List of U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School alumni
Name Service Rank Class Notable events
Milburn G. Apt * USAF O-03 Captain 1954-02 54B First to exceed Mach 3 . Speed record of Mach 3.2 in X-2
Fred J. Ascani USAF O-08 Major General 1946-2 46B Father of Systems Engineering at Wright Field . F-86 speed record
Richard Bong * USAF O-04 Major 1945-01 45 United States ' highest-scoring air ace . Medal of Honor recipient
James JB Brown USAF O-04 Major 1986-01 86A F-22 Raptor lead test pilot and F-117 Nighthawk chief test pilot
Robert Cardenas USAF O-07 Brig . General 1946-10 46J B-29 commander on mission to break sound barrier . Chief USAF test pilot for YB-49 flying wing
Ken Chilstrom USAF O-06 Colonel 1945-01 45 Tested over twenty German and Japanese aircraft during World War II . First military pilot to fly XP-86 . First jet air race . First transport of air mail by jet
Glen Edwards * USAF O-03 Captain 1945-01 45 Namesake of Edwards Air Force Base
Frank K. Everest USAF O-07 Brig . General 1946-04 46D Speed record of Mach 2.9 in the X-2 . Subject and co-author of The Fastest Man Alive
Fitzhugh L. Fulton USAF O-07 Brig . General 1952-02 52B Altitude record of 85,360 ft ( 26.02 km ) in the B-58 . XB-70 , YF-12 , 747 Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft testiing
Darryl Greenamyer Lockheed O-00 n/a 1963-01 63A Piston engine speed record of 776 km/h ( 482 mph ) in an F8F-2 . Low altitude speed record of 1,590 km/h ( 990 mph ) in an F-104
Bob Hoover USAF O-02 Lieutenant 1946-03 46C Flew chase during the Mach one flight . Named the greatest stick-and-rudder man who ever lived by Jimmy Doolittle . Noted air show pilot in Shrike Commander and P-51
Jay Jabour USAF O-07 Brigadier General 1973-03 79B ATF and first F-22 Test Force Commander
Tony LeVier Lockheed O-00 n/a 1945-01 45 Lockheed chief test pilot . P-38 , P-80 , XF-90 , XF-104 , U-2 testing
Arthur W. Murray USAF O-04 Major 1945-07 45G X-1A , X-1B , X-4 , X-5 testing
Art Nalls USMC O-05 Lt Colonel 1985-01 85A Harrier testing ; owner and air show pilot of privately owned Harrier
Bruce Peterson NASA O-00 n/a 1963-01 63A M2-F1 , M2-F2 , HL-10 lifting body flights
Steve Pisanos USAF O-06 Colonel 1945-04 45D F-80 Shooting Star , F-102 Delta Dagger , F-4E testing
Jack Ridley * USAF O-06 Colonel 1946-01 46A Project engineer for the team that broke the sound barrier
Robert L. Stephens USAF O-06 Colonel 1949-04 49D Speed and altitude records testing the YF-12 and SR-71
Robert E. Thacker USAF O-06 Colonel 1946-01 46 P-80 Shooting Star , P-82 distance/speed record , Lockheed solar-powered aircraft
Famous alumni -- Flight test
BGen . Robert Cardenas , USAF , YB-49 chief USAF test pilot Lt. Bob Hoover , USAF , test and demonstration pilot Tony LeVier , Lockheed , chief test pilot Joseph John `` Tym '' Tymczyszyn , Test Pilot of America 's first commercial jet aircraft * Individual was killed in a work-related ( aviation ) accident .
The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School (TPS) graduated the following notable alumni who made significant contributions to the aerospace field. The school's mission is to produce experimental test pilots, flight test engineers, and flight test navigators to lead and conduct test and evaluation of aerospace weapon systems. The school was established on September 9, 1944, as the Flight Test Training Unit at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB) in Dayton, Ohio. To take advantage of the uncongested skies and superb flying weather, the school was moved on February 4, 1951, to its present location at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. Edwards AFB is the home of the Air Force Flight Test Center and has been an integral part of flight testing for over fifty years. Between 1962 and 1972, the Test Pilot School expanded its role to include astronaut training for military test pilots. Thirty-seven TPS graduates of this era were selected for the U.S. space program, and twenty-six went on to earn astronaut's wings by flying in the X-15, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs. Although the school no longer trains astronauts, many TPS graduates since 1972 have been selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for duties in space. The school encourages applications from civilians, personnel from other U.S. military services, and individuals from foreign countries. An exchange program allows selected students to attend other test pilot schools including the United States Naval Test Pilot School, the United Kingdom's Empire Test Pilots' School, and France's EPNER.