The U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) was founded March 12, 1945 at the Navy's Flight Test Center in Patuxent River, Maryland, by Cmdr. Sydney Sherby. The purpose of the school was to ensure that test pilots of the day were formally trained to handle the high demands and expectations placed upon them by the rapidly evolving state of aircraft technology.

As Patuxent River's chief project engineer, Sherby proposed an indoctrination course for Navy flight test pilots with a curriculum that spanned aerodynamics, performance, stability and control characteristics, miscellaneous tests and trials, and flight test reporting.

The early Flight Test Pilot Training Program consisted of 37 hours of classroom academics and nine hours of flight time spread over a 10- week period. Classes met Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings and were taught by Sherby. Students in Class 0 flew the F-6F Hellcat, FM-2 Wildcat, SBD Dauntless, TBM Avenger and SNJ and were taught in-flight test and evaluation techniques by Lt. Cmdr. H. E. McNeely.

The USNTPS flight test syllabus gradually grew beyond its humble "Class 0" beginnings and evolved into a full-time course of study that now consumes nearly a year of dedicated effort involving over 500 hours of classroom instruction and 100 hours of flight time in more than 15 different type/model/series aircraft. As many as 36 experienced pilots, flight officers, and test engineers from all branches of the U.S. military and international partners make up each class. Over 4,200 students have graduated from USNTPS.

In addition to the original fixed wing flying qualities and performance based curriculum, USNTPS added a rotary wing course of study in 1961 and an airborne systems curriculum in 1975 to ensure that the technical aspects of each of the Navy's primary test disciplines were being addressed.

Currently, USNTPS is the only U.S. institution with a formal rotary wing test pilot syllabus and the only test pilot school in the world with a dedicated airborne systems curriculum.

Today, USNTPS remains at the forefront of aviation education by continuing to investigate and develop new flight test techniques, publish manuals for use by the aviation test community in standardizing flight test techniques and project reporting, and conducting special projects as requested by the flight test community. The school maintains its staff as a focal point of expertise to provide the aviation test community with engineering and training consultation through active participation in technical councils, NATO flight test committees, and professional organizations such as the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Society of Flight Test Engineers.

Over 70 years have passed since Cmdr. Sherby's first test pilot class began formal training of naval aviators to perform duties as flight test pilots. The next 70 years promise to see the same level of innovative accomplishment, tireless energy, and dedicated performance by the school as the world of naval aviation evolves and moves on to new challenges and advanced technology.