U.S. AIR FORCE TEST PILOT SCHOOL Information

U.S. AIR FORCE TEST PILOT SCHOOL

The United States Air Force Test Pilot School (USAF TPS) is

where the Air Force's top pilots, navigators and engineers

learn how to conduct flight test and generate the data needed

to carry out test missions. Human lives and millions of dollars

depend upon how carefully a test mission is planned and

flown. The comprehensive curriculum of Test Pilot School is

fundamental to the success of flight test and evaluation. Upon

graduating from TPS, graduates will have earned a Master of

Science Degree in Flight Test Engineering. Explore the links

below to find out more.

Information

Browse information by clicking on a specific topic

below or view all information and scroll through

alphabetically.

 Accreditation

 Address Change

 Admission Results

 Admission Requirements

 Admission Calendar

 AFI 99-107

 AFIT-TPS Program

 Air University

 Alumni

 Altitude Chamber

 Ancillary Training

 Application Process

 Assignment – After Graduation

 Awards

 Catalog

 Centrifuge

 Contacts

 Continuing Education

 Course Level

 Credits

 Curriculum and Course Descriptions

 DAU Credit

 English Language Proficiency

 Enrollment Verification

 Flight Physicals

 Flying Resume

 Foreign Students

 Grades

Photos

U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School patch

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 GRE Scores

 History

 Housing

 International Students

 Library

 Local Area

 Name/Rank Changes

 Physicals

 Pre-requisites

 Public Affairs

 Relocating

 Reporting Instructions

 Short Courses

 T-38 Training

 Textbooks

 Transcripts

 Visitors

 Water Survival Training

 Welcome Packet

TPS Information

Accreditation

The United States Air Force Test Pilot School (USAF TPS) program, not the school, has

been accredited by the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS).

Accreditation is under the auspices of the USAF Air University (AU), a fully accredited

institution. The USAF TPS is the only affiliate school of Air University. Students

graduated after April 2007 meet requirements for a SACS accredited Master of Science

degree in Flight Test Engineering from Air University. The TPS curriculum was

redesigned after 2006 to meet accreditation standards. There is currently no bridging

program to allow graduates prior to April 2007 to earn the degree.

Address Change

To correct or update your address, email or phone number or other data, please contact

[email protected].

Admission Results

The results of the TPS Board are released by the Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC).

The list of selects is available via your supervisor or your local military personnel office

approximately the third week of December each year.

Selects should contact [email protected] with the information requested in

the PSDM (Personnel Services Delivery Message). Alternates should not provide

information. Should an Alternate’s status change to Select, individuals will be notified.

Non-selects are not notified of their status. For those who would like to reapply, please

check the latest TPS Board Announcement, update your application and follow PSDM

procedures for reapplication. It is not unusual to be accepted upon second application.

Students are selected from a highly qualified applicant pool. One year of additional

education and experience may provide the additional qualifications needed for admission.

Admission Requirements

Admissions requirements and application materials are in Air Force Instruction (AFI) 99-

107. International applicants should discuss requirements with their military and

embassy. A summary of minimum requirements is shown below. Some physical science

degrees may be acceptable with additional coursework:

Course

Time in Service (at

time of entry)

Education

Experience

Physical

Qualification

Experimental

Test Pilot

< 9 yrs. and 6 mo.

(helicopter 10 yrs

and 3 mo.)

BS in Engineering,

Math or Physics

(GPA > 3.0 on 4.0

scale)

12 mo. AC in MWS

and

750 hr or IP (MWS)

1000 hr if dual IP

Note: 250 hrs. of

manned non-MWS

time may be included.

Annual Flying

Class II

Experimental

Test RPA Pilot

< 9 yrs. and 6 mo

BS in Engineering,

Math or Physics

(GPA > 3.0)

IP in RPA MWS or at

least 750 hr (250 hrs

in a manned MWS

may be included)

Annual Flying

Class II

Experimental

Combat Systems

Officer (CSO

including

Navigator,

WSO)

< 9 yrs. and 6 mo

BS in Engineering,

Math or Physics

(GPA > 3.0)

IP in CSO MWS or at

least 500 hrs. in

MWS, excludes

student time

Annual Flying

Class II

Experimental

Flight Test

Engineer

< 8 years

Active: TAFCS

Guard/Reserve:

TFCSD

BS in Engineering,

Math or Physics

(GPA > 3.0).

Technical master’s

degree highly

desired

> 2 yr experience

AFSCs: 13XX,

14NX, 21AX, 21CX,

21LX, 21MX, 33SX,

61SX, 62EX or 63AX

Annual Flying

Class III

Please read the information found here on the USAF web site, AFI 99-107, and the TPS

Board Announcement thoroughly. The annual TPS Board Announcement is distributed in

the Spring by AFPC via Personnel Services Delivery Message (PSDM) to provide any

supplementary application instructions. Dates fluctuate, but TPS applications are

typically due in June. The PSDM announcement is available via your military personnel

office. If your personnel office has not yet received the announcement, please have them

contact the Air Force Personnel Office (AFPC) to ask for the TPS Selection Board

PSDM. If the current year PSDM is not available, last year’s announcement may be

available until the new announcement is posted. As soon as the Board Announcement is

available, it will be posted to the USAF TPS web site. If you still have questions, please

contact [email protected].

Admissions Calendar

Spring (mid to late Mar) TPS Board Announcement via AFPC PSDM

Summer (late May to early Jun) TPS Applications Due

Summer (late Jun to Jul) TPS Board meets

Fall (late Aug to Nov) Pilot applicant flight evaluations by invitation

Winter (mid Dec to Feb) TPS Board Results via supervisor or AFPC PSDM

AFI 99-107

Air Force Instruction (AFI) 99-107 is the document that identifies application

requirements and provides application materials. Applicants should plan to begin

assessing application requirements as early as 18 months prior to application. The Air

Force Personnel Center (AFPC) also publishes a TPS Board Announcement via

Personnel Services Delivery Message (PSDM). The PSDM may contain supplemental

application and requirements instructions so should be checked as soon as it is released in

the Spring, at least 120 days prior to application due date. The PSDM is available from

your military personnel office.

AFIT-TPS Program

The AFIT-TPS Program is a joint program between the Air Force Institute of Technology

(AFIT) and the Test Pilot School (TPS). In this program students would attend AFIT for

a traditional type graduate education, then attend TPS 15 months later where they

complete the entire TPS program and their thesis for AFIT. They will end up earning two

master’s degrees, one in Flight Test Engineering for completing TPS and one in a

different engineering specialty. Applying for the AFIT-TPS Program is as simple as

checking a box on the TPS application, and providing Graduate Record Examinations

(GRE) scores. Only about 3 students per year are selected for this special program.

Checking the box does not exclude you from consideration for the regular TPS program.

Air University

Air University (AU) is the educational institution from which TPS graduates receive

degrees. AU and the TPS Program are accredited by the Southern Association of

Colleges and Schools (SACS). The TPS is AU’s only affiliate school. There is no

additional coursework required upon completion of the TPS to meet requirements for the

Master of Science Degree in Flight Test Engineering. All students attending TPS since

2007 are enrolled in the MS Degree automatically.

Alumni

The USAF TPS has a long list of distinguished alumni. Graduates should continue to

update their information with the school. We are soon hoping to connect you with an

alumni association that can provide typical alumni events and services. Check back for

periodic updates.

Altitude Chamber

All TPS applicants and admitted students must have current physiological (altitude

chamber) training that will not expire prior to graduation from TPS. Your local flight

surgeons office or base physiologist can answer questions about currency and aircrew

requirements.

Ancillary Training

All TPS Selects will complete a list of required training prior to the start of TPS to meet

Air Force and TPS requirements. That training must be completed in a specific window

prior to the start of TPS and requirements are subject to change. Therefore training

cannot be completed prior to when admitted students are provided information.

Application Process

The application process for admission to the USAF TPS is provided in AFI 99-107. See

the admission requirements section above.

Assignment - After Graduation

Assignment after graduation is worked by AFPC in coordination with the USAF TPS.

Follow-on assignments may include Edwards Air Force Base (CA), Eglin Air Force Base

(FL) and several other locations depending on the needs of the Air Force. Wherever there

is flight test, there are TPS graduates.

Awards

A select few TPS graduates will be honored to receive one of several awards for their

performance during the year.

Aaron C. “C-Dot” George Award - in memory of Major Aaron C. George of Class 99B

who died in an aircraft accident. This award is voted on by the class to select the one

student who best exemplified the warrior-focused attitude.

Onizuka Prop Wash Award - in memory of Lieutenant Colonel Ellison S. Onizuka, Class

74B who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger accident. This award is voted on by

classmates to identify the one student who contributed most to class spirit and morale.

Raymond L. Jones Award - in honor of R.L. Jones and jointly established by the school

and the Society of Flight Test Engineers. Identifies the top flight test engineer, navigator,

weapons systems officer or combat systems officer.

Liethen-Tittle Award - in honor of Majors Frank Liethen and David Tittle who died in an

aircraft accident. This award identifies the top pilot within each class.

Additionally, after 20 years in aerospace, some graduates may be awarded the

Distinguished Alumnus Award. Each graduating class chooses a Distinguished Alumnus

that has demonstrated significant achievement in the field of aerospace.

Catalog

The Air University Catalog describes the current TPS curriculum and degree program.

Centrifuge

All pilots selected for the TPS must have current centrifuge training that will not expire

while at TPS. Active USAF pilots who have not been out of cockpit for more than 3 years

should be current if they had centrifuge training in undergraduate pilot training. Most

international students will need to attend centrifuge training prior to the start of TPS.

Contacts

Contacts that may be useful:

[email protected] or Telephone (661) 277-9933

Admission, application, general TPS questions, visit requests, international

application and visit questions.

Air Force, DoD, other government and private research institutions and

corporations interested in collaborating with TPS on a research project.

Continuing Education

Currently there is no continuing education offered to TPS graduates. Short courses (days

to weeks long) are sometimes offered for leadership desiring an introduction to flight test.

Currently no short courses are anticipated for 2014. More information is available by

contacting [email protected]. Please ensure to include “short courses” in

your subject line.

Cost

There is no tuition cost for USAF military students. USAF DoD civilian engineers are

supported by their losing unit. Costs for international militaries is available through the

inquiring country’s embassy. Students themselves pay no direct tuition, they are

supported by their parent military.

Course Level

The USAF TPS course is a graduate level program that leads to a Master of Science

Degree in Flight Test Engineering from Air University.

Credits

The USAF TPS program is 50 credit hours. The program does not operate on a straight

quarter system, however credit is given in quarter units for the 48-week term. The TPS

educational program is an intense academic and hands on experience that essentially

teaches a two year Master’s program in one year.

Curriculum

The current curriculum is viewable at www.au.af.mil/catalog. However, below is a sample

program topics.

Fixed-Wing Aerodynamics

Performance Data Standardization

Unaugmented Airplane Motion

Flight Control Systems Testing

Stall, Departure, and Spin Failure State Test

Human Factors and Avionics

Airborne Sensors

Weapons and Integrated Systems Evaluations

Test Planning and Reporting

Test Management Project and Comprehensive Exams

Single-Look Qualitative Evaluation Program

DAU Credit

Prior to attending US military and civilian students will need to complete several Defense

Acquisition University (DAU) courses. Combined with coursework taken while at the

TPS, students will receive US acquisition Level 1 certification and will be well on their

way to Level 2 certification.

English Language Proficiency

English language proficiency is required to attend the USAF TPS. For international

students an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) score of 2+/2+ is required. This is higher

than most other pilot programs since significant writing and graduate level work is

required.

Enrollment Verification

Enrollment verification requests for graduates of the USAF TPS may be requested from:

[email protected] .

Flight Physicals

Flying Class II physicals are required for all US pilot and combat systems officer crew

types including navigator, weapons systems officers and remotely piloted aircraft pilot.

Flying Class III physicals are required for all US engineer applicants.

US applicants should consult their local Flight Medicine office for questions about

qualification standards.

International military should consult with their training coordinator to determine US

equivalent standards for applicants to pass a USAF Flying Class II or III physical. The

physical standards are similar to other military aircrew physicals, but may have stricter

requirements.

Flying Resume

Applicants will need to complete a resume of flying for application to TPS. A template is

available in the application instruction, AFI 99-107, or searchable by form number in the

Air Force Forms and Publications site.

Foreign Students

Foreign military students are coordinated via US and foreign embassies with the USAF.

Requirements for admission are the same as for US students. The TPS does not select

which countries obtain seat allocations. However the TPS does approve or disapprove

admission qualifications through official training coordination channels.

Grades

All courses are taken for a letter grade. Letter grades (A, B, C, D, or F) reflect your

performance in a class as the result of grade points earned on events combined with

instructor and peer evaluation scoring. On rare occasions an incomplete (I) may be

recorded, indicating a student has the option to complete. Such a situation might occur in

the event of an injury during the course.

A+, A, A- = Excellent 4.0, 4.0, 3.7

B+, B, B- = Good 3.3, 3.0, 2.7

C+, C, C- = Fair 2.3, 2.0, 1.7

D = Poor 1.0

F = Fail 0.0

Grades are reported on your official Air University (AU) transcript, available by filling

out the AU transcript request and submitting to the address indicated on the form. It may

take several weeks to obtain a transcript, so please submit requests as soon as possible.

GRE Scores

Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Scores are not required for application to TPS,

unless applying for the joint AFIT-TPS Program.

History

The school has been in existence since 1944 and has a long and distinguished history.

Graduates have gone on to become generals, astronauts, first flight icons of aerospace,

heroes of war and today’s leaders in aerospace.

The Early Years

An airplane - any airplane - is absolutely useless unless its flying characteristics are

known. What pilot would take a plane into the air without knowing its stalling speed, its

good traits, its idiosyncrasies? Beyond this, its performance levels must be known before

any profitable use can be made of the machine: how high and how fast can it fly, yes, but

also its best climbing speed, its most useful altitude, its load-carrying ability, its

dependability in flight.

As long as the United States has had military airplanes, it has needed skilled test pilots. In

the very earliest days, the nation's entire air force consisted of two Wright biplanes and a

handful of officers and men in the tiny Aviation Section of the U.S. Army Signal Corps.

These stalwart airmen did their own testing and maintenance, and often taught each other

how to fly. World War I, and the sudden realization that European nations were far ahead

in aeronautics, speedily brought an end to this comfortable arrangement.

In 1914, the Army set up its first dedicated aeronautical research and development

(R&D) establishment at North Island, in San Diego. Before World War I had ended, it

transferred the function to McCook Field at Dayton, Ohio, and set up an impressive

aviation engineering laboratory. There, working from McCook's infamously short 1,000-

foot grass runway, some 12 to 15 Army test pilots flew development and evaluation

missions and conducted major research projects as well. Lieutenants Jimmy Doolittle,

John Macready and Harold Harris were among these aviation pioneers - some of the very

best pilots in the business.

Aviation's Golden Age

As American aviation began its great boom in the 1920s, the Army found itself

increasingly hard-pressed to keep up with civilian developments. Private racing planes

began to challenge Army pursuit ships, and much of the nation's best design and research

work was being done in private companies.

McCook Field was becoming far too small for modern planes, and so the newly-formed

Materiel Division developed another facility for aeronautical development, this one at

nearby Wright Field. Although the new location had much more space for facilities and

flight activities, the bulk of the nation's basic flight research was soon shifted to the

civilian National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). During the 1920s and

early 1930s, numerous aviation companies sprouted up around the country and were

encouraged to conduct the flight verification of their own products.

In 1934, the Baker Board ended the Army's practice of developing its own aircraft, and

the Materiel Division reduced its own flight testing role to verifying the performance of

planes from private manufacturers and to a limited amount of research flying. These

activities came to be carried out by a small and hardy cadre of some five or six test pilots

in the Flight Test Section, aided by a flight test engineer or two.

During the Depression-ridden 1930s, the Army Air Corps selected its test personnel from

a variety of sources. Some of its brightest and most skilled pilots continued to volunteer

for the exacting duty, attracted by the technical demands and the excitement of new

frontiers. Others, usually instructor pilots, were simply assigned to the job. Occasionally

a bewildered rookie, fresh out of flying school, found himself on the way to Dayton. One

of these, Lt Donald Putt, later recalled that "...out of the blue, I got orders to report to

Dayton...I had not shown any interest of wanting to be a test pilot." Nevertheless he

became one, survived the experience, and went on to retire at three-star rank.

It was just as well that these men were skilled in the air. Although the testing of aircraft

was rapidly evolving into a disciplined science during the interwar years, the training of

test pilots was apt to be decidedly informal.

Incoming pilots were first shown the flight line and then told to get qualified on each

aircraft type available - a matter of one hour of flying time and five landings. Once the

neophyte had accomplished this task, a flight test engineer would explain the section's

flying techniques and data-gathering methods, and the pilot would then begin regular

flying duty. A formal engineering background was not particularly wanted, nor was the

pilot expected to exercise much judgment - just to follow the instructions on the card and

fly the airplane accordingly. Once back on the ground, the test pilot would write up his

own data and then discuss it with an engineer. For a year or two, the new pilot would

serve an apprenticeship as a "functional" test pilot, performing routine tasks, until he

gradually became acknowledged as a professional.

Again, War

This casual tempo lasted until the booming demands of another world war once more

forced a move toward greater professionalism. Experienced test pilots and engineers

began systematically tutoring the neophytes and setting them to the task of evaluating an

aircraft whose performance levels were already well known. If the new pilot's report was

acceptable, he was immediately set to work. Col Ernest K. Warburton, chief of the Flight

Section at Wright Field, was determined to formalize the process even further. Inspired

by the Royal Air Force, which under the press of war had just established its Empire Test

Pilots' School at Boscombe Down, he was determined to follow suit. The need for

standardization had become obvious to many in the flight test community, and the U. S.

Air Force Air Technical Service Command set up its Flight Test Training Unit on Sept. 9,

1944. Maj Ralph C. Hoewing was the officer in charge and later served as its

commandant.

The new school was staffed at first by only three or four instructors, who set up a formal

three-month long curriculum stressing performance flight test theory and piloting

techniques. A basic pattern soon developed which served for the next five decades: hours

spent in the classroom alternated with time in the cockpit, applying the newly-presented

lessons in a practical manner.

The first class used the reliable T-6 trainer. After a single class, the school was

redesignated the Flight Performance School and took up quarters at nearby Vandalia

Municipal Airport (now the Dayton International Airport). It remained there for a single

year, adding P-51s, B-17s and B-25s to its roster.

In the meantime, Col. Albert Boyd had become Chief of the Flight Test Division. A

vastly experienced test pilot in his own right, Col Boyd was known throughout the Army

Air Corps for his exacting professional standards and for the type of disciplined military

leadership which could transform the most exuberant young pilots into steady

professionals. Later known as the "father of modern Air Force flight test," Colonel Boyd

was exactly the right person to help the Army Air Forces cope with the enormous

technological leaps which were coming thick and fast. He began by personally choosing

his new pilots and then assigning them to his Flight Test Division's Accelerated Service

Test Section. Those who survived his scrutiny and who continued to meet his exacting

standards, then found themselves undergoing formal training in the classroom.

While Col. Boyd was coping with the surge of wartime work, teams of Wright Field

pilots and engineers were shuttling out to Muroc Dry Lake in Southern California. There,

in the clear and uncongested skies over the Mojave Desert, development work had begun

on the nation's first two jet aircraft, first Bell's pioneering P-59 and then Lockheed's

elegant new P-80. These planes, with their quantum advance in propulsion technology,

were already beginning to force a rapid evolution in the entire world of flight testing.

More and more, pilots had to combine their flying skills with the knowledge of trained

engineers - to have a workable technical knowledge of the phenomena they were

encountering, and to translate that into the language of the designer and the engineer. The

Flight Performance School developed a four-month stability and control course for its

curriculum in 1946, and a P-80 Shooting Star was added to the school's fleet a year later.

The Move West

Throughout the war, the focus of the nation's progress in military aviation had gradually

shifted westward, toward the great airplane companies along the West Coast. With Muroc

Air Force Base providing an ideal flying environment, it was becoming increasingly

obvious that Wright Field should move its entire flight test operations there - and its test

pilot school as well. In September 1949, Col. Boyd had been selected for brigadier

general and had assumed command of Muroc Air Force Base, and he began preparations

to move the newly-renamed Air Materiel Command Experimental Test Pilot School

westward. Two years later, the arrangements had been completed and the school was

moved to the newly-renamed Edwards Air Force Base on Feb. 4, 1951. Two aircraft

accompanied the transfer, and the training establishment took up residence in a wooden

maintenance hangar located on what later came to be known as South Base. Two months

later, the Air Force created the Air Research and Development Command (ARDC) and

assigned all R&D activities to the new organization. The ARDC assumed administrative

control over the base and the school's official designation likewise changed once more, to

the ARDC Experimental Test Pilot School.

If the school's new home was made up of rickety wartime buildings located far from

urban entertainment, at least its flying environment was superb. The immense 6-by-12

mile expanse of Edwards Dry Lake offered a comforting alternative to the base's runway

and a new 15,000-foot concrete strip - the longest in the United States - was soon to be

built.

The flying weather was likewise excellent; during its first seven months of operations, the

school lost only two flying days because of bad weather conditions. Because the air is

generally smoother in the morning hours, the daily schedule changed to mornings in the

cockpit, followed by afternoons in the classroom. Student pilots soon discovered,

however, that the delights of clear air and uncluttered airspace were counterbalanced to

some degree by the drudgery of data reduction. After each test or training flight, the

numerous data points recorded on film or oscillograph paper had to be laboriously

transcribed and then reduced by hand into a coherent report - easily the least popular part

of the curriculum.

Scarcely a year after the move to Edwards Air Force Base, the school's name changed

once more, to the U.S. Air Force Experimental Flight Test Pilot School. This change was

more significant than it might appear. Throughout its early years, the school had

coexisted with the Flight Test Division, which supplied the bulk of its students. Even

after the move to Edwards, many students were simply chosen from volunteers from the

local test support squadron. Now, however, the school began to draw on a much wider

pool of candidates from across the entire Air Force spectrum. More importantly, entrance

requirements were tightened and the selection process became intensely competitive, as it

remains today. Candidates not only had to be outstanding pilots, but were expected to

satisfy stringent academic requirements as well - it was becoming increasingly obvious

that only the very best and the brightest need apply. Incoming students now found

themselves confronting accelerated courses in subjects such as flight mechanics,

differential calculus and supersonic aerodynamics. The tougher requirements soon paid

off: the student dropout rate plummeted and the professionalism of the graduates

increased even further. The Test Pilot School took its place in the front rank of the select

few such institutions in the world.

Throughout the 1950s, the school continued to evolve in order to meet the requirements

of a huge number of new airplanes coming into the service - the Golden Age of Edwards

Air Force Base. Efforts to update the TPS fleet with high performance aircraft, however,

were often frustrating, and aircraft acquisition came to be a perennial challenge to the

ingenuity of school commandants. The venerable T-33 T-Birds graced its flight line for

an entire generation, but its other trainers were often a motley collection of jet and piston

aircraft. Its facilities improved greatly when the school, which had been renamed the U.S.

Air Force Flight Test Pilot School on June 9, 1955, moved into its present facilities on the

Main Base. On March 14, 1956, the TPS gladly exchanged its wooden hangar for a new

purpose-built classroom and administration building, and its aircraft could now be

serviced in one of the two huge World War II steel hangars which had also been moved

from South Base as part of Edwards Air Force Base's giant modernization project.

Into Space

Once ensconced in its permanent quarters, the Test Pilot School continued to evolve its

curriculum in order to satisfy rapidly-changing Air Force requirements. Even as Sputnik

turned the world's eyes toward the heavens late in 1957, the Air Force was preparing for

flight beyond the atmosphere: within two years of the first orbital flight, the X-15 was

poised to fly at unprecedented heights for a winged airplane and the X-20 Dyna-Soar

program began, aimed at manned orbital flight.

The Test Pilot School began to develop additional courses to help new test pilots cope

with new responsibilities, and the school's six-month course was extended to eight. By

the end of 1958, its academic curriculum was becoming widely regarded as equivalent to

the final two years of college-level aeronautical engineering work. More was to come. As

the Air Force gradually developed an aerospace doctrine during this period, a small cadre

began to establish the criteria for additional course work aimed at qualifying TPS

graduates for the tasks of an astronaut.

This movement came to full term on Oct. 12, 1961, when the Test Pilot School was

redesignated the U.S. Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS). Now the

curriculum expanded to a full year. U.S. military pilots who were admitted to the nation's

first formal astronaut training course found that the school's traditional performance and

flying qualities curriculum was now only the prelude to a rigorous array of space-related

courses, such as thermodynamics, bioastronautics, and Newtonian mechanics. New and

up-to-date aircraft began to appear on the flight line, and advanced computer systems

were acquired. The first-of-its-kind T-27 Spaceflight Simulator became the keystone of

the new curriculum, replicating nearly all of the sights, sounds and sensations to be

encountered in a variety of space missions and vehicles. To train the students in out-of-

atmosphere maneuvering and reentry problems, three F-104 Starfighters were converted

to NF-104s; a rocket engine in the tail permitted zoom climbs above 100,000 feet, an

altitude where reaction control jets must be used instead of conventional control surfaces.

The new curriculum now required a full year: Phase I (Experimental Test Pilot Course)

and Phase II (Aerospace Research Pilot Course) and the selection process became

correspondingly more stringent. A bachelor's of science degree in engineering, physical

science or mathematics was now a minimum requirement and even the school's

preliminary "reviews" of various subjects came to be regarded as equal to a year's

advanced study.

With upwards of 300 applications per year, there was no lack of qualified candidates; all

had extensive flight experience and many had advanced degrees in hand. One student

aptly described his hard-driving classmates as "hyperthyroid, superachieving first sons of

superachievers." The hyperthyroidism paid off: 37 ARPS graduates were selected for the

U.S. space program, and 26 of them earned their astronaut's wings in space. Currently,

NASA has chosen more than 75 Air Force ARPS and TPS graduates for astronaut duties.

And Out Again

After the first moon landings, however, the national priorities gradually began to change

once more. Political and public support for manned space programs began to diminish

and the military lost its manned spaceflight mission. The highly advanced X-20 Dyna-

Soar and Manned Orbiting Laboratory programs, centerpieces of the school's very reason

for space training, were canceled. At the same time, the rise of the systems technology

approach in the aerospace community had dramatically begun to reorient the traditional

approach to the development and acquisition of modern aircraft. Clearly, it was necessary

for the school to reorient itself. Gradually, the Aerospace Research Pilot School began to

de-emphasize its spaceflight training mission. The T-27 simulator was sold to NASA and

on July 1, 1972, the ARPS faded into history. The school then received its present

designation, the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School.

One Door Closes and Another Opens

The end of the space flight training mission was counterbalanced by the dramatically-

increasing complexity of the new generation of aircraft. In earlier decades, it had been

reasonable to consider an airplane's basic structure, its engine, sensors, flight instruments

and controls, and weapons as separate entities. During the 1960s and 1970s, however, the

airborne computer had rapidly come to be something more than an airborne convenience;

the dramatic increase in computer capabilities, coupled with sophisticated avionics,

meant that it was now necessary to conceptualize a new aircraft by its functions and

capabilities - the systems approach. Aircraft like the B-1 bomber soon forced yet another

paradigm change, meshing all of a new aircraft's capabilities into a single working entity:

systems integration. This required a paradigm change in testing philosophy, as well as

additional skills for new test pilots. At the same time, the test pilots' managerial

responsibilities had continued to increase. Therefore, as soon as the school had phased

out its no-longer-needed ARPS curriculum, it replaced it with the academic structure

which characterizes the school today.

Housing

Admitted students are required to live on base due to scheduling and safety precautions.

The year is very demanding on time, so students will be happy to have a five minute

drive to school. Base housing is set aside for students. After admission to TPS, you will

receive a Housing application and contacts in your Welcome Packet. For general

information, please see the Relocation section of this FAQ.

International Students

Foreign military students are coordinated via US and foreign embassies with the USAF.

Requirements for admission are the same as for US students. The TPS does not select

which countries obtain seat allocations. However the TPS does approve or disapprove

admission qualifications through official training coordination channels.

Library

The USAF TPS students have access to a technical library and non-technical library on

base, as well as a small technical library at the school.

Local Area

Local area information is available through the Edwards Air Force Base Newcomer’s

Guide.

Name Change

Notify the Chief of Student Services if you will undergo a name change due to marriage,

divorce or other circumstance including rank change.

Physicals

Application to the TPS Board requires a new flying class II or III physical depending on

your crew type. Physicals must be completed prior to application to TPS. If you have

pending waivers being adjudicated through the flight medicine system, you may still

apply. Waiver approvals must be received prior to your selection to TPS. For pilots, you

may not be able to complete necessary flight evaluations typically conducted in the Fall

without a fully approved physical.

Pre-requisites

Upon admission to TPS it is very important admitted students read the Welcome Packet

to ensure they meet all pre-requisites for beginning . Meeting pre-requisites ensures

students can begin the course as planned. There may be serious negative consequences

for not checking or completing requirements as directed.

Public Affairs

General public, news reporting and media institutions may contact the Air Force Test

Center (AFTC) Public Affairs Office for working on projects or scheduling group tours.

Staff, students and international counterparts should contact the Chief of Student Services

who coordinates activities with TPS Command and AFTC Public Affairs.

Relocating

New students are required to live on base. Housing is reserved for students. Students will

receive more information after admission to TPS. To obtain more information about the

local area and base resources visit the Edwards Air Force Base Newcomers Guide.

Reporting Instructions

New students should follow the instructions in the PSDM and wait to be contacted by

TPS. Upon release of the PSDM data must be collected to ensure the classes are set

before anyone begins working towards fulfilling requirements to PCS. Some items have

“no earlier than” timelines attached to them. Occasionally one or two students will be

swapped and start either 6 months earlier or later than expected due to unique

circumstances.

Short Courses

There are currently no short courses offered between now and October 2015. We will

make an announcement here if that should change.

T-38 Training

USAF Multi-engine pilots and US Navy or Marine students selected for the USAF TPS

may require T-38 (Jet-D) training prior to the start of TPS if they have not been

previously qualified in the T-38 aircraft. Admitted students will receive additional

information about that training in the Welcome Packet.

Textbooks

There is no advance material for the course.

Transcripts

Transcripts are not sent automatically. To request a transcript, fill out the Air University

transcript request and mail to the address indicated on it. It may take several weeks to get

a transcript so please request one as soon as possible.

Visitors

Unfortunately we are not able to support all individual visit requests to the TPS. Group

visits must be coordinated via the Air Force Test Center Public Affairs Office. Typically

visits must be proposed at least 35 days in advance, with most coordinated at least 6

months in advance.

Water Survival Training

Students selected for the USAF TPS will take a refresher water survival training course

during the first week of class to prepare for flight duty. This course cannot be completed

in advance.

Students selected for the Naval Test Pilot School or foreign exchange school will take

water survival training at those schools.

Welcome Packet

For admitted TPS students only:

The PSDM selection message that shows you selected for TPS will contain additional

instructions about information reporting. Once your information has been reported, you

will be contacted within 1-2 weeks with additional information and contacts.