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.
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, Ministry of Aircraft Production, 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.
On 21 June 1943, the unit became the Test Pilots' School within the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at Boscombe Down. The school was "to provide suitably trained pilots for testing duties in aeronautical research and development establishments within the service and the industry". It graduated one group of students, the Number 1 Course, which began in mid-1943 and formally ended on 29 February 1944, before the school's name was changed to the "Empire Test Pilots' School" (ETPS) on 28 July 1944.
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). Five students found the standard of maths required on the course to be too high and left within the first week; 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. Of those who attended No. 1 Course, five eventually died testing aircraft.
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.
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, 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".
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.
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.
ETPS Commanding Officers
Commandants' names prior to 1968 from the ETPS 25th anniversary brochure; 1968–88, from Wing Commander "Robby" Robinson's "Tester Zero One". The term "Commandant" was succeeded in 1976 by "Chief Instructor" and in 1980 by "Officer Commanding". As the post is now tied to the Royal Navy, it has become "Commanding Officer." 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. 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 2022 Cdr Steve Moseley n/a RN United Kingdom USNTPS Class 143 (2013)20222025CdrIan Houlstonn/aRNUnited KingdomNo. 54 RW (2016)2025 -CdrAndrew Johnstonn/aRNUnited KingdomNo. 52 RW (2014)
Aircraft
The Empire Test Pilots' School fleet consists of the following aircraft:
Aircraft Origin Variant(s) No operated Notes Rotary Wing AW139ItalyAW1391 AW109 Italy AW109S, AW109E Power 3 Airbus H125 France H125 4 Airbus H145 France H145 1NH90EuropeNH90 TTHIn partnership with Finnish Defence Forces. 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 Avro 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. Eurofighter Typhoon Europe 1 Learjet 45 United States Learjet 45 4 Operated by Calspan in the US.Saab JAS 39 GripenSwedenOn Wet leaseGB1 GameBirdUKGB1Airbus A350 FranceA350 Delivered by Airbus & SAS Flight Test Department.
In the past the school has operated: BAe Hawk T.1 XX343, Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet, Hawker Siddeley Andover XS606, Beagle Basset, Westland Gazelle, North American Harvard, SEPECAT Jaguar, Westland Lynx, Westland Sea King, Panavia Tornado, Short Tucano, Eurocopter Squirrel, Bell 412, Bell 205, Saab Gripen, BAC Jet Provost, English Electric Lightning, Westland Scout.
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 Adenot, Sophie RW 2018 French Air and Space Force helicopter pilot and member of the European Astronaut Corps Baudry, Patrick No. 37 FW 1978 Flew aboard NASA's Space Shuttle 1985 mission STS-51-G.Best, DaveNo. 48FW1989MOD Chief Test Pilot. NATO Air Operations Director. Founder, Nova Systems Europe. de Winne, Frank No. 51 FW1992The 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 Hathaway, Jack FW 2011 US Navy pilot and NASA astronaut 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 1944/45Lt Col. USAF, first Commandant of the US Air Force Test Pilot School Nicholson, Peter No. 32 FW1973 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. Nicollier, Claude No. 47 FW 1988First 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 RW2005Former 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). Strachan, Ian No. 28 FW 1969 Initially specialised in Air-to-Air Refuelling, adding new types such as Belfast, Nimrod, VC10. Later Chief Test Pilot at RAE Farnborough and developed night low flying in fast jets using TV screens. Added Full Flight Simulators (FFS) to UK Ministry of Defence policy. First Chair of the International Gliding Commission Flight Recorder Approval Committee (IGC GFAC) Tognini, Michel No. 41 FW1982French 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 1944/45Highly 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. Others up to and including 1983, unless otherwise stated, from .