Advice required on Rotary-Wing Flight Test
 

Firstly, I know there is a wealth of information from the ‘Sticky’ above concerning Test Pilot and FTE , which I have read and found valuable.

My aim is to become a rotary-wing test pilot and I would greatly appreciate advice on my specific situation.

This is my background:

I am 32 years old, live in the UK and hold a first degree in Aerospace engineering from the University of Liverpool. I am currently completing the thesis for my Masters (Southampton University), concerning the vortex ring condition for rotorcraft. I was also a graduate research assistant at Liverpool University (with Prof. Gareth Padfield) for 18 months, working on helicopter flight simulation modeling using flight test data. I have gained my JAA CPL(H) and have a total of 250 hours.

With the background that I have, what advice could you offer as to the best route to follow?

Steve

I would recommend that you get a job as a flight test engineer for a major helicopter company. Then build your hours as a pilot. Several years down the road, once you have built a reputation within the company as a top-notch FTE and you have also built some more flight hours, the company may be willing to transition you to a pilot job.

Definite path to follow:
 

The path to follow is that below provided your age (at time of viability to train as FTE) allows, and your health is, and remains, suitable for test flying.

Apply RIGHT NOW to work at QinetiQ (can go through www.qinetiq.com and select job search, go through the rigmorole and look at South West vacancies, Aircraft Performance Trials Officer vacancies.

The vacancy will be at MOD Boscombe Down airfield just North of Salisbury, two minutes drive from Stonehenge, a locely part of the World.

If successful you'd paperwork assess and plan and execute practical trials on rotary wing and/or fixed wing aircraft alongside Military Test Aircrew. Most of the job involves paperwork and writing reports, but you would work with military aircraft every day on an active Military test Flying airfield, and have occasion to fly on test sorties (esp. Rotary Wing). If you are lucky, work there for some years and fit in with the organisation, or show flare, and preferably if you show total commitment to FTE as a profession for the next 5-10 years (e.g. PPL plus experience is one of many things for your CV for this route), you could in theory apply to train on the year-long Flight Test Engineer's long course at the Empire Test Pilot's School on site - and train hard there in reporting and flying/organising test flights and assessments with the Test Pilot students. There is significant competition for places from persons who have worked on this airfield over a number of years and who are well known, as well as others, and you need luck and proven health and commitment and a good record. If successful ETPS would be paid a substantial sum to train you on the "long course", and you be obligated to work as an FTE or similar for a period afterward.

For the commercial route, as the previous reply indicated, working for an actively test-flying company improves your chances, so Eurocopter or perhaps Agusta-Westland are some of the options. However, the FTE role is less formally trained I believe than at ETPS (short of sending their employees on that or another VERY expensive FTE course), and more, again as I understand things, part and parcel of normal FTE day-to-day working and experience at aircraft-R&D companies.

Hope this helps and puts a bit of reality into the mix !

The VERY BEST OF LUCK !

:p

Oops, sorry, forgot about your CPL(H) bit.

Drop us a personal email - I\'m also in Soton and can put you in touch avec specific persons !

Hi all,

OhAyVee, you are spot on with your QinetiQ info. You mention the completion for places on the FTE ‘long course’ – you’re not kidding, there are 50 odd young enthusiastic grads, including me, already in line. The last thing we need is more competition!!!

Seriously though SEL – you should get on board and give it ago, there ain’t too many CPL(H)’s in the queue that’s for sure. If you do graduate from the ETPS you would be a whole lot more employable. The only problem then is the long contract with QinetiQ after they’ve forked out hundreds of thousands on your training. It looks like a long road but if you’re keen enough then that doesn’t matter does it.

Good luck,

QQ

Two comments:
First of all, it's nice to see that there is stiff competition for the ETPS FTE spots within Boscombe. When I was there (some mornings it feels like that was just shortly after aviation was invented), it was not viewed as a 'good thing' for an aspiring young man to do.
Secondly, we are getting more and more FTE's from helicopter companies coming through our variety of courses here at NTPS, so the companies are starting to realize the importance of training. All is not lost if you go to work for one of the manufacturers.

SEL
Presumably you are studying under a certain well known and cynical ex-Westlands Aerodynamicist - he and I are longterm collaborators and I need to come down to Soton and see him in a few weeks. Keep in touch with him and he should know when I'm in the area, if you want to talk through the TP/FTE career route, we can alway have a chat over a coffee on the 5th floor.

(Okay, I freely admit to being fixed wing, but the general career path is pretty similar).

G

To Ghengis
 

Ghengis, where for art thou' work incidentally ?:ooh::) BD or AW or AN other ?

Formerly BDN, occasionally B-N, sometimes Southampton or Sheffield Universities, but mostly ANO.

Actually mostly I try to avoid work and fly instead.

G

Thanks
 

Thank you all for the advice, information and help offered. I greatly appreciate it. If anybody thinks of anything else, all suggestions will be welcomed!

I have applied for the QinetiQ jobs mentioned via the website, so thanks for that. (Fingers crossed)

Unfortunately, I left Soton a while ago and am writing up the Masters from afar. So, sorry G, I wont be able to get you that coffee and biscuit!