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The International Test Pilots School (ITPS), is one of only eight fully accredited schools of flight testing in the world and one of only four European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approved training organizations (ATO) for flight test training worldwide.
The London, Ont.-based school for pilots and engineers learning the specialized mechanics of flight testing has announced that it has recently won its second consecutive contract to train test pilots for the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) through 2020 and 2021.
ITPS is currently training COMAC test pilots at its facility in London, and the awarding of this second contract recognizes the excellence of the training provided by ITPS and the solid relationship that has been cultivated between the two organizations.
“ITPS has enjoyed an excellent relationship with COMAC and the COMAC Flight Test Centre (FTCC) in particular for some years,” said Giorgio Clementi, ITPS president. “As China’s leading commercial aircraft manufacturer, COMAC has a substantial experimental flight test capability, and since 2016, has turned to ITPS for some key training programs and personnel.”
ITPS has also provided consulting services in preparation for the first flight of the COMAC C919 and is currently contracted to provide support in China for current Flight Test Center of COMAC (FTCC) flight test programs.
“Graduates of the ITPS test pilot and flight test engineer courses in London will participate in the flight testing of the C-919 and, eventually, the CRAIC CR929 widebody airliner, COMAC’s joint venture with Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation,” Clementi continued.
COMAC is the second international aircraft manufacturer to select ITPS for training its flight test crews, after Airbus chose the school to train test engineers at the London facility in 2017 — a testament to the excellence of the school’s training programs.
