Army test pilots support training for Navy Students

By Carlotta Maneice, AMRDEC Public AffairsFebruary 2, 2016

U.S. Naval Test Pilot School
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT EUSTIS, Va. (Jan. 5, 2016) -- U.S. Army aviation pilots provide U.S. Naval Test Pilot School with technical training and hands-on flight testing biannually.

The USNTPS provides instruction to experienced pilots, flight officers and engineers in the processes and techniques of aircraft and systems test and evaluation. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center's Aviation Development Directorate provides aircraft and testing support for two USNTPS courses.

"The Qualitative Evaluation is a one flight-hour event in an aircraft that is not part of the school's curriculum aircraft fleet," said Craig Ernst, AMRDEC, Aviation Applied Technology Directorate experimental test pilot, based at Fort Eustis.

"This is where the testing pilot performs selected test techniques to evaluate an aircraft's handling characteristics, performance, and systems capabilities. Upon completion of the flight, the student writes daily report describing their findings."

The Developmental Test II event is an end-of-course event where students test pilot travel to evaluate an aircraft they have never seen or flown.

"These students must use everything they have learned during the year-long course, and they only have two weeks to prepare and submit a full-up flight test report that must be graded satisfactory before they can graduate," Ernst said.

AATD provides experimental test/instructor pilots, ground crew and an AH-64E Apache attack helicopter for the rotary wing class. This allows the students the opportunity to evaluate and experience an advanced attack helicopter and train with seasoned AATD test/instructor pilots that bring real-world flight-test experience to the students. Support takes place at the Patuxent Naval Air Station, Maryland.

AATD has provided support to the USNTPS for many years, including the first live fire QE of an aircraft using the OH-58D, 50-caliber machine gun. The AATD's main mission of Apache flight test is to support the Project Manager Apache. This PM provides the aircraft, parts, fuel and funding that is required to operate, maintain and test the aircraft.

USNTPS provides a variety of aircraft, resources and environments to its diverse body of pilots, flight officers and engineers.

Each class accepts 36 students, including pilots, flight officers and engineers across Navy, Marine Corps, Army and Air Force aviators, international aviators/engineers and civil service engineers.

USNTPS is the only U.S. military source of rotary-wing test pilots and flight test engineers and serves as the Army's test pilot school.

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The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to ensure decisive overmatch for unified land operations to empower the Army, the joint warfighter and our nation. RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.

Related Links:

Army Technology Live

U.S. Army Materiel Command

Army.mil: Science and Technology News

U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command

Naval Test Pilot School