Fixed Wing Performance Flight Test

Fixed Wing

70 Lecture Hour(s)

3 Week(s)

This course provides an overview of fixed wing performance flight testing referring to both propeller and jet engine aircraft. The main fixed wing performance subjects are covered including take-off and landing performance, climb, descent, cruise and maneuvering flight. The course includes a mixture of theoretical lectures and tutorials/workshops where students create performance models. Instruction focuses on flight test methods, test planning, data acquisition and analysis. Participants are also introduced to civil specification for fixed aircraft (CS23/25), military specifications and methods of demonstrating compliance when testing a new or modified aircraft.

Admission: Graduate student standing or permission from the instructor

Topics:

Introduction to Flight Test
Gas Properties and International Standard Atmosphere (ISA)
Air Data and Pressure Error Correction
Thrust and Drag Equations
Stall Speed
Take-off and Landing Performance
Range and Endurance
Climb and Descent Performance
Manoeuvre Performance

Course Start date:
03 February 2025

Duration: 3 weeks academics – optional flying week(s) available on demand at extra cost

The new facility features a 27,000 sq.ft. hangar, big enough to house ITPS’s expanding fleet of aircraft. The administration and classroom building have been extended by 15,000 square feet and feature six additional classrooms, a simulator centre, a state of the art Telemetry Room, additional student facilities and change rooms. The new building features additional briefing rooms, a flight crew ready room and much enlarged canteen area.

ITPS school and hangar facility

CYXU is a modern regional airport 5 nm north east of the city of London, Ontario. The airport is an international gateway airport with direct flights from Chicago and Detroit and Immigration and Customs facilities. It is as of 2009 the 20th busiest airport in Canada, which makes for efficient school operations with little to no delays due to traffic. The airport is south of Toronto and outside the Toronto (CYYZ) FIR and has close access to large sections of Class E and G airspace minimizing transit times for the execution of flight exercises which can be flown up to FL180 on a VFR flight plan but are Controlled VFR (CVFR) with flight control by Toronto Center above 12000 feet. Two dedicated test areas Delta and Juliet a low altitude one to 12000 and a high altitude one over Lake Huron, up to FL350, north west of London may be used by the school under an agreement with NAV Canada, the Canadian Air Traffic Control Authority. The school therefore enjoys a very favourable air traffic environment for its training operations.

Dr. Panos Vitsas

Dr Panos Vitsas has been involved in aerospace engineering research and academia for more than 15 years. He has a MEng in Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics from University of Patras, an MSc in Human Factors and Safety Assessment in Aeronautics from Cranfield University with honoring awards, a PhD in Computational Aerodynamics from University of Patras and he is an ITPS FTE graduate of the FW flight test diploma course (Class 2012A).

Dr Vitsas has served as an A-7 Corsair engineer in the Hellenic Air Force and has participated as a researcher in European aerospace projects on aerodynamics. He has been a lecturer in aerodynamics and aircraft design and has provided freelance engineering services on UAV design, computational aerodynamics, and flight testing.

Since 2013 he works for International Test Pilots School as an FTE instructor on fixed-wing aircraft performance, flying qualities, digital FCS and pre-TPS academics and has participated in the flight testing of all ITPS acquired aircraft. He is the developer of the ITPS Engineering flight simulator, Helicopter simulator, and UAS GCS simulator. In addition to instruction he conducts research and has published over 15 papers in international journals and conferences including SFTE and SETP symposia.

Dr Vitsas holds a Transport Canada CPL with ME/IR for landplanes and seaplanes and a frozen EASA ATPL(A) having flown on the controls of more than 20 aircraft types. He is an Associate Fellow of AIAA and a member of the Flight Test Technical Committee. He is also a Senior Member of the Society of Flight Test Engineers and currently the European Chapter Vice President.

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1 (519) 457-3625
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The Belgian Defense has been training test pilots at ITPS on a regular basis since 2004. The quality of training is essential to the Belgian Defense as our test pilots are expected to undertake the whole spectrum of flight testing across the Defense aircraft and helicopter fleet. The training at ITPS met our requirements and our test pilots have proven very competent in national or multinational test programs.

Philippe Goffin, Belgian Defense

Leonardo Helicopters has been collaborating with the International Test Pilots School since 2017 and a number of our flight test engineers have attended training courses in Canada. As the Head of Flight Test, I have been very satisfied with the results and the quality of the training provided by ITPS.

Giuseppe Afruni, Leonardo Helicopters

The training provided by ITPS was essential in preparing me for a career in civil aircraft flight testing. ITPS provided training of exceptional quality by world-class experts. It fully prepared me with the necessary fundamental skills to succeed as a flight test engineer.

Nunzio Caccavo, ITPS 2011 Graduate

Fixed Wing Performance Flight Test

Cirrus SR22

Beechcraft B60 Duke

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