This Online Certificate Flight Test Course is geared toward professionals looking to learn beyond the fundamentals of flight testing and is suitable for fixed or rotary wing students. It is recommended students take the courses in order but the sequence is not mandatory. No prerequisite is required to enrol for this course bundle. All academics are delivered through our online distance-learning platform.
The completion of the Certificate course requires the successful completion of a student assessment following the attendance of all short courses.
Format: Online
Registration: Online
Certificate: Yes, upon completion of all 4 courses and student assessment
Optional Weeks of Flying Available (at extra cost): Yes, on-demand
Prerequisites: No
Start date: Pre-recorded lectures on-demand
Duration: 200+ hours including the student assessment
Required Courses (four):
Flight Test Fundamentals ONLINE
This course provides the minimum knowledge to understand what Flight Testing is by covering a wide range of introductory subjects. This is commonly the first module test pilot and flight test engineer students will receive while attending a longer course at a Test Pilot School and is a pre-requisite for any further flight test courses. Instruction focuses on risk assessment, flight test instrumentation, report writing, civil certification, test planning, tests card creation and it leads up to the first item commonly evaluated in an aircraft, that of cockpit assessment. Upon completion of this course the students will gain an understanding of the flight test process from planning to execution, analysis and reporting for flight test purposes with reference primarily to civil specifications.. This course includes 50+ lecture hours.
Fixed Wing Performance Flight Test ONLINE or Rotary Wing Performance Flight Test ONLINE
This course provides an overview of either fixed wing or rotary wing aircraft performance flight testing, covering propeller, jet engine, and rotor performance. Key performance topics are addressed for both aircraft types, including take-off and landing, climb, descent, cruise, manoeuvring flight, and hover for rotary wing aircraft. Specific subjects such as rotor performance theory and Engine and Rotor Governing Assessment (ERGA) for helicopters are also explored. The course combines theoretical lectures with tutorials and workshops, where students develop performance models and data reduction templates using real flight data. Instruction focuses on flight test methods, test planning, data acquisition, and analysis, introducing participants to both civil and military specifications (CS23/25 for fixed wing and CS27/29 for rotary wing) and methods of demonstrating compliance when testing new or modified aircraft.
Fixed Wing Flying Qualities Flight Test ONLINE or Rotary Wing Flying Qualities Flight Test ONLINE
This course provides an overview of either fixed wing or rotary wing aircraft flying qualities flight testing. Instruction focuses on flight test methods, test planning, data acquisition, and analysis for both aircraft types. For fixed-wing aircraft, the course covers stability and control, handling qualities, including longitudinal, lateral, and directional static and dynamic stability, roll performance, stall characteristics, spinning, and closed-loop handling qualities. For rotary wing aircraft, topics include static and dynamic stability (longitudinal, lateral, and directional), low-speed regimes, aerodynamic derivatives, rotor dynamics, and the principles of helicopter vibration. Specific flight test topics such as Flight Controls Mechanical Characteristics (FCMC), autorotation, and helicopter Category A operations are also addressed. The course includes a mixture of theoretical lectures and hands-on tutorials/workshops where students apply flight test techniques using simulation tools. Participants are introduced to civil and military specifications (CS23/25 for fixed wing and CS27/29 and ADS-33E-PRF for rotary wing) and methods of demonstrating compliance when testing new or modified aircraft.
Introduction to Avionics Systems Flight Test ONLINE
The Avionics Systems Flight Test module introduces students to the fundamental principles of operation of key aircraft avionic systems and then focuses on how these systems are tested to determine compliance with civil certification requirements. The civil certification process as applicable to avionic systems is covered in detail. Students are also introduced to anthropometric standards and ergonomic concepts in flight deck design and the applicable regulatory, guidance materials and recommended methods of demonstrating compliance when testing a new or modified avionic systems are presented.
