Empire Test Pilot School

United States Naval Test Pilot School

United States Air Force Test Pilot School

French Test Pilot School (EPNER)

International Test Pilots School (11 month course)  - Recoginzed August 2017

National Test Pilot School (11 month course) - Recoginzed February 1994

Indian Air Force Test Pilot School  - Recognized October 2004

Brazilian Test Pilot School (EFEV) Escola de Formacao em Ensaios em Voo  - Recognized April 2004

The following specific guidelines are intended as guidance for an assessment of a test pilot school that wishes to be recognized by SETP. The individual items should not be viewed as hard and fast requirements. Rather a school recognized by SETP should literally meet a majority of the items and the intent of all of them.  

These guidelines are:

1. The school should be housed in an appropriate facility.

1. The facility should be a permanent building, buildings, or portion of a building that is used exclusively by the school.
2. The facility should house the school’s administration and faculty offices as well as provide satisfactory classrooms, briefing rooms, and a technical library.
3. The facility should include network and computer capacity sufficient for data reduction and report generation.
4. The facility should include telemetry capabilities sufficient to train students in the use of real time control of flight tests.
5. The permanent facility should also house any specialized training systems used by the school (laboratories, simulators, etc.)
   
   

2. The school must have appropriate aircraft.

1. The school must have priority access to a varied fleet of aircraft that are suitably instrumented to perform the core flight test training functions.
2. The instrumentation systems must supportable on site.
3. The aircraft must be representative of the type of courses offered (fighters, transports, helicopters).
   
   

3. The school must have qualified flight instructors.

1. The in-flight instruction must be done by qualified test pilots. As evidence of qualification, the majority of the instructors must meet the requirements for membership in SETP in the grade of Associate Member or higher.
2. The core of the in-flight instructional staff must be full time personnel whose first priority is test pilot instruction.
3. The full time core of instructor pilots can be supplemented by part-time flight instructors.
   
   

4. The school must have qualified academic instructors.

1. Academic instructors should have flight test experience.
2. The core of the instructional staff should be composed of full time personnel whose first priority is course development, preparation, teaching and tutoring students.
3. The core of instructors can be supplemented by part-time instructors.
4. Academic instructors should be degreed personnel in an appropriate field.
5. Academic instructors may also function as flight instructors.
   
   

5. The course of instruction offered by the school being considered for recognition must be of sufficient breadth and duration.

1. Introductory or short courses in flight test are not appropriate and should not, by themselves, constitute the curriculum being recognized by SETP. While it is not the intent of this SOP to specify in detail the duration and content of courses, other SETP-recognized schools are 9 to 11 months long and cover performance, flying qualities and systems flight testing. The course of instruction being considered should not deviate significantly from these parameters.
   
   

6. The school must have satisfactory course textbooks and notes, appropriate for the types of courses offered.
   
   

7. The school must have demonstrated stability over time.
   

1. This can be shown by a history of at least six classes with graduates who are either Members of SETP or who would qualify for membership in SETP at the grade of at least Associate Member.