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| United States Naval Test Pilot School | |
|---|---|
 United States Naval Test Pilot School patch | |
| Active | 1945 - present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Type | test pilot school |
| Role | Training of test pilots and flight test engineers |
| Part of | Naval Air Warfare Center |
| Home station | Naval Air Station Patuxent River |
| Nickname | USNTPS |
TheUnited States Naval Test Pilot School, located atNaval Air Station Patuxent River inPatuxent River,Maryland, provides instruction to experiencedUnited States Navy,Marine Corps,Army,Air Force, and foreign military experimentaltest pilots,flight test engineers, and flight testflight officers in the processes and techniques ofaircraft and systems testing and evaluation.[1][2]
The school was established in 1945, when the Navy's Flight Test Group transferred fromNaval Air Station Anacostia,Washington, DC toNaval Air Station Patuxent River and Test Pilot Training Division or TPT was established.
It is the primary test pilot school forU.S. Army aviators, as it is the only U.S. military test pilot school to offer instruction onrotary-wing aircraft. They also operate an exchange program with theU.S. Air Force Test Pilot School located atEdwards Air Force Base. Class 1 graduated December 21, 1948. In 1957 the school's name was officially changed to the United States Naval Test Pilot School.
Milestones:[2]
The selection process is highly competitive, and applicants are chosen by a selection board. The curriculum accommodates three main specialities with two classes annually (11 months in duration):
Training program includes:[2]
Instructional flow is traditional theory to practice: classroom, lab and simulation, exercise briefing and flight demonstration, later data flights with technical reports preparation, review/debrief/critique.[2]
Aircraft used by the United States Naval Test Pilot School include theT-6B Texan II,AT-6E Wolverine,T-38C Talon,UH-72A Lakota,UH-60L Blackhawk,C-26A ASTARS III,F/A-18F Super Hornet,C-12C Huron,NU-1B Otter,OH-58C Kiowa,U-6A Beaver, and theX-26A Frigate. The school also temporarily operates aTB-25N Mitchell "Panchito", aCT-133 Silver Star of Ace Maker Aviation, aAH-1F Huey Cobra of Army Aviation Heritage Foundation and aLearjet 25 of theCalspan Corporation, all used briefly at different times by the school.
Those include (by year/class of graduation):
| International | |
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| National | |
