[Sponsor Content] Qinetiq - ETPS

Transforming flight test training

The training challenge

ETPS, the world’s first test pilots’ school, has a strong 75-year legacy in providing flight test aircrew with the necessary training to help develop and evaluate the next generation of aircraft. While this experience is invaluable to the school and the students that graduate from it, new approaches to both the course structure and the associated fleet are being implemented at the academy.

This is a hugely exciting time at ETPS, as the organisation transforms to open itself up to new markets and new approaches to training, modernising how test flight operators of the future will learn to be able to embark on their critical roles.

It will introduce a more modern, capable, flexible and cost-effective fleet into the school, and ETPS firmly believes that these aircraft will fully support the training needs of customers going forward, enabling new courses to be developed and allowing the scope for growth.

While underpinned by new modern and disruptive technologies that ETPS is introducing into the flight school, the refresh to the wellestablished academy is as much about how test crews conduct their training as the aircraft they fly, providing just the right amount of training to meet customer needs.

To this end, the new fleet of rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, as well as the modernised aircraft that remain from the legacy fleet, will be augmented by an updated approach to the curriculum, which will introduce more course types, modularity and flexibility, and for the first time will firmly facilitate the training of civil test pilots and engineers in addition to the school’s traditional military intake.

ETPS is aiming to offer a more tailored approach to the training of these operators, not just offer an off-the-shelf course that does not offer any flexibility for the student and their sponsor.

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Without losing the strengths of the previous course structure that encourages team work, changes are being introduced that will help maximise the quality of the training experience and provide the highest possible chance of success, while also being a uniquely enjoyable experience for the students.

A new way of thinking

ETPS has been the backbone of British test pilot training since its inception, but the model on which the customer began its training all those years back must evolve to meet emerging operational requirements, and innovation is key to that evolution.

Modern learning styles need to be implemented so that students get the best out of their training, and QinetiQ was keen to introduce a new curriculum and fleet that would meet these needs in return for the continued commitment of the core customer, the UK Ministry of Defence, to the highly specialised training provided by ETPS. ETPS is made available via a Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA) between QinetiQ and the UK MoD, which the company began delivering in 2003.

Working in partnership with the Royal Air Force’s Air Warfare Centre, QinetiQ manages the flight crew training that takes place at MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, and in 2016 an extension of this agreement was signed that would provide operations out to 2028 in return for a GBP85 million investment from QinetiQ in new aircraft, training and support.

When this investment was made, both the MoD and QinetiQ took the opportunity to reassess what the best direction for the training school would be, looking at new training approaches and how best to conduct the schooling in the most effective way in terms of cost, time and quality of learning. Through careful analysis it was concluded that a more modular and flexible approach should be taken to bring the training into the 21st century, which would also expand the breadth and reach of the curriculum to meet new requirements and markets.

This assessment has led to an investment in not only new aircraft, but also in the redesign of the curriculum that will be rolled out in time for the 2019 courses, allowing the school to meet a wider set of emerging training needs, including EASA’s new qualification for test pilots, the Flight Test Rating.

QinetiQ has developed innovative ways to approach this, including implementation of modern learning styles, distance learning, e-learning, a shortened and more relevant course structure, and the introduction of new courses, ground simulators, and flying classrooms.

A new modular approach is being introduced, which will allow military and civil students to partake in the same foundation element for the first part of the course, before breaking off into different streams that will tailor the learning to their needs and the aircraft types that they will ultimately be testing.

This is a lean and cost-effective approach, sharing the same course across different markets that share common grounds to ensure efficiencies, while also allowing them to receive the right bespoke training for their needs.

The anticipated demand for uptake of new short courses will lead to the annual student intake increasing quite significantly, and ETPS has prepared for this growth and has realistic ambitions for this move into new markets.

When the aims of the newly-structured course were established, the team went about acquiring the optimum fleet that would enable it to deliver these new aims, which will have longevity, accurately represent all of the flight characteristics of the aircraft that the trained crew will eventually operate, and will have modern features that will ease the way in which students take onboard all the learning they receive throughout their training.

Selecting the right tools

To assess the fleet structure, ETPS analysed the learning objectives that it deems important for this type of training from first principles, including all of the technical outcomes that need to be achieved.

The team then looked at what classes of aircraft were needed to deliver the necessary learning outcomes, and from that, what specific types were needed. Having selected the classes of aircraft in both the rotaryand fixed-wing categories, it then approached the market – using competition wherever possible – to select a preferred aircraft type.

QinetiQ has retained its two AW109s, two Avro RJs and one DA42, which will be joined by two new Pilatus PC-21s, four Airbus H125s, and two Grob G 120TPs, all of which are branded in a new livery to represent the modernisation of the fleet. The Gazelle helicopter and Tucano, Hawk and Alpha Jet fixed-wing aircraft are being retired.

All the new aircraft are being equipped with comprehensive flight test instrumentation systems to gather the data that is needed for in-flight assessment, and are also all fitted with telemetry, so that the student flight test engineers will be given the experience of being a ‘test conductor’, managing a test flight from the ground.

In modern programmes, particularly for high-risk testing, test engineers are often on the ground and not flying in the aircraft at all, and this experience is vital to be able to control that environment.

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The PC-21 advanced trainer is fitted with sophisticated training systems including a synthetic air-to-air and air-to-ground ‘radar’, using transponder returns to simulate radar tracks. Instrumentation and a large number of bespoke display ‘pages’ are also included, and it additionally has advanced mission planning and flight management systems.

The PC-21 can also emulate weapons, essentially serving as a highend training device with its state-of-the-art displays.

It has a representative fighter cockpit and an advanced flight management system, and is able to train students in the evaluation of advanced systems.

The new aircraft have glass cockpits and modern displays, providing more information in-flight to the students than ever possible before, improving the in-flight feedback to the students, so data does not have to be downloaded on the ground post-flight anymore, and can instead be displayed in-flight. This immediate feedback means that changes to test techniques can be made accordingly, and manoeuvres repeated as needed to ensure that students have a firm grasp of the fundamentals.

The Avro RJ70 will play a significant role in the new training structure, as it has been upgraded to be used as a flying classroom. Dedicated displays in the cabin facilitate this, and four students at a time can interact with the flight and collect data throughout.

Four dedicated Flight Test Engineer stations have been integrated in the main cabin to facilitate this, providing a realistic and comprehensive training environment for engineer students.

Additionally, students can use a Flight Test Instrumentation app using their tablets connected to onboard wifi to monitor flight conditions and take part in training exercises.

This increases the efficiency of the training onboard, and broadens the opportunities for non-flying personnel to gain an ab initio understanding of the flight test environment in the familiar surroundings of an airliner cabin.

The school is also introducing a new short course aimed at operational test and evaluation aircrew, which are the military aircrew that fly in operational evaluation units that carry out trials and tactics development.

This short course provides them with a grounding in flight test philosophy, reporting, analysis, and the foundation elements of how to be a tester. That is a task that the Avro RJ70 is ideally suited to, providing a systems-rich learning environment suitable for all classes of air operator.

The Grob G 120TP has a glass cockpit, side-by-side seating and is not fitted with ejection seats, which is important because flight test engineers may have little previous flight experience, and the Grob provides a student-friendly environment with which to start their training.

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The PC-21 can display up to 34 bespoke pages on its Multi-Function Displays, tailored to individual flying exercises, which enables students to receive immediate feedback on their performance, significantly improving training efficiency.

ETPS is also working with partners to deliver specialist aspects of the course, as one important element of test crew training is to offer as broad an exposure to a variety of aircraft characteristics as possible.

This involves both providing access to a number of different types of aircraft, and flying variable stability aircraft through which you can change the different characteristics in-flight.

ETPS has two partners for that: Calspan that provides its fixed-wing Learjets to the UK for the courses; and the National Research Council of Canada that provides Bell 205 and 412 helicopters in this category.

The school also needs to expose military students to advanced military systems, for example fourth generation fighters, and it has a long-standing agreement with Saab to allow trainees to fly the company’s Gripen combat aircraft.

ETPS students go to Linköping in Sweden to carry out exercises with this aircraft, using ETPS instructors under the supervision of Saab’s flight test department.

A military school open to all

The challenge ETPS faced was to modernise and increase the school’s focus on systems, and wherever possible shorten the courses, while at the same time being compliant with new civil flight crew licensing requirements, as well as also maintaining alignment with the MoD’s DSAT (defence systems approach to training) doctrine.

One of the most significant changes in the market is that the civil aviation world has started to introduce flight crew licensing for test pilots, with EASA leading the way in Europe.

While ETPS has trained civilian pupils on an ad hoc basis over the years the school has been established, no set curriculum was laid out for this market, but that is now changing in response to the EASA requirements.

ETPS has subsequently concluded that some 80% of flight test crew training is common across the military and civil domains, so has adapted its courses to accommodate this trend, and all the aircraft

operated by the school will now be civil registered. The school is foremost a military training school and remains a military school, but thanks to the unique partnership between the UK MoD and QinetiQ it is now able to operate to the benefit of both the military and civil communities.

It remains imperative that ETPS continues to collaborate closely with the Air Warfare Centre to ensure that across this transition it is still delivering to meet the UK military’s needs, and it is also making sure that the courses remain military focused, while also ensuring that they appeal to the civil market as well.

There is a common core in the curriculum that all students carry out, and then the modules split into customer-specific ones, before returning to the common core. This allows military customers to focus on their aircraft, systems and missions, and civil customers on theirs.

Naturally, the first aspect of this market that ETPS looked at was the requirement of aircraft manufacturers and aircraft modification centres, which are looking to boost qualification of test crews in response to a decrease in the number of fully-qualified ex-military test pilots coming through the ranks.

It then assessed the civil special mission operator market that modifies aircraft for particular purposes, including firefighting, air ambulance usage, policing and surveillance, all of which require testing of the modifications made to the respective aircraft.

Flight test education

A new approach to course delivery is centred on changing the approach to teaching at ETPS, moving from the 20th century model of lecturing to one which is much more based around coaching and mentoring.

What that means is that the school is using modern technology, distance learning, and implementation of a modern learning management system that would typically be used in higher education institutions, which has enabled it to transform the student experience remarkably.

This includes development of a coaching and mentoring approach, which is another significant change in terms of the philosophy of instruction, which matches the changing expectations of students.

Today’s students require much more interactivity and they learn in different ways, and ETPS is addressing those challenges. In particular, a greater emphasis on self-learning during the course, backed up by small tutorial groups, is enabling students to progress at their own pace.

A mix of short and long courses is helping address a variety of training needs from customers, as ETPS recognises that not all flight test crew require the same type of training.

Through the innovative approach to ETPS operations, the course’s modular structure will facilitate both specialist short courses as well as regulated long courses, both using the same building blocks to deliver commonality across the board, as well as enabling the school to tailor them to meet individual customer requirements.

A new preparatory course has also been introduced, which will bring all trainees to the same standard ahead of the courses beginning, which is being delivered via distance learning, meaning that when the courses begin, all candidates are prepared for what is ahead.

A brand new course aimed at military Operational Test and Evaluation aircrew has also been rolled out, which addresses a customer need for training of the assessment of aircraft systems, sensors and Advertising supplement

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weapons within the cleared flight envelope, adding more depth and relevance to the training on offer at ETPS. The long course for military Class A/EASA Category 1 is for experimental test pilot and flight test engineer qualifications, and the school offers this for both rotary-wing and fixed-wing operators, streamlined to last 10 months on the civil side, and 12 months for military students.

These efficiencies have allowed for the time required to carry out the course to be reduced, while it has also been structured so that students do not lose currency on their front-line aircraft type, as ETPS now offers the opportunity throughout the course for students to periodically go back to their units to continue flying.

ETPS also offers a military Class B/EASA Category 2 long course for the same categories of students (aimed at development test pilots), as well as a bridging course that takes students from one course to the other should they wish to progress to Class A/Cat 1 at a later date.

It has also introduced for the first time a six-month course aimed specifically at systems test and evaluation, for which there is a defence requirement aimed at pilots that will ultimately primarily carry out systems test and evaluation.

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In February of each year, students move onto the intermediate systems phase, and convert to type. They are then split into streams, namely intermediate rotary-wing, fixed-wing, or advanced systems.

All of these complete at the six-month point, and then students will either exit with the military Class B/EASA Category 2 qualifications, or they will continue to work towards the advanced course that will result in them receiving Cat 1 for civil students at the 10-month mark, and finally, the advanced military systems element and Capstone exercise for military students seeking Class A qualifications, totalling 12 months.

The Capstone exercise is held at the end of the course that combines all the aspects of what students have learnt throughout the year.

During this they have to assess an aircraft that they have not been previously exposed to, operating against a realistic military role.

This enables them to exercise all the skills they have accumulated over the year of the course, and a final report is written by the students that then completes their studies.

Military students typically have some 750 hours of flight experience ahead of arriving at ETPS, and the same applies for civil students who will be licensed and will typically have carried out a similar number of flight hours as their military counterparts, as well as having had experience on a variety of types.

Pre-course learning brings pilots up to the same standard in the theoretical aspect of the training, and the residential course starts at the beginning of each January. The first month is a foundation course that covers trials management, analysis, reporting and flight test philosophy, which provides students with the basic foundations and the toolsets required regardless of the aircraft type they will ultimately end up working on.

Between 20 and 24 students were typically trained each year prior to the new changes that are being implemented, split between UK and overseas military operators, with about half of these pilots and half of them engineers.

This provides the golden thread that runs through this in terms of the way that operators conduct qualitative and quantitative evaluations.

Now ETPS is addressing new markets, it has ambitions to grow the student intake, and it is expected that the mix will change and

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grow as the new developments are rolled out, with significant growth in the civilian market as a result of EASA’s introduction of the Flight Test Rating qualification.

Summary

It will accept civil students from when the new courses and aircraft become operational, and is prepared to ensure that this market is exploited from the offset, having planned for this growth.

Flight test instructors also have to be trained to meet EASA’s Flight Test Instructor Rating requirement, so ETPS will begin training flight test instructors as well to keep up with this demand.

Specialist training will also be introduced, for example helicopter ship integration that is evolving to become a significant element of the school’s customers’ work. Modularising the course will allow segments like this that are part of the long course to be extracted and established as a short version in their own right.

ETPS will also introduce new modules into its offerings including those regarding unmanned systems, which could be expressed as short courses as required, introducing new disruptive technologies that are proliferating in the military sphere into the training.

The school can also change courses as customers require, flexing the curriculum to meet the demands of the respective operators, something which was not necessarily available to them beforehand.

This flexibility also allows for the training for Class A/Cat 1 qualification to be done in stages, starting with the Class B/Cat 2 course and scaling up to the full qualification via the bridging course, allowing customers to take a more through-life approach to training delivery.

Student-centred learning

ETPS believes that there is a far richer training environment available to students in the classroom than has previously been the case with flight training, so it is introducing e-learning through its preparatory course, which includes six assessed modules that are supported by tutors remotely.

It has also introduced tablets so that students can take away their learning and work on it in their own time, providing the ability to access required information remotely and learn at an individual pace.

There is additionally a modern learning management system that hosts the training material and makes it available to students, and simulators are available in the classroom to provide a quick look at learning outcomes.

These are the latest simulation and gaming technologies that are being introduced into the classroom environment, and students will be able to perform flight simulations in the classroom to aid their understanding of flight test principles and concepts, as well as to exercise their learning at an early stage.

This will increase their understanding of the fundamentals of test flying, and rapidly increase the pace at which they can learn the techniques and absorb new concepts.

Not only is the airborne environment being brought into the 21st century at ETPS, the classroom environment is too.

ETPS is proud of its heritage and the outstanding flight test crew training it has delivered over its 75-year history, with graduates of the school ranging from decorated World War II pilots to record-breaking astronauts. However, in order to remain at the forefront of this market, investment has been needed to ensure the approach remains relevant and innovative enough to meet its customers’ needs.

The redesign of the course structure will help ensure that the curriculum is flexible and adaptable enough to meet all training requirements as they evolve, ensuring that all flight test crews are prepared to operate and evaluate aircraft with the wealth of flight characteristics and systems that may emerge in the future.

The addition of new training for aircraft systems is evidence of how the school is looking at the market and adapting to meet its customers needs, not just offering one-size-fits-all training.

These new courses have been augmented by a new fleet of stateof-the-art aircraft, plus an investment in retaining and modernising aspects of the legacy fleet that have proven themselves effective and have many years of invaluable training performance left to offer.

Glass cockpits, instrumentation and representative simulated systems onboard the extensive fleet are providing students with realtime analysis capability that introduces efficiencies to their training, while preparing them for their future roles in flight test operations.

Furthermore, expanding this high-value training to civil operators is also representative of how ETPS is adapting to market requirements, inviting a broader share of the community into the prestigious training that the school has offered – and will continue to do so – to the flight test crew community.

ETPS is confident that its new approach to implementation of flight test crew training will keep the legacy of the school powering forward for the next 75 years, ensuring that the fleet and curriculum remain relevant into the future, meeting all of the changing customer needs.

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ETPS MoD Boscombe Down Salisbury Wiltshire SP4 0JF England Tel: Fax: Email: Web:

+44(0) 1980 662 656 +44(0) 1980 662 711 etpssales@QinetiQ.com www.etps.qinetiq.com

The document and information contained herein is proprietary information of QinetiQ Limited and shall not be disclosed or reproduced without the prior authorisation of QinetiQ Limited. This document contains no controlled data. Š QinetiQ Limited 2018