Flight Test Training for Aerospace Professionals
Practical Courses from Experienced Practitioners
Learn the tools used by flight test professionals
Daedalus Aerospace provides training and tools for aerospace professionals, with on-demand courses in flight test planning/execution, risk management, and data analytics. Our courses communicate the same concepts taught at accredited test pilot schools and used by leading flight test centers. Learn the principles, tools and processes used by flight test professionals, without the travel and high cost of in-person training. Few have opportunity to attend a test pilot school, but you and your team can benefit from the same knowledge.
Recent Student Reviews
See what enrolled students are saying about Daedalus Aerospace courses:
A superbly written and presented course
Josh Hawken
This course was simply outstanding and more than worth the investment in both time and money. The explanation of both basic and highly advanced techniques wa...
Read MoreThis course was simply outstanding and more than worth the investment in both time and money. The explanation of both basic and highly advanced techniques was well pitched with great context for an aerospace professional with an undergraduate engineering background. The practical examples given of test programs were both fascinating on their own and well integrated into the course material. The wealth of written resources provided will be of use to me for years to come. The course provided this student a large boost to my skillset and a suite of tools I can apply to my job as a Technical Pilot/Manager at a major airline.
Read LessGreat course for new and experienced flight test professi...
David Pine
I have several years of flight test experience with the Air Force and a civilian employer. The proper evaluation and management of risk when drawing up fligh...
Read MoreI have several years of flight test experience with the Air Force and a civilian employer. The proper evaluation and management of risk when drawing up flight test plans is somewhat of a nebulous gray area in my experience. This was a great course to remind me of previously used structures and introduce some new succinct tools like NASA's 7 Elements of Flight Rationale.
Read LessA Pilot-Friendly Guide to Fly-by-Wire
Mattia Di Biase
For the first time in aviation, there’s an easy and straightforward way to understand Fly-by-Wire and the concepts behind it. No complicated diagrams or over...
Read MoreFor the first time in aviation, there’s an easy and straightforward way to understand Fly-by-Wire and the concepts behind it. No complicated diagrams or overly technical explanations just a clear, engaging conversation about how modern aircraft flight controls behave and why. This course is a must for everyone, from newly licensed pilots starting their careers to seasoned aviators with thousands of flying hours. David and the whole Daedalus team have truly nailed what modern aviation education should feel like: clear, relevant, and pilot-friendly. It completely changed the way I look at flight control systems.
Read LessWonderful
Mike Howard
Wonderful job explaining the details of a very complex process. Broad enough to cover the "generic" aspects of flight test, with purposeful injection of spec...
Read MoreWonderful job explaining the details of a very complex process. Broad enough to cover the "generic" aspects of flight test, with purposeful injection of specifics that are germane to most flight test processes.
Read LessGreat course with real life examples
Xiu Ling Cheng
This course provided a comprehensive understanding to EMC for flight test and its history. The course was well organized and practical with real life aircraf...
Read MoreThis course provided a comprehensive understanding to EMC for flight test and its history. The course was well organized and practical with real life aircraft EMI examples included. It has certainly helped to build the foundation required for an engineer working on aircraft EMC test.
Read LessExactly what is needed for the flight testers
Vikrant Sharma
This course will be of great help to flight testers as instead of getting frustrated with excel by spending most of the time on data massaging if you may, fl...
Read MoreThis course will be of great help to flight testers as instead of getting frustrated with excel by spending most of the time on data massaging if you may, flight testers will actually able to automate these and concentrate their energy in making the sense out of data. Highly recommended.
Read LessExcellent Course
Joe J
I highly recommend this course. It provides a great online platform for learning the art of flight testing! Jessica was clear and concise providing knowledge...
Read MoreI highly recommend this course. It provides a great online platform for learning the art of flight testing! Jessica was clear and concise providing knowledge from experience. Thanks
Read LessFlight Test Training: Delivered.
Trusted by leading aerospace organizations — and by the professionals who want to join them.
Daedalus Aerospace Instructors
Meet the world-class experts teaching our on-demand courses:
Instructor Flight Test Engineer Jessica Peterson
Dr. Jessica “STING” Peterson has over 18 years of experience in Flight Test Engineering on fighter, bomber, trainer, and unmanned aircraft. She is a graduate of the United States Air Force Test Pilot School (USAF TPS) and has logged over 500 hours in 40+ aircraft types as a Flight Test Engineer, primarily in the T-38, F-16, and C-12 aircraft. She is currently a Ph.D. student and Research Assistant for the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Nevada Reno, primarily interested in autonomy, human-machine teaming, and flight controls. Prior to returning to graduate school, she worked as a DoD Civil Service employee for the United States Air Force (USAF) in flight test for 18 years, conducting flight test on fighter, bomber, and unmanned aircraft. Her most recent position with the USAF was as the Technical Director for the 412th Operations Group and as an Instructor Flight Test Engineer for the US Air Force Test Pilot School (USAF TPS) at Edwards Air Force Base. As an instructor at USAF TPS, she instructed hundreds of flight test and space test professionals and advised on numerous research projects. She holds both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and the Naval Postgraduate School, respectively, a Master's degree in Flight Test Engineering from USAF TPS, and a PhD from University of Nevada, Reno in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. The highlight of her career was to shake the hand of a pilot whose life was saved by a system she helped develop and test, the F-16 Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS) -- a system that has saved 13 military pilots' lives to date.
Instructor Test Pilot David Kern
David Kern is a graduate of the US Air Force Test Pilot School, with experience planning and flying hundreds of flight test missions for civil aircraft certification and military projects. He is an Associate Fellow with the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and Member of the Society of Flight Test Engineers. In his USAF career, he was the USAF F-16 project test pilot for the Collier Trophy-winning Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (AGCAS) and served as Instructor Test Pilot and Director of Operations at the USAF Test Pilot School, teaching all parts of the multi-engine and fighter curricula. In civil flight test, he served as a flight test pilot for the Aircraft Certification Service with the Federal Aviation Administration, and is currently a Flight Test Captain for a major airline. He holds a Master of Science in Flight Test Engineering and B.Sci. Electrical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. He also holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate with nine type ratings, is an active Certified Flight Instructor for instrument conditions, and has logged piloting time at the flight controls of over 80 different types of aircraft. His publications include "Flight Test Techniques for Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar", "Accelerated Development of Flight Tested Sensors and Systems", and “Introduction to Fly-by-Wire Flight Control Systems: The professional pilot’s guide to understanding modern aircraft controls.”
Instructor Flight Test Engineer and Flight Surgeon Chris Salvino
Dr. Chris Salvino is a graduate of the National Test Pilot School and brings a wealth of experience in aviation, medicine, and engineering. As a former US Air Force Flight Surgeon and currently a practicing trauma/critical care surgeon, his aerospace and medical experience includes serving as State Air Surgeon for Indiana and an F-16 flight surgeon for the Air National Guard. His military service includes deployments to Antarctica and participation in the Air Force Top Knife Program. Dr. Salvino's aerospace experience extends far beyond the military; he founded an FAA Part 135 EMS air ambulance program (rotor and fixed wing) and has extensive experience as an Aviation Medical Examiner. He's a seasoned lecturer on aerospace medicine and altitude physiology.
He has completed aerobatic, instrument, multi-engine and commercial pilot certificates including Learjet Part 135 initial and L-39 ground and refresher schools. He served as a Part 135 Learjet pilot flying both medical as well as business clients and has logged time at the flight controls of over 16 different aircraft.
Academically, Dr. Salvino holds impressive credentials: a Doctor of Medicine degree, two undergraduate degrees in biology and mechanical engineering, and six master's degrees spanning space studies, flight test technology, aerospace medicine, planetary geology, engineering mining, and aerospace engineering. He's currently pursuing a Ph.D. in engineering mining, focusing on lunar Helium-3 extraction to fuel future Earth based fusion reactors.
Instructor Mark McWhorter
Mr. McWhorter has been involved in the design, development, production and marketing of a variety of microwave components and digital communication systems for over 35 years. He holds a BSEE Degree from the University of South Florida and has authored several papers on microwave components and communication system applications. Mr. McWhorter previously held the position of Technical Director at Honeywell Space Systems, Clearwater, FL where he was involved in the design, development, and mission operations of ground based mobile Range Safety and Telemetry Systems for launch vehicle flight test applications in Kodiak, Alaska. Currently, he is VP of Sales and Marketing for Lumistar, Inc. He has written many articles over the years for publications like RF Design Magazine, Microwave Journal, Microwaves and RF, and Aerospace International Test. Besides teaching the fundamentals of telemetry since 2004, Mark is also an experienced musician, plays several instruments and has been a “front man” for several classic rock bands over the years since childhood.
Instructor Flight Test Engineer Dan Hrehov
Dan Hrehov has over thirty-five years of flight test experience in the Seattle area and has worked on most avionics systems on Boeing Commercial Model types from the 727 to the 787. His primary work has been flight testing avionics, automatic flight controls systems, navigational and communication radios, flight management computers and certification for electromagnetic compatibility. Dan is a Professional Engineer and a SFTE Fellow, who has published several papers and
conducted many symposium workshops on the subjects of FMC testing, Lightning, EMC, Data Systems Certification, and Safety of Instrumentation Installations.
FAQ
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How does Daedalus Aerospace compare to attending an accredited test pilot school?
Recognized test pilot schools produce fewer than 100 graduates per year, and require a year of employer-funded training that can cost over $1M USD. Daedalus Aerospace courses teach the same foundational concepts from TPS-graduate instructors, available on-demand for a fraction of the cost. For most professionals and most teams, this is the practical path to TPS-level knowledge.
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Who teaches Daedalus Aerospace courses?
Daedalus Aerospace courses are taught by career flight test professionals, including graduates and former on-staff instructors from the US Air Force Test Pilot School.
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What is the return on investment for Daedalus Aerospace courses?
Daedalus Aerospace courses provide best practices, lessons learned, and professional strategies for flight test. Our course content is closely aligned with and based on the flight test methods used by the US Air Force, US Navy, NASA, FAA Aircraft Certification, and many other professional flight test operations. These proven best practices improve safety, effectiveness, and efficiency.
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How much can Daedalus Aerospace principles save my team?
Although it's not possible to prove the "accident that never occurred", analysis of recent aerospace programs shows that product teams and businesses using professional flight test methods are over twice as likely to result in a successful product, and deliver their product to users in one third the time, compared to competing product teams.
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Should anyone think about flight test before there is a finished product to test?
Absolutely. Flight test adds value long before the prototype vehicle is built, since it incorporates system engineering and risk management principles that prevent redesign, rework, and regret. Reinventing wheels takes a lot of time. Teams that include the flight test perspective are more efficient, with a better track record for success.
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Are Daedalus Aerospace courses helpful for emerging tech or development of space systems?
Absolutely yes. The flight test principles taught in Daedalus Aerospace courses are proven to significantly improve the effectiveness and efficiency of development of new aerospace technologies; including autonomy, electric propulsion, and space systems. These benefits include planning for testability, risk management processes to identify hazards and controls, and structuring validation or operational tests for deployed systems.
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Will a certificate from an online course be recognized by employers?
Our courses are used by engineering teams at Collins Aerospace, Gulfstream, De Havilland, the US Air Force, and other leading aerospace developers. Completion of Daedalus Aerospace courses demonstrates applied knowledge of the same methods used at the world's top flight test centers, a meaningful signal to aerospace employers.
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Which course should I start with?
New to flight test? Start with Flight Test 101, then Flight Test Foundations. Managing a team? Consider the Flight Test Fundamentals Bundle, which combines three core courses into a complete onboarding package. Working on a specific challenge? Browse the full course library to match your program's needs.
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Do you offer group licensing for teams?
Yes, Daedalus Aerospace supports group training for distributed teams of any size.
Daedalus Aerospace Courses
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Flight Test Foundations
Course5.0 average rating (2 reviews)This course teaches fundamentals to plan/execute/analyze/report on a flight test program. Includes test planning, risk identification/management, test conduct, data analysis, and technical reporting, along with real-world flight test examples.
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Building Test Cards
CourseTest cards are systematic work instructions for test pilots/flight test engineers, with steps and procedures to gain required test data. This course teaches design of test cards, shows common errors, lists best practices, and includes free templates.
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Altitude Physiology
CourseElevate your knowledge of aerospace medicine with essential safety training! Learn the flight effects on human body systems: upper atmospherics, pressurization/rapid decompression, noise exposure, oxygen systems, and aircrew performance optimization.
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System Engineering for Flight Test
CourseSystem engineering applied to flight test, via scientific method (predict-test-validate) and systems theory (abstraction/modeling). Includes problem decomposition, requirement traceability, test planning, risk identification, and resourcing.
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Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) for Flight Test
Course5.0 average rating (2 reviews)This course teaches electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing of aircraft avionics and electrical systems, with a physics-based approach to electromagnetic interference (EMI). Includes techniques, tools, and an example of a Starlink antenna STC.
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Flight Test Fundamentals
BundleIncludes: Flight Test 101, Flight Test Foundations, and Flight Test Risk Management. Learn to plan/execute/analyze/report on a flight test program, including test planning, risk ID/management, test conduct, data analysis, and technical reporting.
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