U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command
Test Pilot Flight Instructor
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Summary
Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the NH-03 or GS 13 grade level in the Federal service that includes: 1) Conducting flight tests to evaluate the performance of substantially modified aircraft; and 2) Instructing personnel to successfully deliver aviation test curriculum; and 3) Managing aviation programs to align resources with organizational objectives. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (NH-03 or GS-13). Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted. In addition to meeting the qualification requirement (above), to qualify for this position you must also meet the individual occupational requirements listed below: Flight Certificate: Candidates must possess the appropriate Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certificate with commercial or higher privileges in the appropriate aircraft category (e.g., Airplane Multi Engine Land, Rotorcraft Helicopter, Instrument Ratings), and FAA Flight Instructor Certificate and/or an equivalent U.S. military pilot rating. NOTE: Candidates establishing eligibility based on military flight experience must provide official orders, forms, or logbooks showing their status as a rated military pilot, flight instructor, or flight examiner, as appropriate. Other certificates that meet or exceed the requirements of the Commercial Pilot Certificate are also acceptable, e.g., an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate. *You must submit supporting documentation for this requirement. Medical Certificate: Candidates must possess a current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Medical Certificate, Second Class or higher, or an equivalent active military flight physical (e.g., U.S. Army Class 2 / USAF Class II) without restrictive waivers that would preclude the performance of the duties. Note: A copy of the certificate or appropriate military medical clearance document must be provided at the time of application. Military Experimental Test Pilot School Graduate: Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited military experimental test pilot school. Acceptable test pilot schools include U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS), U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School (USAFTPS), Empire Test Pilot School (ETPS), and Ecole du Personnel Navigant d' Essais et de Reception (EPNER). Attendance to one or more "short courses" at these schools and/or on the job training does not meet this eligibility requirement. Note: A copy of the graduation certificate must be provided at the time of application. Flight Experience: Candidates must meet certain minimum flight hour requirements, including recent flight experience due to the hazardous nature of our operations. Minimum (IOR) individual occupational requirements are: 1) Total flight time 1750 hours; and 2) Pilot in command time 1150 hours; and 3) Night flying time 75 hours; and 4) Heavy multi-engine airplane/heavy helicopter time 500 hours (heavy is defined as gross takeoff weight in excess of 12,500 pounds); and 5) 100 hours of flying time in the last 12 months (Can be achieved in either fixed wing or rotary wing). Note: Documentation of all claimed flight hours, such as official military or civilian flight logs, must be provided at the time of application. OPM qualification standard: Aircraft Operation Series 2181 (opm.gov).
Major Duties
Perform duties as an experimental test pilot flight instructor (TPFI) at the United States Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland.
Provide instruction to operationally experienced pilots, flight officers, and test engineers to conduct aircraft and airborne systems flight tests.
Provide aircraft systems test instruction that include sophisticated weapons systems, electro-optical sensors, and threat countermeasure suites.
As a subject matter expert, advise management and colleagues on difficult problems, conduct special studies, propose options and alternatives, and represent the command.
Manage project/program requirements, objectives, and metrics; and resolves conflicts among schedules, funding, and resources.
Required Documents
The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements. As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further. 1. Your resume: Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position. Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume. If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy. For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume. 2. Other supporting documents: Cover Letter, optional Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses This position requires a job-related license or certification. You MUST submit a copy of your license or certification with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/03/2026 to receive consideration To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13085357). Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.