Page 1 - Aerotech News and Review, Oct. 4, 2019
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Aerotech NeawndsReviewJournal of Aerospace, Defense Industry and Veteran News
Air Forces TPS celebrates 75th anniversary
Air Force photograph by Richard Gonzales
Left: More than 200 Air Force Test Pilot School alumni, their families and friends
attend the TPS 75th Anniversary dinner at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.,
Sept. 21, 2019. Above: Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Chuck Yeager shares a conversation
with Maj. Gen. Christopher Azzano, Air Force Test Center Commander, during
the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School 75th anniversary celebration at Edwards
Air Force Base, Calif., Sept. 21, 2019. Yeager is credited with being the first
person to break the sound barrier in 1947 aboard a Bell X-1.
by Giancarlo Casem rate the anniversary and further allowed Air Force photograph by Jenna Romo grees and more flying time than I had.†mained stagnant. Its curriculum, its air-
Edwards AFB, Calif. alumni to connect with each other. The current Test Pilot School com- craft, its length, its focus, have all con-
The performance part I thought was tinued to evolve. Today the domains in
The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School “You know this place is special. I fairly easy, but the latter half; stability mandant, Col. Ryan Blake, spoke after which testers must operate continue to
celebrated its 75th anniversary with didn’t learn to fly here, but to fly better; and control got pretty complex,†Collins Collins. He paused to take a “selfie†on multiply. No longer can Air Force tes-
multiple events that culminated in a more accurately and I enjoyed this learn- said. “The part of TPS I didn’t like was stage with his fellow TPS alumni in the ters focus solely, or even maybe primar-
dinner attended by current students and ing process mightily,†said retired Maj. called data reduction; our planes were background. ily, on atmospheric flight,†Blake said.
alumni at Edwards Air Force Base, Ca- Gen. Michael Collins, Apollo 11 com- specially equipped with tape recorders “New threats, new opportunities in the
lif., Sept. 21, 2019. mand module pilot. “I never particularly that revealed any tiny mistake we made “I wish you could see what I’m see- cyber and space domains, among others,
liked school, but I can honestly say TPS in flight. The mistakes were buried in ing right now, it occurred to me that my will require TPS to continue to evolve.â€
The two-day birthday celebration al- was the first one that I ever enjoyed.†reams and reams of crude paper tape, grandkids are never going to believe
lowed alumni to reconnect with class- which we had to study minutely, in order this; if I tried to describe this evening “Today TPS is working to establish
mates and current students to connect Collins was the keynote speaker at to discover the tiny little mistakes that to them, that I was here when all of you other formal curricula in other different
with previous students and learn about the dinner event. He talked about his we might have made.†were here, they’re totally not going to domains like space and cyber, which
the unique challenges that each prior experiences at the Air Force Test Pilot believe it,†Blake said. will mirror the current curriculum, will
class faced. A panel discussion at the School, which he graduated from in Collins also said that at times, he felt allow more specific instruction and
base theater, Sept. 20, allowed current 1960, and how the specialized training overwhelmed by the historical signifi- Blake discussed in length the history hands on exercises in these new do-
students to ask questions of alumni he received led to him being selected by cance of Test Pilot School. of the U. S. Air Force Test Pilot School mains,†he said “As we do that, we’re
about their experiences. A golf tourna- NASA to be part of the space program. and spotlighted the past alumni attend- going to build on the lessons of the past;
ment was held Sept. 21 to commemo- “I felt like I was treading on hallowed ing the dinner by having them stand up how that has helped before and what we
“We students worked hard, not so ground and I kept asking myself, ‘how according to the decade they graduated. are not going to do is lose that magic
much the flying, but the academics. did I get here?’†he said. “My classmates He then talked about what the future about TPS.â€
were nearly all older with advanced de- holds for TPS.
Left: U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School “Where do we go from here?
alumni view historical class photos Throughout the years, TPS has not re-
of past TPS graduating classes
during an open house event at the
Test Pilot School at Edwards Air
Force Base, Calif., Sept. 20, 2019.
Right: A group of U.S. Air Force
Test Pilot School alumni, including
Air Force Test Center Commander,
Maj. Gen. Christopher Azzano (far
right), respond to questions from base
personnel as part of the school’s 75th
anniversary celebration at Edwards
Air Force Base, Calif., Sept. 20, 2019.
October 4, 2019• Volume 33, Issue 17 Serving the aerospace industry since 1986 Air Force photographs by Richard Gonzales
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