PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – The U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) held a graduation ceremony for the Class of 165 on December 13. Thirty-one students successfully completed the intensive 11-month course and earned their ratings as Engineering Test Pilots, Engineering Test Flight Officers and Test Project Engineer.
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, both retired US Navy captains, with a guest appearance by NASA astronaut and US Space Force Colonel Nick Hague, delivered the keynote address in a recording transmitted from the International Space Station (ISS), preceded by a keynote speech Special from USNTPS Alumnus Commodore Chris Smallhorn, Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Commander, Fleet Air Arm.
Williams graduated in 1993 from USNTPS with the Class of 104 and returned as an instructor in the rotary wing section in 1995. To date, she has spent a cumulative total of more than 510 days in space and is currently commanding Expedition 72 on the International Space Station.
Wilmore graduated from USNTPS in 1992 with the 102nd Class and also served on staff as a systems and fixed wing flight test instructor. He is a veteran of two spaceflights and has spent a cumulative total of more than 370 days in space
Williams and Willmore have been in space since June 5, 2024, on their final mission. They are currently living and working aboard the space station as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew and will return home in February 2025 aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos astronaut Aleksandr Gorbunov on NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission.
Smallhorn joined USNTPS Class 115 and graduated in 1999. He has served as Commander of the Fleet Air Arm of the RAN since January 2016.
The graduation ceremony was held at the Bay Area Volunteer Fire Department in Lexington Park, Maryland. Graduates included members of the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Israeli Air Force, Italian Navy, French Defense Procurement and Technology Agency, Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency, US Army, US Marine Corps, US Navy, and US Air Force.
Capt. Elizabeth Somerville, Commander, Naval Test Wing, Atlantic; Leader. Travis Hartman, US Navy, Commanding Officer, USNTPS; Dr. John Tritschler, USNTPS Chief of Academic Affairs, presented certificates and congratulated the new testers.
Army Capt. Kenneth Dailey received the Developmental Test Thesis Award from the Empire Test Pilots' School, in recognition of his exceptional performance during the Class of 165 graduation exercise. This prestigious award symbolizes the strong, long-standing partnership between the UK Empire Test Pilots' School and the USNTPS. .
Lieutenant Commander. Zachary Daniel received the Captain Willie McCall Outstanding Student Award for the best performing student in the categories of academics, flight performance, and technical report writing. He was also honored with the Developmental Test Dissertation Award for Best Final Report.
Army Lt. Col. Mark Salvati received the Sid Sherby Leadership Award, named after Capt. Sidney Sherby, founder of the Test Pilot Training Section, now USNTPS. The award is given to a student who demonstrates exemplary leadership in the classroom.
Nineteen students completed the engineering test pilot course requirements, seven students completed the engineering test flight officer course, and five students completed the test project engineer course requirements.
The USNTPS trains pilots and engineers to test, develop and evaluate aircraft and aircraft systems. USNTPS is a component of the Marine Test Wing Atlantic of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) in Patuxent River, Maryland. NAWCAD advances naval aviation operational capability and readiness.
For more information about NAWCAD, please visit www.navair.navy.mil or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MyNAWCAD/.
