Flight International – 6 August 2019

DEFENCE

16 | Flight International | 6-12 August 2019 flightglobal.com

Q

inetiq has completed the

process of renewing almost

all of its fleet employed by the

Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS)

at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire,

with the assets also having been

transitioned onto the civil, rather

than military aircraft register.

Fourteen aircraft now support

the instruction of test pilots and

flight-test engineers for the UK

and partner nations, and two of

these were exhibited in the static

display at the Royal International

Air Tattoo, staged at RAF Fairford

in Gloucestershire from 19-

July. These were one of a newly

fielded pair of Pilatus PC-

turboprops and a unique BAE

Systems Avro RJ70, nicknamed

the “flying classroom”.

Other fixed-wing aircraft em-

ployed by ETPS are two Grob Air-

craft G120TPs, one Diamond Air-

craft DA42 and an RJ100, while its

twin-engined rotary assets include

four Airbus Helicopters H125s,

two Leonardo AW109s and a

leased Bell 412.

The G120TPs, PC-21s and

H125s were all received last year,

replacing aged BAE Systems

Hawk T1, Dassault-Dornier

Alpha Jet and Short Tucano train-

ers, plus Aerospatiale Gazelle ro-

torcraft. They began supporting

course delivery at the start of

2019, and Qinetiq director opera-

tions air and space Simon Tate

says their introduction has had a

major impact.

IMPROVED RELIABILITY

“We are seeing stellar service-

ability, which has made a consid-

erable difference to the school ver-

sus the legacy types,” he says.

“Availability really isn’t a problem

• and for the commitments we
  currently have, we’re spot on.”
  However, the school’s transfor-
  mation runs much deeper than
  just the introduction of new air-
  craft – so much so that Qinetiq
  heralds the change as “the great-
  est in its 75-year history”.
  “In 2015, Qinetiq and ETPS

TRAINING CRAIG HOYLE LONDON

New-look ETPS powers ahead for UK

Versatile aircraft, updated course modules and EASA accreditation delivering results at Qinetiq-run test pilot school

PC-21 has replaced Alpha Jet and Hawk fleets, with debriefing system a key advance over earlier types

Qinetiq

were challenged by Sir Stephen

Hillier to innovate and change

the way courses were delivered,

and find ways to modernise,

maintain relevance and reduce

cost,” the company says.

In late June, then-Royal Air

Force chief of the air staff Air

Chief Marshal Hillier returned to

Boscombe Down as the updated

school was formally reopened.

“We have moved from a 1980s

way to a now way of doing it,”

Tate says. “It’s not just a case of

switching the aircraft – it’s also

changing the course modules.”

Where stacks of bulky ring

binders were once required,

students can now work securely

from afar on tablet computers to

advance their courses – in one

case, doing so from a US Navy

aircraft carrier deployed in the

Asia-Pacific region.

Updates have included intro-

ducing more modularised cours-

es following a major syllabus re-

view and the addition of options

such as test pilot refresher train-

ing and offering instruction for

evaluator aircrew.

ETPS’s training activities have

now also been accredited by the

European Union Aviation Safety

Agency (EASA), a status that Qi-

netiq hopes will deliver business

opportunities with a broader

range of customers.

Current annual throughput

includes up to 24 UK Ministry of

Defence and international

students completing a so-called

“long course”, for some culminat-

ing in a “military delta” phase

during which they fly a Saab Grip-

en D in Sweden. But in all, ETPS

offers around 130 course modules,

across a broad range of disciplines.

DATA BENEFITS

Meanwhile, Tate says the volume

and quality of data now captured

during flight activities is also hav-

ing a transformative effect, thanks

to the G120TP, H125 and PC-

all being equipped with flight-

test instrumentation.

“Particularly the PC-21 is

delivering fantastically well –

especially the debriefing system,”

he says. “You can sit the student

down and take the sortie apart in

minute detail.”

An instructor can choose the

high-performance Pilatus type or

turboprop-powered G120TP for an

individual sortie, depending on

which is better suited for the re-

quired manoeuvres. Tate says that

as a result, “you are getting the best

experience from that aircraft type”.

He notes that despite having re-

tired two jet models, “we can do

everything we were doing on the

Alpha Jet and Hawk on the PC-21”.

Meanwhile, a project to retrofit

crashworthy fuel systems with

three of its H125s – Airbus Heli-

copters offered the modification

to operators in time for only the

school’s last example to be deliv-

ered with the feature – is nearing

completion, with the last soon to

be returned to use.

After the reopening, Hillier –

who in late July was succeeded

by Air Chief Marshal Mike

Wigston – noted: “ETPS is now

ready for the future and the next

generation of air capability. Rele-

vant, affordable, world class and

at the cutting edge of training.” ■

“Availability really isn’t

a problem – and for

the commitments we

currently have, we’re

spot on”

Simon Tate

Director operations air and space, Qinetiq

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