You may be like I was in 1984 and not know much, if anything, about becoming a Test Pilot. Even as an Aerospace Engineering graduate and Naval Aviator in my first Operational Squadron (VP-9 at Moffett Field, CA), I knew little, if anything, about the school or the career path of being a Test Pilot. My plan (at that time) was to put in the minimum time, get out and go fly for the airlines. If it hadn’t been for a squadron mate–Wayne Roberts–who suggested I learn more about and consider becoming a Test Pilot, I’d now be a retired FedEx pilot instead of having done 40 years of Flight Testing. Don’t get me wrong, they’re both GREAT GIGS….but my career as a test pilot was–for me–the right path. Variety, incredible people, something new every single day, and continuing to use my brain along with my hands (flying skills)…these are the aspects of being a test pilot that set this flying discipline apart in my mind.
So, how do you become a test pilot? Like anything else, there are many ways. The best way, in my view, is to go to an accredited test pilot school. There are 2 military schools in the US, the US Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, CA and the US Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) in Patuxent River, MD. A civilian school–the National Test Pilot School (NTPS–not be be confused, though it often is, with USNTPS) in Mojave, CA. Interantionally, there’s the Empire Test Pilot School (ETPS) in Boscome Down, UK, the École du Personnel Navigant d’Essais et de Réception (EPNER) in Istres, France, along with two schools in Japan (one each for their Air Force and one for their Maritime Self Defense force), Brazil, and India. Canada is home to the International Test Pilot School (a civilian school much like NTPS). This FAQ describes the school I’m most familiar with, the US Naval Test Pilot School, but all these schools have more in common than not. And, I should note, this description may be somewhat dated…even though I try to keep up with what’s going on at USNTPS, they are constantly improving the course and so I may be missing some important details.
USNTPS is an 11 month course, comprised of three main tracks: (1) Fixed Wing, (2) Rotary Wing, and (3) Systems. Pilots and engineers take part in the first two and Naval Flight Officers and engineers in the final. Many classes–particularly academics–are shared by all three curricula. Each curriculum can be divided itself into three parts: academics, flying, and reporting (there’s an old joke which goes like this: “At USNTPS, you’ll spend half a day in academics, half a day flying and the third half of the day preparing reports.” It’s not a very funny joke to the students but it accurately reflects the effort that is required over a sustained period to keep up with what is a tremendous workload). The learning comes in stages, and is organized by sub-disciplinary areas, including performance, handling qualities, systems, and human factors. Specific exercises are run to progress the students thru the course and there are “stage checks” at several points to ensure students have learned the essence of each subject area. Reporting is perhaps the most challenging for students, as they have to learn the “test way” of reporting, including a fairly standardized “6 part paragraph” format for written reports (or is it 7 now?). Reporting includes a number of briefings that the students have to give, preparing content and learning how to effectively deliver briefings. You can be the smartest tester, with the best flying skills….but if you can’t communicate your findings, conclusions and recommendations, what’s the point? The course wraps up with what is essentially a “thesis”, called the “Developmental Testing Phase II” (DT-2) exercise where students are assigned an aircraft they’ve never flown, they write a complete test plan to evaluate the aircraft for a given mission. They then travel to the test site (either to a partner test pilot school, or an operational unit in the US military, or perhaps flying a contract aircraft), conduct their testing (4 flights of 6 hours total), and then come back and write a full Report of Results documenting their evaluation.
Selection to Test Pilot School depends on the service but US Navy officers are selected by a twice-yearly selection board which consists of approximately 8 flight testers who evaluate candidates and rank them for selection. Slots are identified depending on future testing needs so, for example, it’s common that there are several slots for F-18 pilots (because the Hornet is a mainstay of Naval Aviation) but maybe only a slot every other class for an E-2 pilot or NFO. The board looks mostly at fleet performance (applicants are typically near the end of their first tour in the fleet)…the message is “you have to be a top-notch operational pilot/NFO before you can become a Test Pilot”, along with academics (there is a minimum bar for academics….engineering degrees are preferred but–for example–a history major who has had the minimum number of math and science courses may be qualified.
To read more about USNTPS, go to this link. Or, read this article from 2000 which describes the school well.
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