Next Aerospace Vehicle Test Course launches Published Feb. 6, 2004 By Capt. Catie Hague Air Force Flight Test Center Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School here is accepting student applications for the Aerospace Vehicle Test Course that begins May 30.The deadline for applying is March 16, and only 15 slots are available, officials said.Designed as a four-week program, the curriculum includes about 80 hours of academics, supplemented by projects, simulations, field trips and flying, said Capt. Gregg Leisman, AVTC director."The master objective is to educate engineers on how to plan, execute and report on tests of the Air Force's first-generation aerospace vehicles," he said.The course covers a wide spectrum of aerospace disciplines, from the history of aerospace planes to the launch and return of the space shuttle.The course also offers students the unique opportunity to apply everything they learn."The students receive a T-38 (Talon) and an F-16 (Fighting Falcon) ride, two glider rides and a 'vomit comet' ride [the experience of zero gravity]," Captain Leisman said.Field trips include visits to the Scaled Composites Test Center in Mojave, the rocket labs and rocket launch vehicle operations and test complex here, the Vandenberg Spaceport at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., and the Johnson Space Center in Houston."When the 2003 class visited the Johnson Space Center, every student received a ride in the full-motion space shuttle simulator," Captain Leisman said. "They experienced a simulated launch from Kennedy Space Center [at Cape Canaveral, Fla.], a simulated emergency over the Atlantic Ocean and a simulated landing back at Kennedy."Field trips are just one aspect," he said. "We also incorporate test projects into the course, allowing students to practice proper test discipline, while executing a test mission on a real-world project."One such project, the micro-satellite launch vehicle program, provides students a chance to fly an F-15 Eagle simulator, conduct a simulated micro-satellite launch profile and man the NASA-Dryden control room, Captain Leisman said. A second project involves launching instrumented rockets on the Edwards range to compare the data collected with rocket-flight theory taught in the classroom."The students plan, execute and analyze data from an aerospace vehicle test project, presenting their final report on graduation day," Captain Leisman said."Nowhere else can one receive a year's worth of hands-on aerospace education in the span of one month," said Jason Tores, 412th Test Wing engineer and AVTC graduate.Currently, there are about 25 teachers involved in AVTC. They include members of the TPS staff, as well as astronauts, pilots and engineers from around the country who bring their aerospace test knowledge and experience to the course."These aerospace vehicle experts truly reveal the cross-cultural blending of aircraft and spacecraft testing," said Captain Leisman, a TPS graduate with a master of science degree in astronautical engineering and space systems management."If you are lucky enough to attend this course ... you will be a part of the exciting future of the space program, learning how to test hypersonic vehicles in support of the Air Force mission," said Johnny Armstrong, the Air Force Flight Test Center’s hypersonic flight test chief engineer and AVTC instructor.All applicants are required to have a bachelor of science or master of science degree in aeronautical, aerospace or astronautical engineering, or have a strong background in one of these fields. Students must also be medically qualified to fly, passing a Class-III physical. The course will be funded by the attendee's unit.AVTC applications can be e-mailed to Capt. Leisman at gregg.leisman@edwards.af.mil or faxed to (661) 277-7602. They must be less than one page in length and include education, experience, current job duties and reason for applying.For more information on AVTC, call Captain Leisman at (661) 277-8902 or Maj. Russ Adelgren, TPS director special courses branch, at (661) 277-8882.