The Air Force's Famed Test Pilot School Is Going To Space

The Air Force’s Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base has existed at the leading edge of the aerospace’s newest technologies for 75 years. Now, as the Pentagon focuses on the military importance of Earth’s orbit, the institution is forming a new school specializing in space hardware.

Maj. Gen. Chris Azzano, tells Popular Mechanics that he secured Air Force funding to create a space curriculum for the Test Pilot School.

“This is the same institution that graduated Chuck Yeager and so many of the other world famous test pilots, where Jimmy Doolittle III was a commandant,” he says. “It just has such a rich heritage, now we're looking even further into the orbital domain.”

The yet-unnamed school is expected to open in late 2020. It will be a separate effort that mirrors the rest of the TPS but will stand as its own entity.