Welcome to the Navy's U.S. Naval Test Pilot School

[@airsearch9192]

It's interesting to see some of the older jets still being utilized

[@JacobDMundell]

Careers like these are among the privileged few who get the opportunity to work extremely hard and experience the cutting edge of science.

[@thatguy7085]

I don’t consider myself special in anyway. 33 years ago I was at Pax River and I was ‘enlisted’… in a ‘black shoe’ rate (non aviation) I was an ET working on the radar systems there. I learned to fly in the Navy flying club for fixed wing, then helicopters at Washington Exec 5 miles south of Andrews AFB, now Joint Base Andrews. I happened to meet the F18 TPS instructor while he was teaching his daughter how to fly RC aircraft. I worked at night certifying the Air Traffic control systems and had free time during the day. I asked if I could sit through the classroom portion of the school. He had no problem but told me to get approval from my command (I wasn’t stationed at TPS) and approval from Dr Richards, the director for the school. I just made sure there were no reasons for them to deny my request. I went to the CO of the base and he looked at me like I was nuts. He said this is where the best of the best go after returning from the fleet. I explained I wasn’t interested in flying (really didn’t believe they would ever let me fly) and just wanted to sit through the classroom portion. He signed off on it as long as it didn’t interfere with my Air Ops duty. I then went to the director of the TPS school, and requested to sit through the class. He was concerned that I didn’t have the background for aeronautical engineering, or physics / calculus. This was before the internet so I went on the University of Arizona bulletin on board, that was as online as you could get before the internet…. And got refresher courses for calculus and physics. I presented my work to the director. He was surprised at my knowledge, and I showed him where I got the refresher course. They used it at the school for pilots returning from the fleet that needed to brush up on it. So, I got to go through the class room portion… but I didn’t stop there. I went to medical and got a flight physical. I needed on to fly as a civilian. That was my excuse. I then went and signed up for high altitude training in the pressure chamber, ejection seat training, and drown proofing. Because I worked at air ops at night, I could see what plans were going up the next day. As a now qualified ‘back seater’ I got to fly in all kinds of military training aircraft including the TFA18B, T2, T38, etc… almost got to fly the AV8 trainer… but the Marines kept breaking it. I learned quickly… If you don’t ask, you don’t get. If they say no… find reasons for them to not say no. Never sell yourself short. I got out about 30 years ago to work for the FAA. Long after my time in the Navy… there was a Navy SEAL Admiral that gave a speech saying what I just said… I have to wonder if he was one of the guys from Team 5 I was teaching to fly while on a flight across the country in a C12. I flew in an enlisted uniform and was Air and Surface warfare specialist qualified… it was rare back then for even a single qualification. I hope he was one of those guys and got inspired… No better feeling than to help someone succeed in life.