The USAF Test Pilot School received
the 2003 Richard G. Cross Award on Nov. 19 in Lihue, Hawaii.
Presented by the International Test and Evaluation Association, the
award recognized the contributions the school’s short courses
made to the training and education of test and evaluation
professionals.
"This is a true honor for the entire (school’s) staff
… to be recognized by this prestigious test and evaluation
organization," said Col. Ernie Haendschke, TPS commandant.
The school’s instructors worked with test organizations to
address shortfalls in required training for their respective
fields, Haendschke said. The units were from the 412th Test Wing,
53rd Electronic Warfare Wing, Air Force Materiel Command, the Air
Force Research Lab and the Air Force Space Command. Other
organizations that participated were from the Air Force Operational
Test and Evaluation Center, the Space and Missile Center and NASA.
School officials developed and refined 12 unique courses to address
the shortfalls.
The short courses started in July 2002, and the demand has been
“overwhelming," Haendschke said. The 12 courses produced a
total of 169 graduates in fiscal 2003 alone.
Specialized short courses include the aerospace vehicle test
course, the test management short course and the senior executive
short course. The electronic warfare flight test engineer short
course, the flying qualities short course and the electronic
warfare short course were also included, according to the
school’s curriculum guide.
The school also provides short courses in incompressible and
compressible aerodynamics, propulsion, modeling and simulation,
equations of motion and aerodynamic controls.
"These short courses produce technically trained personnel to
execute targeted segments of the Air Force flight test (evaluation)
process," Haendschke said. "This is just the beginning of our
journey in becoming a school that is able to offer a full range of
flight test training and education to the (test and evaluation)
community. Short courses allow us to meet the changing requirements
of agile acquisition and ultimately, the warfighter."
Association officials select the award recipient based on
significant educational contributions to test and evaluation.
"Within our test and evaluation community, receiving (the)
Richard G. Cross Award is a tremendous honor, and the U.S. Air
Force Test Pilot School is very deserving of this distinction,"
said Dr. George Ka'iliwai, Air Force Flight Test Center technical
adviser. "This past year, TPS has accomplished more in the
development of its specialized (test and evaluation) short courses
and meeting customer requirements than it has in its almost 60-year
history.” [ANN Thanks Capt. Catie Hague, Air Force Flight
Test Center Public Affairs]