U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School: Encyclopedia II - U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School - Who They Are

U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School - Who They Are

Contrary to the romanticized view of old Hollywood films, test pilots are not "born" to their talents – they are painstakingly made. Natural ability in the air is necessary, of course, but a delicate touch on the controls and absolute precision on the air are needed – not slapdash bravado.

The class sizes vary somewhat, but are kept small, each student benefiting from intensive personal attention from the TPS faculty. There is often a sprinkling of other uniforms among the Air Force blue--Navy, U.S. Marines, NATO and other foreign students admitted under the Foreign Military Sales program. Female students are no longer a rarity; since the first one appeared in 1974 more than 25 have graduated to date. Three of the women, so far, have become astronauts, including Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command a Space Shuttle mission. Many of today’s students are not pilots; some 40 percent of them are student flight test engineers and navigators.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Who They Are", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki