Eligible pilots, combat systems officers and engineers have an opportunity to join the ranks of airpower pioneers like Jimmy Doolittle and Chuck Yeager, but they have to apply for U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School to do so.
The 2012 U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School selection board will convene in July to fill openings for July 2013 and January 2014 class start dates. All officer and civilian applications are due to the Air Force Personnel Center by June 1, said Howard Peterson, Air Force Personnel Center pipeline and trainer assignments branch.
The TPS trains pilots, combat systems officers and engineers to develop, test and evaluate the newest aircraft and weapons systems in the fighter, multi-engine, helicopter and remotely piloted aircraft categories, Peterson said.
The 48-week course consists of four closely related curricula: experimental test pilot, experimental test combat systems officer, experimental test remotely piloted aircraft pilot and experimental flight test engineer.
"Competition is always stiff for a test pilot school position," Peterson said. "TPS graduates are future senior leaders who will be in high demand in an era of increasing combat technological advancements on the battlefield."
Minimum eligibility requirements include a flying physical -- class II for pilots and CSOs (including weapon systems officers, rated navigators and electronic warfare officers), and class III for flight test engineers -- certified by the Air Force Materiel Command Surgeon General Aerospace Medicine.
According to Peterson, applicants who do not have a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering, mathematics, physics or a comparable science may apply if they have a master's degree in engineering, and all applicants must have a secret security clearance. Additional criteria are explained in the personnel systems delivery memorandum (PSDM 12-28) on the Air Force Personnel Services website.
"Program requirements change slightly every year, so members who currently have an application on file must submit new applications and waivers, if applicable," Peterson said.
For more information about test pilot school opportunities and other personnel issues, visit the Air Force Personnel Services website at https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil.
