan Arush

FTE MS yes 21 2 >900
 
 
 

Facilities

The National Test Pilot School (NTPS) complex is located at Mojave Airport in California, very close to Edwards, AFB.  Mojave airport houses many civilian flight test organizations and has been designated the Mojave Civilian Flight Test Center .

The National Test Pilot School has in place a joint use agreement between the USAF and the USN to use the airspace and ranges of R2515 and the MOA 2508 on a non-interference basis.  Essentially NTPS is treated as an operating squadron at Edwards AFB.

The NTPS complex currently consists of six buildings.Classroom3  The school hangar and classroom facility totals 42,400 square feet, two maintenance hangars for jet aircraft repair, each 13,600 square feet and a helicopter and propeller aircraft maintenance facility of 15,000 square feet.  In addition to the buildings mentioned above, additional storage areas totaling 19,600 square feet for aircraft parts is leased from Mojave airport.

The school building has six classrooms, numerous faculty offices, student work areas, briefing rooms, two lounges, conference rooms, library, simulator rooms, multiple computer-based data analysis facilities, telemetry ground station, operations room and administrative sections, showers, lockers and a racquetball court.

The school has its own variable stability ground based simulator.hanger  The basic model for the variable stability simulator is the F-16 and the instructor has the ability to change the stability and control derivatives, feed back loops, and transport delay times, etc., to change the flying characteristics of the model.  This VSS is used at NTPS to augment the Dynamics and closed loop flying qualities courses and to model and predict the flying qualities of many types of aircraft.

Many of the texts utilized during NTPS courses are produced and published by NTPS ensuring that the correct depth of information is immediately available.  Any other information required is presented in standard texts available from commercial sources.  In addition, tutorial material is available for use as a self-paced study guide for students.

 
 
 

Academic Hours

Students receive 565 academic hours of instruction:

Prerequisite subjects

45

Performance

68

Flying Qualities

126

Systems

218

Loads and Stores

70

Management

38

 
 
 

Reports and Examinations

Students sit for 20 exams (both written and comprehensive orals).

Students present 31 reports (both written and oral)

Each student is given an individual Final Project

 
 
 

Course Standards

The academic and instructional standards of the school are excellent.  This is due to experienced instructors, academics taught with the goal of practical application, low staff to student ratios and high student expectations.  The grading standards of N.T.P.S. are well established and each student must get a satisfactory grade or better (75% minimum) to pass each examination, oral and written report
 
 
 

Simulators

In additionsim1 to the engineering simulator resident at the NTPS, high fidelity simulators are leased to support the P&FQ and Modeling and Simulation portions of the curriculum.  These include Gulfstream &  Cessna Citation simulators.  The LearJet variable stability aircraft is leased from Calspan for the NTPS Fixed Wing pilots and engineers.  The rotary wing pilots and engineers fly the National Research Council (NRC) variable stability Bell 205 aircraft in Ottawa Canada.
 
 
 

Aircraft Types

The National Test Pilot School operates a total of thirty-four (34) aircraft, many of which are instrumented for flight test training.  The aircraft types include two business jets, five military jet trainers, large and medium turbo-prop multi-engine transports, one turbo-prop military trainer, three piston powered military trainer aircraft, , two light twin piston engine aircraft, seven single engine aircraft and one glider.  The rotary wing fleet consists of one UH-1N, two OH-58C, one H-500, one S-55, and two BO-105 helicopters.
 
 
 

Flying Hours

Each pilot typically flies 110 hours in at least 25 types of aircraft in the one year professional course.  Each engineer flies about 100 hours in 20 types of aircraft.  

 
 
 

Masters Degree

The National Test Pilot School through its academic and research unit, the National Flight Test Institute, has been extended approval to award the Master of Science in Flight Test Engineering and the Master of Science in Flight Test and Evaluation.  Test pilots and flight test engineers who have the necessary academic background and who satisfactorily complete the yearlong Professional Course, are eligible to receive this degree.

The Master of Science and Flight Test Engineering is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

 
 
 

Conclusions

The breadth and depth of flight test training offered at the National Test Pilot School is unique, covering civil and military certification, avionics systems flight testing, as well as the more classical subjects of stability and control and performance.

NTPS has made a long term investment in school facilities, a modern curriculum, diverse aircraft, and highly experienced staff to earn each of our students.

The NTPS professional course is at least comparable, and in many instances significantly better than the military test pilot schools at less than half the cost.

 
 
 
 

Current Weather

Station Info: 2:08p
Temp 58.2 02/05/12
Wind Info: (Knots)
Current 12.2 Average 12.4
Direction 32 High 19.1

Contact Info

National Test Pilot School  
P.O. Box 658
Mojave, CA  93502-0658  USA
Phone:  661-824-2977
Fax: 661-824-2943

 
 
Joomla 1.5 Templates by Joomlashack