Why Train at the National Test Pilot School? (Return to Top)

The National Test Pilot School offers the best value in flight test training in the world.

NTPS is located and uses the best flight test area in the United States, the Edwards AFB China Lake NAS military operating area and restricted areas located in California.  NTPS has modern facilities employing the latest technologies including specialized laboratories and simulators, weapons ranges and telemetry systems.  The forty-three (43) aircraft operated by NTPS are instrumented for flight test training and no other school owns the variety of specially acquired aircraft to support flight test training.  Flight simulators are used to bridge the gap between classroom and cockpit to allow students to explore flight environments that cannot be safely duplicated in flight.  The NTPS flight instructors have an average of twenty (20) years flight test experience and an average of ten (10) years of test pilot instructional experience at various test pilot schools.

NTPS is recognized as the most innovative and the leader in customized flight test training in the world.  Innovations include:

1. The first to offer an alternative to military test pilot schools.

2. The first to offer the professional course in modules to improve the student learning experience and to support continuous professional development.

3. The first in conferring professional and academic Master level degrees.

4. The first to offer Pre-TPS courses to help bridge the gap to a very demanding course.

5. The first to make avionics systems testing 50 percent of the professional course content, following feedback from our graduates.

6. The first and only test pilot school to provide every test pilot and flight test engineer an individual unknown aircraft final project.

Faculty Qualification and Experience (Return to Top)

The NTPS employs a full time professional staff.  The full time staff is complimented by ten (10) part time academic and flight instructors.  All are highly experienced.  

Facilities (Return to Top)

The National Test Pilot School (NTPS) complex is located at Mojave Airport in California, very close to Edwards, AFB.  Mojave airport houses many civilian flight test organizations and has been designated the Mojave Civilian Flight Test Center . 

The National Test Pilot School has in place a joint use agreement between the USAF and the USN to use the airspace and ranges of R2515 and the MOA 2508 on a non-interference basis.  Essentially NTPS is treated as an operating squadron at Edwards AFB.

The NTPS complex currently consists of six buildings.  The school hangar and classroom facility totals 42,400 square feet, two maintenance hangars for jet aircraft repair, each 13,600 square feet and a helicopter and propeller aircraft maintenance facility of 15,000 square feet.  In addition to the buildings mentioned above, additional storage areas totaling 19,600 square feet for aircraft parts is leased from Mojave airport.

The school building has six classrooms, numerous faculty offices, student work areas, briefing rooms, two lounges, conference rooms, library, simulator rooms, multiple computer-based data analysis facilities, telemetry ground station, operations room and administrative sections, showers, lockers and a racquetball court. 

The school has its own variable stability ground based simulator.  The basic model for the variable stability simulator is the F-16 and the instructor has the ability to change the stability and control derivatives, feed back loops, and transport delay times, etc., to change the flying characteristics of the model.  This VSS is used at NTPS to augment the Dynamics and closed loop flying qualities courses and to model and predict the flying qualities of many types of aircraft. 

Many of the texts utilized during NTPS courses are produced and published by NTPS ensuring that the correct depth of information is immediately available.  Any other information required is presented in standard texts available from commercial sources.  In addition, tutorial material is available for use as a self-paced study guide for students.

Academic Hours (Return to Top)

Students receive 565 academic hours of instruction:

Reports and Examinations (Return to Top)

Students sit for 20 exams (both written and comprehensive orals). 

Students present 31 reports (both written and oral)

Each student is given an individual Final Project

Course Standards (Return to Top)

The academic and instructional standards of the school are excellent.  This is due to experienced instructors, academics taught with the goal of practical application, low staff to student ratios and high student expectations.  The grading standards of N.T.P.S. are well established and each student must get a satisfactory grade or better (75% minimum) to pass each examination, oral and written report

Simulators (Return to Top)

In addition to the engineering simulator resident at the NTPS, high fidelity simulators are leased to support the P&FQ and Modeling and Simulation portions of the curriculum.  These include B-717, G-V, & MD-11 simulators (Level D).  The LearJet variable stability aircraft is leased from Calspan for the NTPS Fixed Wing pilots and engineers.  The rotary wing pilots and engineers fly the National Research Council (NRC) variable stability Bell 205 aircraft in Ottawa Canada

Aircraft Types (Return to Top)

The National Test Pilot School operates a total of forty-three (43) aircraft, most of which are instrumented for flight test training.  The aircraft types include the supersonic SK-35 Draken (four two seat), six AerMacchi MB-326 military jet trainers, one military turbo-prop trainer, three piston powered military trainer aircraft, two multi-engine turbo prop aircraft, three piston twin engine aircraft, seven single engine aircraft and one glider.  The rotary wing fleet consists of one UH-1N, two OH-58C, one H-500, one S-55, and two BO-105 helicopters.

Flying Hours (Return to Top)

Each pilot flies a minimum of 130 hours in at least 30 types of aircraft in the one year professional course.  Each engineer flies about 100 hours in at least 20 types of aircraft.  

Masters Degree (Return to Top)

The National Test Pilot School through its academic and research unit, the National Flight Test Institute, has been extended approval to award the Master of Science in Flight Test Engineering and the Master of Science in Flight Test and Evaluation.  Test pilots and flight test engineers who have the necessary academic background and who satisfactorily complete the yearlong Professional Course, are eligible to receive this degree.

The Master of Science and Flight Test Engineering is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

Conclusions (Return to Top)

The breadth and depth of flight test training offered at the National Test Pilot School is unique, covering civil and military certification, avionics systems flight testing, as well as the more classical subjects of stability and control and performance.

NTPS has made a long term investment in school facilities, a modern curriculum, diverse aircraft, and highly experienced staff to earn each of our students.

The NTPS professional course is at least comparable, and in many instances significantly better than the military test pilot schools at less than half the cost.