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The Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS) is a training establishment based at MOD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, England. MoD Boscombe Down is an aircraft testing site located south of Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland ETPS is run as a partnership between the UK MOD and defence contractor QinetiQ, under a long term partnering agreement. A defense contractor (or defence contractor, also sometimes called a military contractor) is a Business organization or individual that provides products QinetiQ ( (pronounced, as in Kinetic energy) is a British defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former government agency

Contents

History

In 1943 Air Marshal Sir Ralph Sorley, who had been concerned at the high rate of fatalities during testing of new aircraft, formed the "Test Pilots Training Flight" at Boscombe Down. MoD Boscombe Down is an aircraft testing site located south of Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. In 1943 the first training course was held, finishing in early 1944. The scheme was a success, and the training flight soon became an institution in its own right, the ETPS. In 1963 the course diversified into the teaching of rotary wing testing, followed by a course aimed at flight test engineers rather than pilots in 1974.

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 run as 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 EPNER in France (École du Personnel Navigant d'Essais et de Réception), The U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Maryland, and the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California. EPNER, (École du Personnel Navigant d’Essais et de Réception is the French Test pilot school based at the Istres Le Tube Airbase, France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United States Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS located at Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NAS Patuxent River in Patuxent River, Maryland The US Air Force Flight Test School is located on Edwards Air Force Base in California. Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County California in the Antelope California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Some of these schools operate an exchange programme, which serves to expand the variety of aircraft the students have available to them for gaining flight test experience.

Aircraft

JAS 39 Gripen of the ETPS
JAS 39 Gripen of the ETPS

Currently the ETPS uses the following types of aircraft:

McKenna Trophy

In memory of the second Commandant of the School, Group Captain J. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Saab AB is an Aerospace and defense company based in Sweden. History "Svenska Aeroplan AB (aktiebolaget" ( Swedish for WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout F. X. McKenna, A. F. C, who was killed in a flying accident while serving in that post,[1][2] the school awards the McKenna Trophy annually to the best fixed wing student. Overview Fixed-wing aircraft range from small training and recreational aircraft to Wide-body aircraft and military cargo aircraft. Award recipients include:

References

  1. ^ Group Captain McKenna was killed on January 19 1945 flying a Mustang IV, when an ammunition box cover detached at high speed, causing structural failure of a wing. Frank Viscount De Winne (born April 25, 1961 in Ledeberg, Belgium) is a Belgian Air Component officer and an ESA Maurizio Cheli (born 4 May 1959) is an Italian air force officer an ESA Astronaut and a veteran of one NASA Space Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1945: Events January January 1 - the Luftwaffe begins targeting The aircraft crashed on the perimeter of Old Sarum airfield. Old Sarum is the site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury, in England.
  2. ^ http://www.davidsiddall.com/testflyingmemorial/1939-45.htm Test Flying Memorial site of British test pilots and engineers who died in flying accidents (1939-1945 page).

See also

External links

Rotary Wing Test Squadron (RWTS is a tri-service UK military organisation based at MOD Boscombe Down Wiltshire MoD Boscombe Down is an aircraft testing site located south of Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. The US Air Force Flight Test School is located on Edwards Air Force Base in California.
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