Empire Test Pilots' School

British training school for test pilots and flight test engineers

Logo
Logo
Active21 June 1943 (1943-06-21) – present
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
BranchMinistry of Defence (operated by QinetiQ)
TypeTest pilot school
RoleTraining of test pilots and flight test engineers
Part ofAir and Space Warfare Centre
Home stationMOD Boscombe Down
Nickname(s)ETPS
Motto(s)Learn to test; test to learn
Aircraft
  • Airbus H125
  • AgustaWestland A-109 Power Elite
  • Boeing Apache AH-64 AH1
  • Avro RJ70/RJ100
  • Pilatus PC-21
  • Bell 412 HAR2
  • Grob G 120TP
  • Diamond DA42
Military unit

The Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS) is a British training school for test pilots and flight test engineers of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft at MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, England. It was established in 1943, the first of its type. The school moved to RAF Cranfield in October 1945, then to the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough in July 1947, before returning to Boscombe Down on 29 January 1968.[1]

Its motto is "Learn to test; test to learn".

ETPS is run by the MoD and defence contractor QinetiQ under a long-term agreement.

History

In 1943, Air Marshal Sir Ralph Sorley, Controller, Research and Development, MAP, formed the "Test Pilots' Training Flight" at RAF Boscombe Down after many pilots died testing the many new aircraft introduced during the Second World War.[2]

On 21 June 1943, the unit became the Test Pilots' School within the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at Boscombe Down.[3] The school was "to provide suitably trained pilots for testing duties in aeronautical research and development establishments within the service and the industry".[4] It graduated one group of students, the Number 1 Course, which began in mid-1943 and formally ended on 29 February 1944,[5] before the school's name was changed to the "Empire Test Pilots' School" (ETPS) on 28 July 1944.[1]

The first training course, held by the Commandant, Wing Commander Samuel "Sammy" Wroath with G. Maclaren Humphreys, a civilian, as Technical Instructor, was initially attended by 18 pilots, drawn largely from the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy but included three civilian attendees (all from the Bristol Aeroplane Company).[6] Five students found the standard of maths required on the course to be too high and left within the first week;[7] the 13 students who completed the first course comprised 11 from the RAF (including one American, Sqn Ldr JC Nelson, who was serving with one of the Eagle Squadrons) and two from the FAA.[8] Of those who attended No. 1 Course, five eventually died testing aircraft.[9]

The Armstrong Whitworth Apollo served the ETPS as a multi-engined trainer at Farnborough during the mid-fifties

Due to the rapid growth of the A&AEE, at Boscombe Down, the school moved to RAF Cranfield in October 1945. On 12 July 1947, it was attached to the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, where it remained for almost 21 years, flying a wide variety of aircraft types, before returning to Boscombe Down on 29 January 1968.[1]

Until 1963, the course catered to both fixed-wing and rotary-wing pilots, with the latter specializing late in the course. In 1963, a separate rotary-wing course was established,[10] followed in 1974 by a course for Flight test engineers. The school also offers a number of short courses "to meet specific Air Test and Evaluation (AT&E) training needs of the wider flight test community".[11]

In 2001, ETPS was included with those research departments sold off by the Government to Carlyle Group during the formation of QinetiQ. It is now a partnership between QinetiQ and the UK MoD.

The Empire Test Pilots' School was the first of its kind, and was soon followed by other similar schools, such as the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California in 1944, the United States Naval Test Pilot School in Maryland in 1945 and the EPNER in France (École du Personnel Navigant d'Essais et de Réception) in 1946. Other schools in India (Indian Air Force Test Pilot School in Bangalore) and Japan were established in later years. Some of these schools operate exchange programmes, which expand the variety of aircraft the students have available to them for gaining flight test experience.[12]

In addition to such student exchanges, British, French and American schools share access to their aircraft, so that students can experience a wider range of aircraft types during their respective courses.[13]

ETPS commandants

RJ100 in 2013
Qinetiq/ETPS BAe Avro 146 RJ70 arrives at the 2017 Royal International Air Tattoo, England. LTPA on the forward fuselage indicates the Long Term Partnering Agreement between Qinetiq and the UK Ministry of Defence

Commandants' names prior to 1968 from the ETPS 25th anniversary brochure;[14] 1968–88, from Wing Commander "Robby" Robinson's "Tester Zero One".[15] The term "Commandant" was succeeded in 1976 by "Chief Instructor" and in 1980 by "Officer Commanding".

From Until Rank/style Name Decorations Service Country ETPS course
1943 1944 Wg Cdr S. Wroath AFC RAF United Kingdom –
1944 1945 Gp Capt. JFX McKenna AFC RAF United Kingdom –
1945 1947 Gp Capt. HJ Wilson AFC RAF United Kingdom –
1947 1948 Gp Capt. S R Ubee AFC RAF United Kingdom –
1949 1950 Gp Capt. LS Snaith AFC RAF United Kingdom –
1950 1953 Gp Capt. A. E. Clouston DSO, DFC, AFC RAF New Zealand –
1953 1957 Gp Capt. S. Wroath CBE, AFC RAF United Kingdom –
1957 1959 Gp Capt. RE Burns CBE, DFC RAF United Kingdom –
1960 1961 Capt. KR Hickson AFC and bar RN United Kingdom No. 4 (1946)
1962 1965 Gp Capt. RA Watts AFC RAF United Kingdom No. 6 (1947)
1966 1969 Gp Capt. W. J. P. Straker AFC RAF United Kingdom No. 9 (1950)
1969 1970 Capt. P.C.S. Chilton AFC RN United Kingdom No. 7 (1948)
1971 1973 Gp Capt. D.P. Hall AFC RAF United Kingdom No. 18 (1959)
1973 1975 Gp Capt. H.A. Merriman CBE, AFC RAF United Kingdom No. 16 (1957)
1975 1976 Gp Capt. M.K. Adams AFC RAF United Kingdom No. 22 FW/No. 1 RW (1963)
1976 1977 Wg Cdr J.A. "Robby" Robinson AFC RAF United Kingdom No. 21 (1962)
1977 1980 Wg Cdr J.E. Watts-Phillips – RAF United Kingdom No. 23 FW (1964)
1981 1985 Wg Cdr R.S. Hargreaves Bsc(Eng), MRAeS – United Kingdom EPNER 1965–66
1985 1988 Wg Cdr J.W.A. Bolton BSc, MRAeS RAF United Kingdom No. 33 FW (1974)
1988 1991 Wg Cdr W.L.M. Mayer AFC, MRAeS RAF United Kingdom No. 7 RW (1969)
1991 1996 Wg Cdr Robert P. Radley – RAF United Kingdom –
1996 1998 Wg Cdr Laurie Hilditch – RAF United Kingdom (USNTPS Class 100 1991)
1998 2001 Wg Cdr David Best (pilot) OBE, Legion of Merit RAF United Kingdom No. 48 FW (1989)
2001 2005 Cdr 'Charlie' Brown n/a RN United Kingdom No. 47 FW/No. 26 RW (1988)
2006 2007 Cdr CP Maude n/a RN United Kingdom n/a
2007 2009 Cdr Phil Hayde n/a RN United Kingdom n/a
2010 2012 Cdr Simon Sparkes[16] n/a RN United Kingdom No. 37 RW (1999)
2012 2014 Cdr Mark (Sparky) MacLeod n/a RN United Kingdom No. 41 RW (2003)
2014 2017 Cdr Stephen (Croc) Crockatt n/a RN United Kingdom No. 40 RW (2002)
2017 2019 Cdr Stuart Irwin n/a RN United Kingdom No. 50 RW (2012)
2019 - Cdr Steve Moseley n/a RN United Kingdom USNTPS Class 143 (2013)

Aircraft

AgustaWestland AW-109E Power (ZE416) of the Empire Test Pilots' School at the 2017 RIAT, England
An ETPS Gripen at RIAT 2008
Since retired SEPECAT Jaguar T2 in 2005

As at 18 August 2019 ETPS uses the following types of aircraft:[17]

Aircraft Origin Variant(s) No operated Notes
Rotary Wing
AW139 Italy AW139 1
AW109 Italy AW109S, AW109E Power 3
AS350 Écureuil France H125 4
Bell 412 United States 412 2 One operated from England, second operated in Canada.
Bell 205 United States 205 1 Operated in Canada alongside the NRC.
Fixed Wing
Pilatus PC-21 Switzerland PC-21 2 Custom developed with a flight test instrumentation suite for ETPS.
Grob G120 Germany G120TP 2 Custom developed with a flight test instrumentation suite for ETPS.
BAE 146 UK RJ70/100 2 Used as a flying classroom for Flight test engineer students.
DA42 Austria DA42 1 Used to give test pilot students experience with general aviation aircraft.
Saab Gripen Sweden Gripen D 1
Learjet 45 United States Learjet 45 4 Operated by Calspan in the US.

In the past the school has operated: BAe Hawk T.1 XX343,[18] Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet, Hawker Siddeley Andover XS606,[19] Beagle Basset, Westland Gazelle, North American Harvard, SEPECAT Jaguar, Westland Lynx, Westland Sea King, Panavia Tornado, Short Tucano & Eurocopter Squirrel.[20]

ETPS graduates

ETPS graduates who have made significant contributions to aviation and/or space exploration.

To collapse the expanded table, click on "hide"; to expand the collapsed table, click on "show" in the Name column header.

Name Course Year Comments
Baudry, Patrick No. 37 FW 1978 Flew aboard NASA's Space Shuttle 1985 mission STS-51-G.
Best, Dave No. 48FW 1989 MOD Chief Test Pilot. NATO Air Operations Director. Founder, Nova Systems Europe.
de Winne, Frank No. 51 FW 1992 The first European Space Agency astronaut to command a space mission when he served as commander of the 2009 International Space Station Expedition 21, his second ISS mission.
Cheli, Maurizio No. 47 FW 1988 European Space Agency astronaut aboard Space Shuttle mission STS-75 (with Claude Nicollier, another ETPS graduate) in 1995.
Duke, Neville No. 4/5 1946/7 World War II Fighter ace, later test pilot at Hawker Aircraft. On 7 September 1953, Duke set a new world air speed record of 727.63 mph (1,171.01 km/h), flying Hunter WB188.
Giddings, Michael No. 4/5 1946/7 Air Marshal Sir Kenneth Charles Michael Giddings KCB, OBE, DFC, AFC & Bar
Goodhart, Nicholas No. 4 1946 Rear Admiral H.C.Nicholas 'Nick' Goodhart, CB, Legion of Merit, FRAeS, RN rtd, invented the mirror-sight deck landing system for aircraft carriers; record-breaking glider pilot; holder of the Royal Aero Club's silver medal and the FAI's Paul Tissandier Diploma for "those who have served the cause of Aviation in general and Sporting Aviation in particular, by their work, initiative, devotion or in other ways"
Haigneré, Jean-Pierre No. 40 FW 1981 French Air Force pilot, later CNES and ESA cosmonaut on the 1993 Franco-Russian Altaïr and 1999 Soyuz TM-29 missions to the Mir space station
Hammond, L. Blaine Jr. No. 40 FW 1981 USAF pilot and NASA astronaut; flew on Space Shuttle missions STS-39 and STS-64
Iven Carl Kincheloe Jr. No. 12 1954 USAF test pilot
McCulley, Michael J. – – Captain, US Navy and NASA astronaut who was pilot of the 1989 Space Shuttle mission STS-34
Muehlberg, John R. No. 2 1944/45 Lt Col. USAF, first Commandant of the US Air Force Test Pilot School
Nicholson, Peter No. 32 FW 1973 Air Vice-Marshal Peter Nicholson, appointed Air Commander Australia on 9 April 1996; admitted as an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 1999 Australia Day Honours[21]
Nicollier, Claude No. 47 FW 1988 First astronaut from Switzerland; has flown on four Space Shuttle missions: STS-46, STS-61, STS-75 (with Maurizio Cheli, another ETPS graduate) and STS-103; full professor of Spatial Technology at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne from 2007
Peake, Timothy No. 43 RW 2005 Former British Army Air Corps helicopter pilot, he is the first British citizen to be selected as an astronaut by ESA.
Pogue, Bill No. 22 FW 1963 Pilot of Skylab 4 (1973–74).
Tognini, Michel No. 41 FW 1982 French and ESA astronaut who served on the 1992 Soyuz TM-15 and 1999 Space Shuttle Columbia STS-93 missions.
Twiss, Peter No. 3 1945 On 10 March 1956 in the Fairey Delta 2, a supersonic delta-winged research plane, Twiss raised the world air speed record from 822.1 mph (1,323 km/h) to 1,132 mph (1811 km/h). The FD2 was the first aircraft to exceed 1,000 mph in level flight.
Worden, Al No. 23 FW 1964 Command module pilot for the 1971 Apollo 15 Moon mission.
Żurakowski, Janusz No. 2 1944/45 Highly decorated Polish and RAF World War II Spitfire pilot, later test pilot with Glosters (Meteor, Javelin) and Avro Canada (Arrow).

Course trophies and awards

Recipients' names prior to 1968 are taken from the ETPS 25th anniversary brochure.[14] Others up to and including 1983, unless otherwise stated, from Rawlings & Sedgwick 1991, pp. 124–36.

In the tables of trophy winners the following abbreviation are used in the course names:

  • FW:  Fixed wing
  • RW:  Rotary wing
  • FTE: Flight test engineer

Legend
      The individual was killed in an aviation accident.

McKenna Trophy

In memory of the second Commandant of the School, Group Captain JFX McKenna, AFC, killed in a flying accident while serving in that post.[a][22] Initially the school awarded the McKenna Trophy to the best fixed-wing student, but it is now open to the rotary-wing course as well.

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Winners of the McKenna Trophy
Year Course Rank/style Name Decorations Employer Country
1945 No. 3 Wg Cdr Derek Randal Cuming[23] AFC* RAAF Australia
1945 No. 4 No award; short course
1946/47 No. 5 Sqn Ldr WM Foster[24] DFC RCAF Canada
1947 No. 6 Sqn Ldr RW Whittome[b] OBE, DFC RAF United Kingdom
1948 No. 7 Lt J. Elliot – RN United Kingdom
1949 No. 8 Cdr JG Smith – USN US
1950 No. 9 Flt Lt GA Heck – RCAF Canada
1951 No. 10 Flt Lt JK Hough[c] AFC RAF United Kingdom
1952 No. 11 n/a RJ Ross[d] – RAF United Kingdom
1953 No. 12 Capt. BOJ Fryklund[e] – Swedish Air Force Sweden
1954 No. 13 Flt Lt VJ Hill DFC RAAF Australia
No. 13 Capt. Riccardo Bignamini[f] – Italian Air Force Italy
1955 No. 14 Lt RE Moore – USN
1956 No. 15 Lt Cdr JS Humphreys – RN United Kingdom
1956 No. 15 Lt JA Hablot – French Navy France
1957 No. 16 Lt Cdr TC Evans AFC RN United Kingdom
1958 No. 17 Flt Lt CV Gole – Indian Air Force India
1959 No. 18 Sqn Ldr HR Radford – RAF United Kingdom
1960 No. 19 Lt Cdr LN Hoover – USN US
1961 No. 20 Flt Lt CC Rustin – RAF United Kingdom
1962 No. 21 Capt. JI Meeker[g] – USAF US
1963 No. 22 FW Flt Lt MK Adams – RAF United Kingdom
1964 No. 23 FW Flt Lt TE Riddihough – RAF United Kingdom
1965 No. 24 FW Flt Lt SC Fisher – RAAF Australia
1966 No. 25 FW Capt. DT Ward – USAF US
1967 No. 26 FW Lt Cdr VW Klein – USN US
1968 No. 27 FW Flt Lt AA Clark – RAF United Kingdom
1969 No. 28 FW Flt Lt R. Ledwidge – RAF United Kingdom
1970 – Mr AR Baker – Civil Aviation Branch Canada
1971 No. 30 FW Sqn Ldr Pete Sedgwick[29] – RAF United Kingdom
1972 No. 31 FW Flt Lt Terry Farquharson[30] – RAAF Australia
1973 No. 32 FW Flt Lt Peter Nicholson – RAAF Australia
1974 No. 33 FW Flt Lt John WA Bolton – RAF United Kingdom
1975 No. 34 FW Lt Cdr Tom Morgenfeld[31] – USN USA
1976 No 35 FW Lt Paul Habert – French Navy France
1977 n/a Flt Lt Trevor Ralston[32] – South African Directorate of Civil Aviation South Africa
1978 No. 37 FW Flt Lt Graham Tomlinson[33] – RAF United Kingdom
1979 – – D. Reeh – RAF United Kingdom
1980 No. 39 FW F/O John Blackburn[34] – RAAF Australia
1981 – – J. Barnett – RAF United Kingdom
1982 – – RN Woodward – RAAF Australia
1983 – – PD Dye – RAF United Kingdom
1984 No 22 RW Maj. Mario Renzo Ottone – Italian Air Force Italy
1985 No. 44 FW Flt Lt Dave Southwood[35] – RAF United Kingdom
1986 – – – – – –
1987 – – – – – –
1988 No. 47 FW Capt. Maurizio Cheli[36] – Italian Air Force Italy
1989 No. 48 FW Flt Lt Dave Best – RAF United Kingdom
1990 – – – – – –
1991 – – – – – –
1992 n/a n/a Frank De Winne[37] – Belgian Air Force Belgium
1993 No. 52 FW Sqn Ldr Rhys Williams – RAF United Kingdom
1994 – – – – – –
1995 – – – – – –
1996 n/a Lt Cdr Paul Stone[38] – RN United Kingdom
1997 No.56 FW Flt Lt Thomas Lyons – RAF United Kingdom
1998 – – – – – –
1999 No. 58 FW Maj. Richard Ljungberg – SwAF Sweden
2000 – – – – – –
2001 No. 60 FW Capt. Todd C. Ericson[39][page needed] – USAF USA
2002 No. 61 FW Flt Lt Chetan Takalkar[40] – RAAF Australia
2003 No. 62 FW Flt Lt Stephen Austin – RAF United Kingdom
2004 No. 63 FW Flt Lt Jim Schofield[41] – RAF United Kingdom
2005 – – – – – –
2006 – – – – – –
2007 n/a n/a Tytus Rogoyski[citation needed] – RAAF Australia
2008 – – – – – –
2009 No. 47 RW Lt Cdr Ben Lewis – RN United Kingdom
2010 No. 48 RW Flt Lt Russell Cripps – RAF United Kingdom
2011 No. 49 RW Capt. ENM Vink – RNLAF Netherlands

Edwards Trophy

This trophy is awarded by the Edwards Air Force Base in California to the student who makes the greatest progress on the course.

To expand the collapsed table, click on "show" in the Year column header; to collapse the expanded table, click on "hide".

Winners of the Edwards Trophy
Year Course Rank/style Name Decorations Employer Country
1958 No. 17 Flt Lt RA Whyte – RAF United Kingdom
1959 No. 18 Flt Lt JM Henderson – RAF United Kingdom
1960 No. 19 Flt Lt GM Morrison – RAF United Kingdom
1961 No. 20 Flt Lt PJ Farris – RAF United Kingdom
1962 No. 21 Flt Lt PM Ramachandran – Indian Air Force India
1963 No. 22 FW Flt Lt P. Ashoka – Indian Air Force India
No. 1 RW Flt Lt RF Mundy – RAF United Kingdom
1964 No. 23 FW Lt PEH Banfield – RN United Kingdom
1965 No. 24 FW Lt W. Davies – USN USA
1966 No. 4 RW Lt PJG Harper – RN United Kingdom
1967 No. 26 FW Flt Lt ADA Cooke – RAF United Kingdom
1968 – – HD Williams – Army Air Corps United Kingdom
1969 – – VF Champion – French Navy France
1970 – – W. Spychiger – Swiss Air Force Switzerland
1971 No. 30 FW Lt Cdr Chris Hägg[29] – Royal Swedish Navy Sweden
1972 n/a Capt. Ashalom Rom[30] – Israeli Air Force Israel
1973 – – PC Tait – RAF United Kingdom
1974 – Flt Lt Ian E. "Jak" Frost – RAF United Kingdom
1975 – – B. Belluci – Italian Air Force Italy
1976 – – FC Lentz – US Navy USA
1977 n/a Flt Lt John Foley[32] – RAAF Australia
1978 n/a Lt Nigel Armall-Culliford[33] – RN United Kingdom
1980 n/a Maj. Horst Hickl[34] – German Air Force Federal Republic of Germany
1981 No. 19 RW Capt. N. Talbot – Army Air Corps United Kingdom
1982 No. 41 FW Flt Lt Simon J. Wood – RAF United Kingdom
1983 – – JA Goddard – RAF United Kingdom
1984 – – – – – –
1985 No. 44 FW Flt Lt R. Meiklejohn[35] – Canadian Armed Forces Canada
1986 No. 24 RW Lt Sigmund Lockert – Royal Norwegian Air Force Norway
1991 No. 15 FTE n/a Anthony L. Dyer – – United Kingdom

Hawker Hunter Trophy

This trophy, a model of the Hawker Hunter, was first awarded in 1960 by the Hawker Aircraft Company to the student who wrote the best Preview Handling report on the course. Since 1966 syndicates of two or three students have carried out the Preview Exercise; the trophy is awarded to the best team.

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Winners of the Hawker Hunter Trophy
Year Course Rank/style Name Decorations Employer Country
1960 – – IH Keppie – RAF United Kingdom
1961 – – HWA Deacon – Royal Navy United Kingdom
1962 – – G. Varin – French Air Force France
1963 – – P. Ashoka – Indian Air Force India
1964 – – MW Buss – US Air Force US
1965 – – SC Fisher – RAAF Australia
1966 – – DW Gates – RAF United Kingdom
– – SG Pearce[h] – RAF United Kingdom
– – NRJ Wingate – RAF United Kingdom
1967 – – GJ McIntosh – RAF United Kingdom
– – RC O'Day – Royal Australian Navy Australia
1968 – – BPL Stokes – RAF United Kingdom
– – RV Richardson – RAAF Australia
– – GA Peterkin – RAAF Australia
1969 – Mr K. Koglin – – Federal Republic of Germany
– – BA Wilson – RAAF Australia
– – U. Yaari – Israeli AF Israel
1970 – – RG Davis – RAF United Kingdom
– – B. le Cornec – French AF France
– – HF Rammensee – – Federal Republic of Germany
1971 – Capt. Eugène Coeuret[29] – French Air Force France
No. 30 FW Sqn Ldr Pete Sedgwick [29] – RAF United Kingdom
1972 n/a Mr Gunter Sprenger[30] – German MoD Federal Republic of Germany
n/a Flt Lt Paul Buckland[30] – RAF United Kingdom
n/a Colin Hague[30] – RN United Kingdom
1973 – – RH Beazley – RAF United Kingdom
– – JH Finney – US Navy USA
1974 No. 12 RW Lt Dave Beswick – RN United Kingdom
Flt Lt Mike Betts – RAF United Kingdom
1975 No. 34 FW Flt Lt Chris Yeo – RAF United Kingdom
n/a Maj. Sven Hjort – Royal Danish Air Force Denmark
1976 – – AV Awalegaonkar – Indian Air Force India
– – MC Hagen – RN United Kingdom
– – FC Lentz – US Navy USA
– – A. Shaked[i] – Israeli AF Israel
1977 n/a Capt. Chris Roberts[32][44][45] – RAF United Kingdom
n/a Capt. Agostino Frediani[32] – Italian Air Force Italy
1978 n/a Capt. Pino Marani[33] – Italian Air Force Italy
n/a Flt Lt Graham Tomlinson[33] – RAF United Kingdom
1979 – – AR Foster – RAF United Kingdom
No. 6 FTE – P. Kemsley – – United Kingdom
1980 n/a F/O John Blackburn[34] – RAAF Australia
n/a Lt Cdr Paul Habel[34] – USN USA
1981 No 40 FW Sqn Ldr Jean-Pierre Haigneré – French Air Force France
1982 – – TP Newman – RAF United Kingdom
– – M. Tognini – French AF France
1983 – – – – – –
1984 No 22 RW Maj. Mario Renzo Ottone – Italian Air Force Italy
1985 No. 44 FW Sqn Ldr Les Evans[35] – RAF United Kingdom
No. 44 FW Cmdt Serge Aubert[35] – French Air Force France
1987 No. 46 FW Lt SN Hargreaves – Royal Navy United Kingdom

Flt Lt G J McClymont

RAF

1988 No. 47 FW Capt. Maurizio Cheli[36] – Italian Air Force Italy
– – – – – – –
1991 No. 15 FTE n/a Anthony L. Dyer – – United Kingdom
No. 15 FTE Capt. Lee Obst – Canadian Air Force Canada
No. 15 FTE Capt. Peter Ware – Singapore Air Force Singapore
1993 No. 31 RW Flt Lt Pete Rowlinson – RAF United Kingdom
No. 31 RW Capt. Dave Fawcett – A A Avn Australia
No. 31 RW Capt. Georg Fuchs – G A Avn Germany
1995 No. 54 FW Maj. Tjebbe "Speedy" Haringa – RNLAF Netherlands
Capt. Bjørn Rygnestad – RNoAF Norway
1997 No.56 FW Flt Lt Thomas Lyons – RAF United Kingdom
Flt Lt Bruce McDonald – RAF United Kingdom
2001 No. 60 FW Capt. Todd C. Ericson[39] – USAF USA
No. 25 FTE – Gordon Stewart – QinetiQ United Kingdom

Patuxent Shield

This trophy, instituted in 1961, is awarded by the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, Patuxent River, to the runner-up for the McKenna Trophy.

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Winners of the Patuxent Trophy
Year Course Rank/style Name Decorations Employer Country
1961 No. 20 FW Flt Lt JEC Mayes – RAF United Kingdom
1962 No. 21 FW Sqn Ldr B. Carroll – RAF United Kingdom
1963 No. 22 FW Flt Lt JF Farley – RAF United Kingdom
1964 No. 23 FW Flt Lt DL Bywater – RAF United Kingdom
Capt. AM Worden – USAF US
1965 No. 24 FW Capt. Lamberto Fe d'Ostiani – Italian Air Force Italy
1966 No. 25 FW Flt Lt JT Lewis – RAF United Kingdom
1967 No. 26 FW Sqn Ldr BJ Graf – RAAF Australia
1968 – – CA Wheal – RN United Kingdom
1969 – – JD Blake – RAF United Kingdom
1970 – – CJ Furse – RAAF Australia
1971 – Mr Carl Lang[29] – German MoD Federal Republic of Germany
1972 No. 31 FW Flt Lt John Fawcett[30] – RAF United Kingdom
1973 – – DH Jackson – RAF United Kingdom
1974 – Maj. GE "Luca" Evangelisti – Italian Air Force Italy
1975 – – GA Ellis – RAF United Kingdom
1976 – – MC Hagen – Royal Navy United Kingdom
1977 n/a Flt Lt Ronald Cowpe[32] – RAF United Kingdom
1978 n/a Capt. Patrick Baudry[33] – French Air Force France
1979 – – AR Foster – RAF United Kingdom
1980 n/a F/O John Blackburn[34] – RAAF Australia
1981 No 40 FW Sqn Ldr Jean-Pierre Haigneré – French Air Force France
1982 No. 41 FW n/a Michel Tognini[46] – French Air Force France
1983 – – B. Van Eyle – RAAF Australia
1984 – – – – – –
1987 46 FW Flt Lt Henry de Courcier – RAF United Kingdom
1997 No. 35 RW Lt Cdr Mark Carretta – RN United Kingdom
Lt Cdr Roger Moffatt – RN United Kingdom
1998 n/a n/a Antoine Van Gent[citation needed] – RNLAF Netherlands
1999 No. 37 RW n/a Simon Sparkes[16] – Royal Navy United Kingdom
1999 n/a n/a n/a – Netherlands
2002 No. 40 RW n/a Stephen Crockatt – Royal Navy United Kingdom
2005 No. 43 RW CC B. Hédé-Hauy – French Navy France
2007 No. 45 RW CC M. Barreault – French Navy France
2008 No. 46 RW Maj. Frédéric Hauviller – French Army Aviation France

Westland Trophy

The Westland Trophy, originally presented by Westland Aircraft Limited in 1963, is awarded to the best all-round student on the Rotary Wing Course.

To expand the collapsed table, click on "show" in the Year column header; to collapse again, click on "hide".

Winners of the Westland Trophy
Year Course Rank/style Name Decorations Employer Country
1963 No. 1 RW Flt Lt MC Ginn – RAF United Kingdom
1964 No. 2 RW Lt M. Hope – RN United Kingdom
1965 No. 3 RW Lt Cdr LG Locke – RN United Kingdom
1966 No. 4 RW Flt Lt JH Cox – RAAF Australia
1967 No. 5 RW Flt Lt LVP Galvin – RCAF Canada
1968 No. 6 RW – MFL Purse – RN United Kingdom
1969 No. 7 RW – WLM Mayer – RAF United Kingdom
1970 No. 8 RW Flt Lt David F Moffat – RAF United Kingdom
1971 No. 9 RW Flt Lt John Whitney[29] – RAF United Kingdom
1972 No. 10 RW Flt Lt Stuart Collins[30] – RAF United Kingdom
1973 No. 11 RW KB Engelsmann – RAN Australia
1974 No. 12 RW M. Betts – RAF United Kingdom
1975 No. 13 RW T. Creed – RAF United Kingdom
1976 No. 14 RW JH Allen – RAF United Kingdom
1977 No. 15 RW Mr Trevor Ralston[33] – South African DCA South Africa
1978 No. 16 RW Lt Cdr David Chapman[33] – RN United Kingdom
1979 No. 17 RW – A. Noy – Israeli AF Israel
1980 No. 18 RW Flt Lt JEM "Ted" Mustard[34] – RAF United Kingdom
1981 No. 19 RW – I. Young – RAF United Kingdom
1982 No. 20 RW Mr R. Longobardi – – Italy
1983 No. 21 RW – TJ Wood – RAF United Kingdom
1984 No. 22 RW – – – – –
1985 No. 23 RW Lt Bob Horton[35] – RN United Kingdom
1986 No. 24 RW – Eric Fitzpatrick[47] – Royal Marines United Kingdom
1988 No. 26 RW Capt. Omri Knoller – Israeli AF Israel
1993 No. 31 RW Flt Lt Pete Rowlinson – RAF United Kingdom
1997 No. 35 RW Lt Cdr Roger Moffatt – RN United Kingdom
2001 No. 39 RW Capt. Massimo Bonesi[39] – Italian Army Air Cavalry Italy
2002 No. 40 RW – – – – –
2003 No. 41 RW – Jacob Bart[citation needed] – Royal Netherlands Air Force Netherlands
2004 No. 42 RW – – – – –
2005 No. 43 RW Maj. Timothy Peake – British Army Air Corps United Kingdom
2006 No. 44 RW Lt Cdr Mark Purvis – Royal Navy United Kingdom
– – – – – – –

Sir Alan Cobham Award

Presented to ETPS in 1974 by Michael Cobham, son of Sir Alan Cobham, this trophy is awarded to the fixed wing student who demonstrates the highest standard of flying during the course. The trophy is a silver model of a Short Singapore II flying-boat, which was originally awarded to Sir Alan and his wife in 1928 "in commemoration of their epic circuit of Africa flight in 1927 in such a flying-boat".[48]

To expand the collapsed table, click on "show" in the Year column header; to collapse the expanded table, click on "hide".

Winners of the Sir Alan Cobham Trophy
Year Course Rank/style Name Decorations Employer Country
1974 – Flt Lt John Thorpe – RAF United Kingdom
1975 No. 34 FW Flt Lt Chris Yeo[49] – RAF United Kingdom
1976 – – MC Hagen – Royal Navy United Kingdom
1977 n/a Capt. Agostino Frediani[32] – Italian Air Force Italy
1978 n/a Flt Lt Graham Tomlinson[33] – RAF United Kingdom
1979 – – TH Brown – RAF United Kingdom
1980 No. 39 FW F/O Tracey McCormick[34] – RAAF Australia
1981 – – JJ Barnett – RAF United Kingdom
1982 – – DAZ James – RAF United Kingdom
1983 – – PD Dye – RAF United Kingdom
1984 – – – – – –
1985 No. 44 FW Flt Lt Dave Southwood[35] – RAF United Kingdom
1986 – – – – – –
1987 – – – – – –
1988 No. 47 FW Capt. Maurizio Cheli[36] – Italian Air Force Italy
1995 No. 54 FW Capt Bjørn Rygnestad - RoNAF Norway
2003 No. 62 FW Flt Lt Dave Stobie – RAF United Kingdom
2004 No. 63 FW Flt Lt Jim Schofield – RAF United Kingdom

Dunlop Trophy

The Dunlop Trophy, initially awarded by the Dunlop Rubber company in 1974, is awarded to the best student on each Flight Test Engineers' course.

To expand the collapsed table, click on "show" in the Year column header; to collapse the expanded table, click on "hide".

Winners of the Dunlop Trophy
Year Course Rank/style Name Decorations Employer Country
1974 No. 1 FTE Mr John LF Denning[48] – – United Kingdom
1975 No. 2 FTE – RJ Humphries – – –
1976 No. 3 FTE – JC Martin – – –
1977 No. 4 FTE Lt M. Maharik[32] – Israeli Air Force Israel
1978 No. 5 FTE Lt David Benedetti[33] – Italian Air Force Italy
1979 No. 6 FTE – AM Oliver – – –
1980 No. 7 FTE Mr Robert Badham[34] – UK MoD United Kingdom
1981 No. 8 FTE – A.J. Houghton – – –
1982 No. 9 FTE – K. Jones – – –
1983 No. 10 FTE – B.R. Fouques
1989 No.13 FTE Lt Piero Serra No 13 FTE Italian Air Force Italy
1990 No 14 FTE Lt Vito Casagrande – Italian Air Force Italy
1993 No 17 FTE Mr B Dudgeon – UK MoD United Kingdom
1994 No 18 FTE Capt. S McIntosh – CAF Canada
1995 No. 19 FTE Capt. D.J. Masters – CAF Canada
1998 No. 22 FTE Antoine Van Gent[citation needed] – RNLAF Netherlands
2000 No. 24 FTE Maj Francois Robert – CAF Canada
2001 No. 25 FTE – Gordon Stewart[39] – QinetiQ United Kingdom
2002 No 26 FTE Mr A. M Roberts – QinetiQ United Kingdom
2003 No. 27 FTE Maj. Jeoh Leo[50] – Singapore Air Force Singapore
2004 No 28 FTE Capt Anne Ducarouge - French Forces France
– – – – – – –
2008 No.32 FTE Lt Alrik Hoencamp[51] – RNN Netherlands
2009 No. 33 FTE Dr Clare Chatterjea – QinetiQ United Kingdom
2010 No. 34 FTE Miss Gemma Dore – QinetiQ United Kingdom
2011 No. 35 FTE Capt. M Desrochers – RCAF Canada
2012 No. 36 FTE Capt. I Leong – RAEME Australia
2013 No. 37 FTE ME4 K.H. Tee – RSAF Singapore
2014 No. 38 FTE Lt P Six – French Navy France

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ On 19 January 1945 flying a North American Mustang IV, when an ammunition box cover detached at high speed, causing structural failure of a wing. The aircraft crashed on the perimeter of Old Sarum airfield.
  2. ^ Sqn Ldr Whittome died in a flying accident in a Spitfire in 1948.[25]
  3. ^ Flt Lt Hough died in a flying accident in a Sycamore in 1953.[26]
  4. ^ Ross died in a flying accident in a Javelin in 1954.[27]
  5. ^ Capt. Fryklund died in a flying accident in 1954.[27]
  6. ^ Capt. Bignamini died in a flying accident.[27]
  7. ^ Died in an accident in an F-100 Super Sabre while on Reserve training with the Air National Guard in 1965.[28]
  8. ^ Died in a flying accident on 10 August 1976.[42]
  9. ^ A. Shaked died in a flying accident in a Dornier Do 28.[43]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Sturtivant 1997, p. 112.
  2. ^ "Origins of Flight Test". ETPS. QinetiQ. Archived from the original on 7 March 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  3. ^ Sturtivant 1997, p. 44.
  4. ^ Johnson 1986, p. 19.
  5. ^ Johnson 1986, p. 31.
  6. ^ Johnson 1986, p. 23.
  7. ^ Johnson 1986, p. 25.
  8. ^ Johnson 1986, p. 27.
  9. ^ Johnson 1986, p. 32.
  10. ^ Field, Hugh (8 March 1973). "Learning to Test". Flight International. 103 (3339). Flight global: 340. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
  11. ^ "Short Courses". ETPS. QinetiQ. Archived from the original on 12 May 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
  12. ^ Johnson 1986, pp. 39, 40.
  13. ^ "Learning to Test". Flight International. 158 (4757). Flight global: 41. 4 December 2000. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  14. ^ a b ETPS 1968.
  15. ^ Robinson 2007, p. 280.
  16. ^ a b "CO ETPS", Our training team, QinetiQ, 2010, archived from the original on 29 April 2011, retrieved 19 December 2010.
  17. ^ "Our Aircraft". ETPS. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  18. ^ Hall 1992, p. 87.
  19. ^ Hall 1992, p. 38.
  20. ^ Flack 2005, p. 267.
  21. ^ Australian Chapter, The Association of Old Crows.
  22. ^ "1940–45", Test Flying Memorial of British test pilots and engineers dead while test-flying, archived from the original on 2 August 2009, retrieved 26 February 2010 .
  23. ^ "DR Cuming", The Canberra Times (biographical detail), 17 April 2002[permanent dead link].
  24. ^ "Test Pilots Dine – Passing-out Dinner and Presentation of McKenna Trophy at Cranfield". Flight Magazine. 95 (LI): 238. 20 March 1947. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  25. ^ Rawlings & Sedgwick 1991, p. 126.
  26. ^ Rawlings & Sedgwick 1991, p. 127.
  27. ^ a b c Rawlings & Sedgwick 1991, p. 128.
  28. ^ Rawlings & Sedgwick 1991, p. 130.
  29. ^ a b c d e f Rawlings & Sedgwick 1991, p. 83.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g "ETPS – The McKenna Dinner". Flight Magazine. 102 (3329): 917. 28 December 1972. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
  31. ^ "Chief Test Pilot Thomas Morgenfeld". AIAA Savannah. 2010. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g "ETPS McKenna Dinner". Flight International. 113 (3592): 172. 21 January 1978. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
  33. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Boscombe Down Pilots' Award". Flight International. 114 (3640): 2239. 22 December 1978. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
  34. ^ a b c d e f g h "The Empire Test Pilots' School End-of-Course McKenna Dinner". Flight International. 119 (3741): 10. 17 January 1981. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  35. ^ a b c d e f Johnson 1986, p. 270.
  36. ^ a b c "NASA Astronauts with Texas Roots". Texas Space Grant Consortium. 1 August 2004. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  37. ^ "Astronaut biography – Frank de Winne". European Space Agency. 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  38. ^ "Royal Navy to celebrate centenary of naval aviation with flypast over HMS Illustrious in London". Your Defence News. Red Mist Media. 1 May 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2010.[permanent dead link]
  39. ^ a b c d "Trophies", The Daily Telegraph, 14 December 2001
  40. ^ "Top Stories: Best Test Pilot". Airforce News. 45 (3). AU: Defence Public Affairs and Corporate Communication; Directorate of Internal Communications. 13 March 2003. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  41. ^ "Pilots". The Yakovlevs (air display team). 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2010.[permanent dead link]
  42. ^ Rawlings & Sedgwick 1991, p. 131.
  43. ^ Rawlings & Sedgwick 1991, p. 133.
  44. ^ "Newsletter" (PDF). The Hawker Association. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  45. ^ Farley, John (18 February 2007). "Aviators Extraordinary". PPRuNe. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  46. ^ "Astronaut biography – Michel Tognini". European Space Agency. 21 November 2005. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  47. ^ "Eric Fitzpatrick". Empire Test Pilots' School. QinetiQ. Archived from the original on 18 April 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  48. ^ a b Rawlings & Sedgwick 1991, p. 90.
  49. ^ "Test & Research Pilots" (Blogger), Flight Test Engineers (web log), January 2008.
  50. ^ Leo, Jeoh (2007). "Tech Edge: Near-Space, Near Future". Pointer: Journal of the Singapore Armed Forces. 33 (1). Government of Singapore. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
  51. ^ Alle Hens: Logboek – Wie Wat Waar (PDF) (in Dutch), Royal Netherlands Navy, 2009, p. 35, retrieved 11 April 2010[permanent dead link]

Bibliography

  • The Empire Test Pilots' School – Twenty Five Years (brochure) (4 ed.), HMSO for The Empire Test Pilots' School, 1968, 68 pp.
  • Hall, A. W. (1992). RAF Today. London, UK: Bison Books. ISBN 0-86124-313-7.
  • Flack, J. (2005). The Modern RAF. Marlborough, UK: Crowood Press. ISBN 1-86126-616-2.
  • Johnson, Brian (1986), Test Pilot, BBC Books, p. 287, ISBN 0-563-20502-4.
  • Rawlings, John; Sedgwick, Hilary (1991), Learn to Test, Test to Learn – The History of the Empire Test Pilots' School, Shrewsbury: Airlife, p. 138, ISBN 1-85310-080-3.
  • Robinson, JA 'Robby' (2007), Tester Zero One, Old Forge Publishing, ISBN 978-1-906183-00-4.
  • Sturtivant, Ray (1997), Royal Air Force Flying Training and Support Units, Air Britain (Historians), ISBN 0-85130-252-1.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Empire Test Pilots' School.
  • Official website
  • ETPS Association, UK, archived from the original on 17 November 2010, retrieved 4 August 2007.
  • QinetiQ.
  • Service biography of Air Marshal Sir Ralph S. Sorley, K.C.B., O.B.E., D.S.C, D.F.C. (1898–1974), RAF Web.
  • Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment, Bharat rakshak, archived from the original on 9 June 2011, retrieved 27 August 2010. The Indian Air Force's flight evaluation and test training school, Bangalore.
  • "Exchange of Test Pilots Proposed", Flight, Flight global, 1948.
  • "Torch in the Sky", Flight (article), Flight global, 1949 on the purpose and practice of the ETPS.
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