Work Experience
 

Anyone out there want to give a 16-year old kid (who'se just done ex. 14 in the PPL syllabus) some advice on how to go about procuring a work experience placement in the wonderful world of flight testing?

It's one week, sometime near the end of July (1st week after the GCSE's)

Cheers!

You should get in touch with my old mob at BAE Systems in Warton, Lancashire. Since they moved the Harrier up from Dunsfold it is the only military flight test function outside of the services. In the past we have had work experience types - mostly from the local schools. They generally get some exposure to a trial or two that will be underway at the time (sit in on briefings, get involved in aircraft preparations etc) one or two have even had day trips on the company communications aircraft down to Farnborough & back.

Give the swicthboard a call on 01772 633333 and ask for Human Resources. Then ask for some one that deals with work experience placements in the Technical division. Flight Test is part of that.

If that doesnt work, try AVRO over at Woodford - sorry no phone number at hand!

Other than those two, the only way you would get into flight testing would be through the ATC and asking for a stint at DERA or New DERA or whatever they are this week. Not sure on their policy. Best thing would be through the local ATC.

Good luck!

Why is it BAe always seem to think they're the only people doing military flight testing?. Westlands in Yeovil (Somerset), Britten-Norman at Bembridge (Isle of Wight), International Test Pilot School at Coventry Airport, Flight Refuelling Aviation at Bournemouth Airport (Dorset) all are active in the field of military flight test (albeit none of them exclusively).

Other players are the Empire Test Pilots School at Boscombe Down (Wiltshire), Cranfield College of Aeronautics (Bedfordshire), CAA Flight Department at Gatwick (Sussex), Slingsby (North Yorkshire) and half a dozen microlight manufacturers. All have flight test departments of various sizes.

If you do as XFTE recommends and phone or write to their personnel or departments, there's a chance you might get something. You'll have earned it if you do just for having the balls to do so.

G

EX FTE, are you by any chance the celebrated Scottish flyer, formerly of DHC, Bombardier and The Taps on a Friday night?

Teenyweeny ATC Cdt Cpl, your interest in Flight Test is to be applauded - I think as an outsider it can seem a daunting world to get involved in as formal qualifications are hard to come by (and v. expensive). However, in my experience, a basic knowledge of aircraft and their operation, combined with a good dollop of natural enthusiasm are a very good starting point. Sounds to me like you're heading in the right direction.

I would recommend addressing any correspondance direct to the Flight Test Dept - this will target a response from the area you are really interested in and not just get a form letter back from Human Remains. Any of the organisations Ghengis has suggested all have their own merits, depends on your location really.

Good Luck.

PS When I did my PPL, Ex 14 was first solo, so I guess you are having to wait for the big One Seven.

I was slightly older than you at the time, but as a UAS cadet I wrote to OC ETPS requesting a visit and was invited down for two days. I was shown around all the a/c and chatted to the senior tutors both rw and FW. The only down side was that the Hunter went u/s so my promised sortie in that was cancelled and I got 1.5 hours in the Andover with a couple of guys doing SCT. Mind you, I got to stall it and doo steep turns as well as assymetric, which was all a novelty after the Bulldog.

As others have said, write and you'll be suprised I'm sure; nothing ventured nothing gained.

BTW has ITPS moved to Coventry now? I thought it was at Woodford after moving from Cranfield.

Under JAR, you can now solo at 16, so not such a wait after all.

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Another day in paradise

First of all, let me step back from the written ticking off that Genghis just gave me! Hey I forgot about all those other guys! Indeed they do do good work; maybe they are just a little less 'obvious' shall we say?

Secondly to Jet Noise - I plead the fifth! But if you do fancy buying me a beer in the Taps this friday I will confess to most things!

ITPS closed down at Cranfield, and was resurrected by a chap called Georgio Clementi, who re-established it at Woodford. They moved to Coventry earlier this year, about the same time they got a new CTP - it's now Jim Ludford, ex of BAe Dunsfold, and ex ex ETPS tutor.

Presumably Coventry has a better supply of strange aeroplanes for the studes to assess.

G

Cheers all, cue much frantic letter writing.

...and I hope to get the qualifications, I actually want to do a BSc in Aeronautical Eng...

(btw, Jet Noise, ex 14 is first solo, hence why I'm so happy at the moment, so yes, 17 will be a good day...

[This message has been edited by Teenyweeny ATC Cdt Cpl (edited 20 December 2000).]

Excellent course to do, but ne picky about where you choose to go; some degrees are more aeronautical than others.

As I said earlier, you can actually solo at 16 nowadays as a result of adoption of JAR FCL-1

Good luck in you endevours.

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Another day in paradise

If it helps the spirit Cpl, I did a degree in Aero-Eng, during which I got some UAS flying followed it up with a graduate trainee slot, and then did ETPS as a Flight Test Engineer. I now work mostly as an airworthiness engineer, but also fly about 80 hrs a year, much of which is test flying.

It's a hard line to get into, and nobody will pretend it's as glamorous as it looks from the outside, or as well paid as some other parts of aviation. It also takes YEARS more training and experience than pretty much anything else (about 8 years from leaving school minimum if you want to be an FTE, probably longer for a TP). Nonetheless, test flying is an exciting and fascinating area to work, and I have no hesitation in recommending it as an ambition.

If you want to find some more information, you could do worse than look at the SETP (Society of Experimental Test Pilots) or the SFTE (Society of Flight Test Engineers) websites.

If you'd care to admit whereabouts in the UK you are, I imagine someone here might be able to give you the right contacts.

G

Thanks Everyone.

GTE, I actually live in Essex, near Chelmsford, so there isn't much around here, but I'm quite willing to travel.

212man, yes, it's one of the few good things about the complete ball$up that is JAR-aything...

Anything further is greatfully recieved :)

I just wanted to ressurect this thread to ask: I sent off letters to DERA Boscombe Down, Warton and the CAA at Gatwick before Christmas, and I still haven't heard anything. I was just wondering, is this a refusal, or is the paperwork somewhere in the "system"?

Its just that the school is now on my back for my placement.

Cheers All.

-tacc

Complete inaction is perfectly normal from all three of those worthy organisations.

I'd recommend phoning them up.

G

I agree GTE the young person should not give up. When they get older they will learn Chrimbo is not the best of times etc. for most companies. But don't give up.

We had a few WE's spend time with ATC but made sure they got airbourne somehow, so try through that avenue, then you've seen the 'boys' in action from a different angle. Best of luck to you.

GTE nice to see JL working for a living., but what happened to the man that set ITPS up ....Jim Giles

No idea Kings Arms, I only have a fairly informal relationship with ITPS.

However, it's close enough to know that fizzog is incorrect, ITPS moved early last year to Coventry airport, same postal address as Air Atlantique. I don't think that they use a Compuserve Email address any more either.

G

Gave HR at Warton a ring - said that they only ave WE to local kids (fair 'nuff).

Yet to hear from boscombe, but will send ITPS a letter too.

And yes, Crimbo might not have been the best of times, but we'd only just heard about it, and the placements had to be in *now* - but they've put the deadline back a few weeks because they made such a ballsup of it.

('they' being the WE co-ordinators at school)

Thanks for the info all :)

-tacc