London Inc. September 2021 - 36
Enterprise
Taking skies
TO
THE
Arguably one of the city's
lesser-known success stories,
family-run ITPS Canada is one
of the world's top specialty
flight schools, setting a global
standard for test pilot and
aeronautical engineer training
by BEN FORREST
IN AN IMPOSING 27,000-square-foot hangar near
London International Airport, and in nearby classrooms
and flight simulators, elite pilots from more than
25 countries have trained with the expert faculty of
ITPS Canada (www.itpscanada.com), one of the world's
top specialty flight schools.
Some students are future fighter pilots, preparing
for careers in their respective air forces. Others are
future test pilots and flight test engineers, integral to
the certification process of new aircraft types.
ITPS clients have included the Royal Canadian Air
Force, Belgian Defence, the Republic of Korea Air Force
and major manufacturers like Airbus and Leonardo.
" We've got experts from all over the world, " says
Giorgio Clementi, president and co-owner of ITPS (an
acronym for International Test Pilot School), along
with his wife, Beverley.
" It's a real mosaic here - a representation of Canada. "
ITPS was founded in the United Kingdom in 1986
by James Giles, a former Royal Air Force test pilot.
36 | londonincmagazine.ca | SEPTEMBER 2021
Clementi joined the company in 1991 and bought it with
a partner in 1996.
" The early days were very different, " says Clementi.
" The industry was far less regulated and generally less
barriers to entry. If you could dream it up, plan it, back
then there were far fewer obstacles to stop you. "
ITPS relocated to Canada in 2001, drawn by the freer
airspace and lack of in-country competition. Clementi
also worked at Diamond Aircraft at the time, as head
flight test pilot for the D-Jet prototype aircraft.
" When I started in Canada, it was just me, one
administrative employee and a telephone, " says
Clementi. " I called operators at the London airport, and
said, 'Hi, I'm starting a flight test school. Do you have
aircraft I can lease?' The rest is history. "
Today, ITPS has 75 employees and a network of
contractors that ranges from 30 to 60 people at any
given time, depending on business activity. The company
also has a fleet of 22 aircraft, including Hawker
Hunter T.7 and AERO Vodochody's L-39 jet trainers, as
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London Inc. September 2021
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