Course Description
The NTPS Professional Courses demand a strong background in mathematics and the physical sciences as well as extensive flying experience. Many pilots and engineers selected to attend flight test schools have not had the opportunity for many years to exercise the academic skills learned in school or may not be coming from a flying assignment. The objectives of the course are to refresh the students academically in the basic concepts of mathematics, physics, and aerodynamics, and provide some opportunities to refresh flying skills. The six-week course is basically divided into three sections:
| Refresher in mathematics (trigonometry, calculus, differential equations) and physical sciences Introduction to performance and flying qualities flight testing Introduction to airborne systems evaluations |
This course has proven to be a very successful preparatory school for pilots and engineers prior to entering test pilot schools both in the US and abroad. Foreign students who speak English as a second language find the course particularly useful as an immersion course in technical English and as an exposure to a different culture.