SETP - Recognized Test Pilot Schools

Making your business work better!

Learn more about SETP Guidelines, List of recognized schools and Membership Statistics

See list of schools

The following specific guidelines are intended as guidance for an assessment of a test pilot school that wishes to be recognized by SETP. The individual items should not be viewed as hard and fast requirements. Rather a school recognized by SETP should literally meet a majority of the items and the intent of all of them.  

  1. The facility should be a permanent building, buildings, or portion of a building that is used exclusively by the school.
  2. The facility should house the school’s administration and faculty offices as well as provide satisfactory classrooms, briefing rooms, and a technical library.
  3. The facility should include network and computer capacity sufficient for data reduction and report generation.
  4. The facility should include telemetry capabilities sufficient to train students in the use of real time control of flight tests.
  5. The permanent facility should also house any specialized training systems used by the school (laboratories, simulators, etc.)
  1. The school must have priority access to a varied fleet of aircraft that are suitably instrumented to perform the core flight test training functions.
  2. The instrumentation systems must supportable on site.
  3. The aircraft must be representative of the type of courses offered (fighters, transports, helicopters).
  1. The in-flight instruction must be done by qualified test pilots. As evidence of qualification, the majority of the instructors must meet the requirements for membership in SETP in the grade of Associate Member or higher.
  2. The core of the in-flight instructional staff must be full time personnel whose first priority is test pilot instruction.
  3. The full time core of instructor pilots can be supplemented by part-time flight instructors.
  1. Academic instructors should have flight test experience.
  2. The core of the instructional staff should be composed of full time personnel whose first priority is course development, preparation, teaching and tutoring students.
  3. The core of instructors can be supplemented by part-time instructors.
  4. Academic instructors should be degreed personnel in an appropriate field.
  5. Academic instructors may also function as flight instructors.
  1. Introductory or short courses in flight test are not appropriate and should not, by themselves, constitute the curriculum being recognized by SETP. While it is not the intent of this SOP to specify in detail the duration and content of courses, other SETP-recognized schools are 9 to 11 months long and cover performance, flying qualities and systems flight testing. The course of instruction being considered should not deviate significantly from these parameters.
  1. This can be shown by a history of at least six classes with graduates who are either Members of SETP or who would qualify for membership in SETP at the grade of at least Associate Member.

SETP Recognized Test Pilot Schools

Membership Statistics

Year End Membership Statistics as of 31 December 2019:

  • Honorary Fellows: 119
  • Living: 8
  • Deceased: 111
  • Fellows: 219
  • Associate Fellows: 369
  • Members: 1464
  • Associate Members: 269
  • Provisional Associate Members: 120
  • Total Membership: 2449
  • Lifetime Members: 701
    (Included in the above totals)
  • Corporate Membership: 66

Want to Join SETP - Indian Section?

Fill out the request form and our committee will review your application and get back to you.