A Republic of Singapore Air Force helicopter specialist has just started a demanding course at the UK's Empire Test Pilot School (ETPS) at Boscombe Down.
Stanley Ng began training on the first compressed Rotary Wing Flight Test Engineer (FTE) course at ETPS on 1 February.
"This course, which has a duration of only six months, is a departure from the traditional 12-month graduate course," says Joanna Sale, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) spokesman. ETPS is part of DERA.
"It has been developed to accommodate the fact that while many flight test centres, both military and civil, recognise the advantages of the training provided by ETPS, many are unable to release staff for a complete year.
"In response to customer demands, the school continues to develop shorter courses addressing specialised activities including helicopter underslung loads certification, the establishment of Ship Helicopter Operating Limits (SHOL), the assessment of night vision systems and civil aircraft certification work," she says.
"The overriding philosophy of the school is to provide a qualification that is practical and flying-based, with courses tailored into fixed wing or rotor wing specialisations and to the divergent needs of both military and commercial applications."
Source: Flight Daily News