The International Test Pilots School Canada (ITPS Canada) located in
London, Ontario
London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...
, is one of the eight
test pilot schools recognized globally by the international
Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Society of Flight Test Engineers.
The school trains test pilots and flight test engineers. It is the first
civilian
A civilian is a person who is not a member of an armed force. It is war crime, illegal under the law of armed conflict to target civilians with military attacks, along with numerous other considerations for civilians during times of war. If a civi ...
test pilot school in Canada.
ITPS Canada is registered as an Authorized Training Organization by the
European Aviation Safety Agency
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Commission with responsibility for civil aviation safety in the European Union. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs inve ...
. It shares some facilities with and neighbours the
Jet Aircraft Museum at
London International Airport.
History
ITPS first offered flight test training in 1986, when established by a previous senior staff member of the
Empire Test Pilots School in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
The school was first located in
Cranfield in England, working alongside the prestigious College of Aeronautics at
Cranfield University
Cranfield University is a postgraduate-only public research university in the United Kingdom that specialises in science, engineering, design, technology and management. Cranfield was founded as the College of Aeronautics (CoA) in 1946. Throug ...
.
In 2001, the school moved its operations to the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment located at
CFB Cold Lake
Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake , abbreviated as CFB Cold Lake, is a Canadian Forces Base in the City of Cold Lake, Alberta.
The facility is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is approximately south of the ...
before moving to its current location at
London International Airport,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
in 2005. The school was recognized by the Society of Experimental Test Pilots in 2017 and by the Society of Flight Test Engineers in 2018.
In 2022, ITPS Canada hosted the international 10th Annual Flight Test Seminar. Operations include a 10,000 square foot modern offices and classrooms and a 27,000 square foot
hangar
A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...
.
Training
The curriculum includes both long and short courses focusing on
flight tests. Flight test graduate, diploma and certificate courses are offered, the former typically for military students.
Test planning, test flying, data analysis and report writing are all part of the training.
Students from around the world are trained using various military fighters,
training jets, light airplanes, helicopters and
flight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they rea ...
s.
One of Australia's first
RAAF
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the governor-general of Aus ...
female pilots,
Robyn Clay-Williams, trained at ITPS
Staff
ITPS Canada has staff members from multiple countries including academics, military veterans, maintenance personnel and test pilot graduates (test pilots and flight test engineers). Notable staff over the years included retired
Canadian Space Agency
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA; ) is the national space agency of Canada, established in 1990 by the ''Canadian Space Agency Act''.
The President of the Canadian Space Agency, president is Lisa Campbell (civil servant), Lisa Campbell, who took ...
astronaut
Bjarni Tryggvason
Bjarni Valdimar Tryggvason (September 21, 1945 – April 5, 2022) was an Icelandic-born Canadian engineer and a NRC/ CSA astronaut. He served as a Payload Specialist on Space Shuttle mission STS-85 in 1997, a nearly 12-day mission to study cha ...
(deceased, 2022) who once flew as a Payload Specialist on
Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is a retired American Space Shuttle orbiter. The spaceplane was one of the Space Shuttle orbiter, orbiters from NASA's Space Shuttle program and the third of five fully opera ...
.
Aircraft
As of November 2023, ITPS Canada has the following aircraft registered with
Transport Canada
Transport Canada () is the Ministry (government department), department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, Policy, policies and Public services, services of road, rail, marine and air Transport in Canada, tra ...
and the
FAA and operate as
Nav Canada
Nav Canada (styled as NAV CANADA) is a privately run, non-profit corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation system (ANS). It was established by statute in accordance with the ''Civil Air Navigation Services Commercializati ...
airline designator SA, and telephony STALLION.
See also
*
List of test pilot schools
References
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Test pilot schools
Educational institutions established in 1986
Education in London, Ontario
1986 establishments in Ontario