U.S. Naval Test Pilot School

U.S. Naval Test Pilot School Advancing flight test through world-class training, cutting-edge techniques, and global partnership.

USNTPS is the nation’s premier school for developmental test pilots, engineers, and flight officers.

🌍 Did You Know?USNTPS trains not only U.S. aircrew and engineers but also students from 17 partner nations around the wo...
05/27/2026

🌍 Did You Know?

USNTPS trains not only U.S. aircrew and engineers but also students from 17 partner nations around the world. International aircrew and engineers attend both long and short courses, bringing global perspectives into every classroom and cockpit. These graduates strengthen coalition test & evaluation capabilities and build lasting partnerships across the worldwide T&E community.

The International Military Student Officer (IMSO) supports each international student from application through arrival and serves as their liaison throughout training, ensuring a smooth and successful experience.

For more information, visit our website: https://www.navair.navy.mil/nawcad/usntps.

🔓 Unlock the other side of USNTPS. Everyone knows about our long courses - but fewer realize there’s another way to le...
05/21/2026

🔓 Unlock the other side of USNTPS.

Everyone knows about our long courses - but fewer realize there’s another way to level up your test & evaluation skills.

USNTPS Short Courses are built for aircrew, engineers, and scientists who want foundational knowledge and practical skills without stepping away from the job for 11 months. Each course dives into the fundamentals of safe, effective test planning, ex*****on, analysis, and reporting - the real-world skills the T&E community relies on.

Students choose from four focused tracks:
· Fixed Wing Stability & Control
· Rotary Wing Performance, Stability & Control
· Unmanned Aerial Systems
· Mission Systems

Hands-on exercises, demo flights or simulator events, and a classroom full of military, civilians, contractors, and foreign partners mean you’re not just learning, you’re building connections across the global T&E enterprise.

If you’re ready to sharpen your edge and expand your network, USNTPS Short Courses are where you start. 🌐

For more information, visit our website and click on the “courses” tab: https://www.navair.navy.mil/nawcad/usntps.

04/29/2026

Did you know? 🤔

The U.S. Army partners with USNTPS to train its experimental pilots and flight test engineers, providing aircraft such as the UH‑60L Black Hawk to support our rotary‑wing track, which is the only program of its kind in the U.S. military.

🚁 If you’ve flown in the Black Hawk, what’s one thing you’ll never forget about it?

Last week, the flight test community, including USNTPS alumni, gathered with the family and friends of Lt. Cmdr. Raymond...
04/13/2026

Last week, the flight test community, including USNTPS alumni, gathered with the family and friends of Lt. Cmdr. Raymond O’Hare at NAS Patuxent River to honor him during the dedication of the Navy’s new MQ‑25A Stingray test hangar.

The ceremony was filled with emotion as loved ones, colleagues, and classmates shared stories and reflected on the lasting impact O’Hare had on everyone he touched, from those who served and learned alongside him to the family and friends who continue to carry his legacy forward.

Read more here: https://bit.ly/4swsge0

Today we honor Lt. Cmdr. Raymond O’Hare, USNTPS Class 118, whose dedication and sacrifice continue to guide our communit...
04/10/2026

Today we honor Lt. Cmdr. Raymond O’Hare, USNTPS Class 118, whose dedication and sacrifice continue to guide our community.

During today’s ceremony at NAS Patuxent River, O’Hare’s family, friends, and fellow alumni gathered to unveil a permanent memorial in his honor and dedicate the Navy’s new MQ‑25A Stingray test hangar in his name.

Lt. Cmdr. O’Hare, along with his classmate Lt. Cmdr. Gareth Rietz, perished in a T‑38 mishap on July 11, 2000. This dedication is the first of two, with a future hangar planned to honor Lt. Cmdr. Rietz.

USNTPS continues to modernize its curriculum to stay ahead of rapidly evolving aerospace technologies. As part of an unm...
04/08/2026

USNTPS continues to modernize its curriculum to stay ahead of rapidly evolving aerospace technologies. As part of an unmanned aircraft system handling qualities exercise, students get behind the controls of a first‑person‑view unmanned aerial vehicle.

By exploring control responsiveness and flight performance of an advanced flight control system through a modern first‑person‑view platform, students learn to evaluate unmanned aircraft using the same handling quality standards applied to full‑scale systems.

It’s immersive training built for the future of flight test.

Our eyes are to the skies today as we show our support to the Artemis II crew.
04/01/2026

Our eyes are to the skies today as we show our support to the Artemis II crew.

Calling all alumni!The USNTPS Alumni Association invites you - new, recent, and long‑time - to the 2026 Reunion Brunch. ...
03/19/2026

Calling all alumni!

The USNTPS Alumni Association invites you - new, recent, and long‑time - to the 2026 Reunion Brunch. It's a relaxed chance to reconnect, meet fellow alumni, and strengthen the community that keeps flight test excellence alive.

📅 Sunday, April 12, 2026
⏰ 1000–1300
📍 Patuxent River Naval Air Museum, Lexington Park, MD
👔 Smart casual
🔗 RSVP by April 1, 2026 — https://forms.office.com/r/p4NjuD3yDd

03/17/2026

Our 81st year of instruction is well underway, and the legacy continues to soar. Today’s spotlights the UH‑60L - a true workhorse that remains essential to rotary‑wing test training.

On March 12, 1945, USNTPS began training the world’s top test pilots and flight‑test engineers. Eighty‑one years later, ...
03/12/2026

On March 12, 1945, USNTPS began training the world’s top test pilots and flight‑test engineers. Eighty‑one years later, that mission endures as we modernize our curriculum to prepare the next generation of developmental test leaders.

At NAS Patuxent River, Building 112 is remembered as the birthplace of the U.S. Navy’s Test Pilot Training Division, now the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, where naval flight‑test education first took shape. Today, the school carries that legacy forward just a stone’s throw from its original home.

Address

22783 Cedar Point Road
Patuxent River, MD
20670

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