Flight testing in Australia

[BubbaMc]

G'day,
I've done a search regarding this but couldn't find any info.

Does anyone know of any Flight Test companies in Australia? Are there any Aussie test pilots or flight test engineers here at PPRune? If so, do you have a military or civil background?

Cheers.

[BubbaMc]

Anyone? I know that there are test pilots in Aus, just wondering what their background was.

[Two_Squirrels]

You could try Nova aerospace. It has proefessional tps and FTEs, some with an ETPS or equivalent background (NTPS etc).

[BubbaMc]

Thanks mate, very helpful.

[john_tullamarine]

Try the following contacts for information -

CASA (Australian Civil Regulator) [email protected] ([email protected]) Nick is the CASA Certification TP.
FTSA (Flight Test Society of Australia (http://www.ftsa.org.au/))
Nova Defence Nova Defence (http://www.novadefence.com.au/contact_us.html)
AEA Aeronautical Engineers Australia (http://www.aeroengaus.com.au/)

should give you a start on the road for information.

There are a few Oz TPs/FTEs on PPRuNe. Milt would be a good point of contact as he is very well placed in the Australian arena. djpil would be able to point you in some other directions as well.

[Teadriver]

Yep, Nova's the place: some very experienced guys there and a dynamic and proactive organisation. If you need more details PM me. (No, I'm not an employee although I do occasional jobs for them)

[boair1]

how dangerous is it for a test pilot?

[John Farley]

boair1

There is no reason these days why test flying should be as dangerous as driving to work. The world knows so much more about how aircraft fly, how they should be designed, built and maintained that it did 60 years ago. However the tp needs to be properly trained and educated just like any other professional and especially he (or she) needs plenty of self discipline. Test flying properly carried out is a very dull, hardworking and boring job.

I was in a test flying team once and we went 35 years between fatal accidents but that team of 17 men had 6 children die before they made 30 years old over that period of time (from illness, accident and one suicide)

[Andy1973]

In Australia, it's very dangerous for anyone; test pilot or otherwise.

[woxman]

Hi BubbaMc,

By the way there are other smaller Companies that collaborate in providing certification services to the lighter end of aviation in Australia, which are not well publicised, but do a lot of design and development work as well as developmental and certification flight testing. They have CASA delegations to do this work, with the group having achieved certification of the Jabiru J-160 and Boomerang DW-200/A aircraft under CS-VLA and FAR Part 23 respectively. I was involved as a flight test engineer on both of these projects, which included spin testing of the Boomerang.

I hope this helps.

[woxman]

boair1,

I agree with John. I have flown quite a few hours now as a FTE on FW and well as RW, and must say that flight safety is a major consideration when planning these sorties. This is usually approached using a process which involves evaluating flight test risks and consequences and then attempting to mitigate these risks. But I must say that most of the testing is fairly routine flying...certainly not the stuff you see in the movies.

Cheers

[sjeanl]

Woxman, as a FTE I trust you can help me. I’ve noticed on the FTSA website mention to graduates of “recognized” establishments as criteria for membership. Which test pilot a schools are recognized and by which standard is recognition awarded?

[woxman]

sjeanl,

I guess what is meant here that in the first instance they are referring to those schools such as ETPS, USNTPS, NTPS etc, that provide short and longer professional courses in flight testing. Some end up with a post graduate qualification, but some don't. However I know that not being a graduate from these courses wouldn't prevent someone from being a member, as I know experienced engineers that aren't graduates from these schools, but would be eligible. The best bet would be to contact FTSA direct and clarify with them any concerns that you might have.

There might be someone from FTSA that can further add to this.....

[FlightTester]

Empire TPS (UK)
French Air Force TPS (France)
Naval TPS (US)
USAF TPS (US)
National TPS (US)

Short courses run anywhere from two to thirteen weeks. Graduate courses are a year. Diploma runs to 26 weeks at ETPS IIRC.

[Milt]

BubbaMc

Have a look at the FTSA website for the Flight Test Society of Australia. You may be eligible for student membership if your endeavours are taking you in the direction of flight test.

[sets]

Regarding the safety of the profession, I agree that modern test flying is nothing like it was in the post WWII days. Our understanding and ability to model aircraft have reduced the unknowns significantly. That being said, I am amazed at how quickly a "routine" flight situation can turn on you. Beware.