USAF Test Pilot School graduates 23 Published Dec. 15, 2010 By Kenji Thuloweit 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The United States Air Force Test Pilot School graduated 23 new test pilots Dec. 11. Class 10A began Jan. 11 with a diverse group of aviators, including one pilot from Italy and another from France. More than 200 guests and family members were treated to tours of the TPS and Edwards followed by a formal dinner in Hangar 1414. The mission of the USAF TPS is to produce highly adaptive, critical-thinking flight test professionals to lead and conduct full-spectrum test and evaluation of aerospace weapon systems. Performing this mission allows the school to fulfill the vision of being the world‟s premiere educational and training center of excellence for theoretical and applied flight test engineering. For some, the chance to test the newest weapons systems and aircraft the Air Force has to offer is a dream come true. "I first learned about TPS shortly before graduating Officer Training School as a 62E (developmental engineer) and was immediately interested," said Capt. Danny Riley, TPS graduate. "I shaped everything else I did around getting in, from having PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) eye surgery, to cross-training to become a navigator, to an engineering master's degree. I figured there could be nothing cooler than testing the latest and greatest that the USAF has coming down the pipe!" The intense 11-month course required the students to fly a variety of aircraft from all over the world. "Flying over 25 different aircraft throughout the year, from a glider, to an F-16, to a KC-135, to the oldest flying jet in the world (MiG-15) was without a doubt the most fun." Captain Riley said. "It was not uncommon for someone to fly four to five completely different aircraft over the course of one week." "One of the most interesting aspects of the course is gaining the knowledge to be able to just look at an aircraft and have a good idea about how it's going to fly, or looking at something that's added to an aircraft and know how it's going to fly differently than it did before," he said. With all the excitement of flying different aircraft came intense academic work. Captain Riley said every phase had its challenges. Many academic courses were challenging because of his background. "I was an electrical engineering major, so aerodynamics and flight mechanics were rather new for me. The pace at times was also challenging...you might have a performance check ride to prepare for in four days, but before that you have a flying qualities data flight the next day." "I think the most challenging portion of the school is balancing academics, report writing, and flying," said Capt. Timothy Spaulding, TPS graduate. "The best part of the school is being able to solidify the link between academic knowledge and practical knowledge. It is awesome to be able to spend the morning mastering the mathematics of some aerodynamic principle, then spending the afternoon in the air, seeing it in practice," said Captain Spaulding. The new TPS graduates will move on to a variety of assignments in the Air Force acquisition world.