The Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) currently recognizes eight test pilot schools. Pilots who successfully complete courses that are at least 10 months long, at any of these schools, are considered to have demonstrated the knowledge required of test pilots for the purpose of joining SETP. The SETP Constitution also allows graduates to join the Society upon graduation, provisionally, as an Associate Member. 

The recognized schools are:

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  - Recognized August 2017

National Test Pilot School  - Recognized 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 meet a significant majority of the items and the intent of all of them. 

These guidelines are:

• The school should have qualified academic instructors.
  1. Academic instructors should have flight test experience.
  2. The core of the academic 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.
     
     
• The school should have appropriate aircraft.
  1. The school should 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 should be supportable on site.
  3. The aircraft should be representative of the type of courses offered (fighters, transports, helicopters).
     
     
• 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.).
     
     
• The school should have qualified flight instructors.
  1. The in-flight instruction should be done by qualified test pilots. As evidence of qualification, the majority of the instructors should meet the requirements for membership in SETP in the grade of Associate Member or higher.
  2. The core of the in-flight instructional staff should 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.
     
     
• The course of instruction offered by the school being considered for recognition should 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. The minimum duration for an approved course of instruction is at least 10 months. While it is not the intent of this SOP to specify in detail the duration and content of courses, SETP-recognized schools should cover performance, flying qualities and systems flight testing.  The course of instruction being considered should not deviate significantly from these parameters.
     
     
• The school should have satisfactory course textbooks and notes, appropriate for the types of courses offered.
  
  
• The school should 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.