Located at the edge of the Mojave Desert in Southern California, the United States Test Air Force Test Pilot School (USAF TPS) enjoys the perfect environment for conducting flight test education and development. Clear flying conditions nearly every day of the year, combined with the Air Force Flight Test Center resources, makes Edwards Air Force Base a great training location.
Since its creation in 1944, the school has produced an elite list of roughly 3260 graduates. Alumni include World War II flying aces, astronauts, generals, famous first flight pilots and many of today’s innovative flight test leaders. In addition, there are over 325 international graduates from 24 countries, enhancing allied capabilities and international cooperation. In accordance with our motto, the school believes that Knowledge is Power.
To continue to be the center of expertise for Air Force developmental test and evaluation techniques and theory, the curriculum is reviewed and modified as needed every 6 months. TPS has adapted over time to meet Air Force objectives. Focus has expanded due to specific national efforts, such as when the school provided astronaut training in the early days of space exploration. The length and depth of the course has grown—the school originally trained only pilots but later expanded to include navigators and engineers as systems engineering became standard. Then a remotely piloted aircraft pilot track was added to meet the need for expertise in unmanned aerial vehicle research and development. In more recent years the course began to include Weapons Systems Officers, Combat Systems Officers, and now Space Force members.
The fundamental key to success in aerospace flight test and evaluation is the individual member of the flight test team: the flight test pilot, of course, but nowadays the trained flight test engineer and navigator as well. Without him - and increasingly, her - the fundamental work of the Air Force Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base would literally be impossible.
Bravery and flying skills of the highest order have always been requirements for the flight test mission, but much more is demanded of today's flight test professionals: scientific and engineering knowledge, critical and reasoned judgment, and managerial skills of the first order. A well-devised flight test program, skillfully carried out, calls forth the absolute performance of the aircraft and its associated systems. Finding the people who are capable of planning and flying such a program is not easy, nor is the process automatic.
Contrary to the romanticized view of old Hollywood films, test pilots are not "born" to their talents - they are painstakingly made. Natural ability in the air is necessary, of course, but a delicate touch on the controls and absolute precision on the air are needed - not slapdash bravado.
The test pilot will be following carefully crafted flight profiles, not daring aerial maneuvers. They must be taught to handle his airplane with extraordinary precision: to control their airspeed to the nearest knot, and their altitude virtually to the foot--every time. Beyond this, the student test pilot must have a natural affinity for mechanical systems, an ability to "feel" the airplane and have a well-honed sense of what is happening at any given time. Mature and reasoned judgment is also vital - human lives, and millions of dollars, depend upon how carefully a test mission is planned and flown. But all these skills would be useless without knowledge and training - systematic training in gathering flight data, and then interpreting it. Minutes spent in precision flying must be matched by hours of painstaking effort at computers, in the library, and around the conference table.
It is obvious that in the world of flight testing, there simply is no room for "second best." That is why the Air Force Test Pilot School (TPS) takes such efforts to make certain that its graduates are the equal to any in their profession.
The Test Pilot School is where the Air Force's top pilots, navigators and engineers learn how to conduct flight tests 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.
TPS is authorized by Air University to award a Master of Flight Test Engineering or Certificate in Space Test Engineering to TPS Graduates.
The TPS Admissions email is USAFTPS.TPS.Admissions@us.af.mil ; phone is 661-277-3000.
The mission of the Space Test Course is to produce adaptive, critical thinking test leaders to conduct full-spectrum test and evaluation of space-domain systems.
This is an approximately 12-month hands-on program to educate personnel in space domain test and evaluation as part of the USSF effort to increase the trained cadre of T&E professionals.
The curriculum is designed to provide students with tailored education covering test planning, test execution, analysis, and reporting. In addition to test-foundational material, students will receive instruction and practical experience covering mission systems, as well as domain science topics such as orbital mechanics, electromagnetic spectrum, sensor sciences, and space environment. This is intended to provide the student with a broad base of technical knowledge to prepare them for future Test and Evaluation (T&E) projects that span a variety of technical areas. Training will include test processes applicable to both developmental and operational space test, and will include classroom, laboratory, open-air, and on-orbit events. Oral and/or written reports will be included in each module. Fieldtrips are taken to organizations engaged in developing, testing, and producing aerospace vehicles and equipment. Graduates of STC will receive Graduate Certificates in Space Test Engineering, with an associated transcript maintained by Air University.
Due to the length of the course, STC requires a PCS to Edwards AFB. All individuals selected for STC will incur a three-year service commitment with a direct placement to a USSF test organization upon graduation.
The 2026-A STC Selection Board will select candidates for 26A. Class 26A will arrive in December of 2025 to start in January of 2026. A second STC Selection Board will select candidates for 26B/27A classes. An additional Personnel Services Delivery Memorandum for the 2026-B STC board will be released later in 2025. The suspense for all application packages is Feb. 28, 2025.
Eligibility Waivers: The waiver request memorandum should state the eligibility criterion requiring a waiver and discuss any rationale for waiver approval. Applicants requesting waiver consideration for multiple criteria may submit a single waiver request. Waivers will be considered after all applications are submitted and will be decided based on the severity of the waiver selection requirements, and candidate pool. STARCOM S2/3V is the approval authority for eligibility requirement waivers. Note: Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Officers may apply but will only be selected if a funding strategy is secured for the 1-year school and the minimum 3-year payback tour. Interested Guard and Reserved Officers are encouraged to continue to monitor future PSDMs for any updates. Interagency and joint personnel may apply but can only be placed into this class if funding and assignment agreements and actions are in place with the applicant’s service or agency.
The formal PSDM with full application information can be found HERE.
Feb. 28, 2025: Deadline for Applications & Endorser Inputs March 10, 2025: Selection Board May 2025: Final selections published
Direct questions regarding applications or waivers to USAF TPS at USAFTPS.STC.Applications@us.af.mil and/or USSF Talent Management Board at HQ.USSF.Talentmgmtboard@spaceforce.mil.
The mission of the Flight Test Course is to prepare test leaders to follow in the footsteps of aviation legends shaping the future of DoD warfighting capabilities.
This is a 48-week course growing test leaders in the following categories: • Experimental test Pilots (fixed wing and rotary) • Experimental test Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) pilots • Experimental test Combat Systems Officers (CSOs) • Experimental test Air Battle Managers (ABMs) • Experimental Flight Test Engineers (FTEs) (see DAFI 99-107 for applicable AFSCs)
Graduates of FTC will be awarded the Master of Flight Test Engineering.
All individuals selected for TPS will incur a service commitment. Service commitments are defined in DAFI 99-107, and AFMAN 36-2100, Military Utilization and Classification. The current Active Duty Service Commitment for TPS is five years.
The 2025 TPS Selection Board will select candidates for: • USAF TPS Classes: 26B (class start July 2026) and 27A (class start January 2027) • US Navy Test Pilot School (classes start July 2026 and January 2027)
Eligibility requirements are outlined in DAFI 99-107 paragraphs 1.5 and 1.6, with ineligibility criteria described in paragraph 1.8. Some of the eligibility criteria are included in PSDM 25-13. Note: A separate selection board will be conducted to select USSF and USAF members to attend the TPS Space Test Course (see PSDM 25-09).
May 19, 2025: Deadline for Applications June 3, 2025: Deadline for Endorser Inputs July 2025: Selection Board Aug. 2025: Applicants notified whether they have been selected for further evaluation Oct. 2025: In-person evaluations conducted at Edwards AFB Dec. 2025: Final selections completed and published via PSDM Candidates selected by the TPS Flight Test Course Selection Board for continued evaluation will participate in the in-person Comprehensive Candidate Evaluation Program (CCEP) at Edwards AFB. Staff from USAF TPS will provide program details to those selected for CCEP. The member’s unit will fund all CCEP travel costs associated IAW DAFI 99-107.
Direct questions regarding applications or waivers to AFMC/A3F at AFMC.A3FP.Workflow@us.af.mil or 937-656-0092.
TPS is soliciting application packages to select officers for the TPS Faculty-Pipeline PhD program. This opportunity is available to all active duty Air Force graduates of a formal military test pilot school. For instructions on how to apply and specifics on eligibility, click here.
To register on the new USAF TPS Alumni website, please send an e-mail to admin@usaftpsalumni.com with your given name and TPS class number. The site is located at https://www.usaftpsalumni.com/