OCTOBER 2006 ISSUE
Engineers Take Flight At Aerospace Test Site
Editor’s Note: APEGGA has held special member induction ceremonies twice in recent months for CFB Cold Lake engineers. Following is an article provided by the base’s Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment — the centre for expertise in flight testing in Canada.
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FLY BOYS - APEGGA President David Chalcroft, P.Eng., at left, and Neil Windsor, P.Eng., Executive Director & Registrar, gain a greater appreciation of air force technology, during a recent visit to CFB Cold Lake. |
The mission of the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment at CFB Cold Lake is to provide cost effective, timely, quality engineering evaluations of the airworthiness and operational effectiveness of air force aerospace systems.
It is the only flight test evaluation facility of its kind in Canada and has representation from every flying community in the Canadian Forces, including the search-and-rescue, fighter, maritime patrol, maritime helicopter, transport and tactical helicopter communities.
AETE is the first to assess new systems as they come into service. As these systems or capabilities are introduced into the Canadian Forces, AETE’s personnel are the first to put them to the test.
AETE has 240 personnel in positions of qualified test pilots, flight test engineers, aircraft maintenance, photo and instrumentation technicians, navigators, system engineers and support personnel. Eighty per cent of the engineers are post-graduates with master’s degrees. Civilian personnel include engineers, administrators, technologists and technicians.
The unit comprises highly skilled and exceptionally motivated personnel.
AETE has an experienced technical core in maintenance and laboratory technicians. Test and evaluation centres face a challenging environment in working with the latest technology and testing its limits. They are the senior personnel in their areas of expertise who have a keen interest to explore the test and evaluation field.
The Canadian Flight Test Centre, founded in June 1999, is home to AETE and the Primrose Lake Evaluation Range. Its mandate is to market “irreducible spare capacity” — extra capacity that can’t be reduced — to civilian companies, and other government departments and foreign militaries.
The centre has achieved paramount recognition within the aerospace industry, completing various test and evaluation contracts outside of military needs — a trend it hopes to continue.
One important accomplishment is that AETE’s facilities and personnel are being sought for their expertise on par with or above civilian companies.
Taking the Dark
Out of Night
As the military increases its night operations, the need has increased the testing
of night vision imagery systems, or NVIS, and related compatibility. However,
not only the military benefits from this work.
The Canadian Flight Test Centre has developed an extensive NVIS test facility. It uses state-of-the-art equipment and is one of the largest such facilities in the world.
Past military projects have included compatibility testing on the CC-130 Hercules, CH-149 Cormorant, CF-188 Hornet and CH-146 Griffon helicopter. Reaching beyond its military purview, the flight test centre has also conducted testing for Stars Aviation Canada Inc. for its air ambulance service.
Future programs will integrate operations of night vision goggles into the capabilities of other Canadian Forces assets.
Cold Lake’s flight test centre is the only facility in Canada with this
unique capability, and it is able to test many aircraft types. By creating a
controlled lighting environment, the experts at AETE can assess the compatibility
of night vision goggles for aircraft from the size of a helicopter to a Hercules.
Using the Night Sky Simulator allows for any lighting conditions to be created
or recreated as necessary for the testing. It can provide simulated conditions
ranging from full moonlight to overcast starlight, all of which are repeatable
and controllable.
The simulator also allows such testing as daylight readability, unaided nighttime readability, visual acuity testing and NVIS radiance testing. It enables the determination of whether or not aircraft cockpit lighting complies with aircraft specifications.
Currently, AETE has the only Canadian government NVIS quantitative engineering test and evaluation facility. As the test site establishes itself in the world’s NVIS testing market, it actively participates in night vision conferences, which offer the chance to learn what direction the technology and its needs are moving, as well as to meet with the leading specialists in the field.
And There’s More
The Canadian Flight Test Centre has completed contracts on avionics compliance
reviews for Transport Canada and supported Bristol Aerospace’s testing
of the CRV-7 rocket at the Primrose Lake Evaluation Range.
However, not everything there is work-focused. AETE takes an active role in the community, which is evident by its support of local charities.
Teams from AETE participate in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Bowl for Kids and the Lakeland United Way events. The unit annually sponsors a Care and Share event at Christmas, which supports military families in need. As well as being Big Brothers and Sisters and providing judges for the local school science fairs, AETE personnel are coaches, participants and organizers for various community groups.
AETE also works closely with the City of Cold Lake in attracting technological development to the region, under the auspices of the Cold Lake Technology Development Association. The association is made up of representatives from the City of Cold Lake, AETE, Alberta Economic Development and Western Economic Development. Its aim is to increase Cold Lake’s industrial base beyond oil and aerospace, which are the community’s prime technologies.