REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (December 20, 2024) – The path to becoming a United States Army experimental test pilot is full of challenges and many rewards, in the case of the U.S. Army Redstone Test Center, a few ‘awards’ as well.

Class 165 graduated from the United States Navy Test Pilot School known as USNTPS on December 13, 2024. Three of the outstanding graduates are now headed to RTC’s Aviation Flight Test Directorate.
New experimental test pilots, known as XPs, Lt. Col. Mark Salvati and Capt. Kenny Dailey and current RTC Department of the Army flight test engineer, known as an FTE, Matthew ‘Andrew’ Perka completed the latest 11-month course. Each class at USNTPS is made up of highly qualified aviators and engineers from all U.S. military services and more than three international partners.
In addition to the formal ceremony where all USNTPS graduates received their graduation certificate, the school also presented three awards recognizing three outstanding contributions over the rigorous 11-month period. RTC teammates received two of those three awards.
Lt. Col. Mark Salvatti earned the Class 165 Leadership Award for his role as the senior ranking class member. Salvatti was recognized for his passion of helping classmates with any issues that arose during the year-long course. Salvatti also served as the conduit between the class comprised of Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force, and international students as well as the USNTPS staff.
Cpt. Ken Dailey won the Best Capstone Award. The capstone event involves the students developing and executing a test plan to completely evaluate an aircraft for a particular mission.
The event involves three flights totaling five to six flight hours in which the students must obtain enough data to fully report on the aircraft’s suitability for a mission based on assessed performance, handling qualities, and systems performance. Dailey’s report was judged to be the best out of the 31-student class.
RTC Commander Col. Joseph Alexander, Lt. Col. JD Sauer, the executive officer of RTC’s Aviation Flight Test Directorate, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Nik Keramidas, a current XP at RTC, Eric Roome, the Chief Engineer at AFTD, and Ryan Harris, an FTE at RTC attended the ceremony held in Patuxent River, Maryland, which included three guest speakers, all astronauts currently in space on the International Space Station.
Experimental Test Pilots in the Army traditionally serve at least one rotation in AFTD at RTC on Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. AFTD is unlike any other directorate in the Army. XPs and FTEs work in small teams testing the latest aviation hardware.
Army XPs have been involved with testing of all current Army aviation systems, aircraft, and modifications and are postured to continue to inform the materiel development of future aircraft in preparation for flight testing. XPs have a tangible impact on materiel and equipment used on the battlefield by the Warfighter. From full acquisition programs to rapid fielding initiatives, to finding solutions to critical issues in the field — XPs are a key member of the team.
Are you interested in learning more about becoming an Experimental Test Pilot or Flight Test Engineer? Active-duty pilots can email the AFTD team at usarmy.redstone.atec.list.rtc-xp-recruiting@army.mil.
The U.S. Army Redstone Test Center is located on Redstone Arsenal and is a subordinate command of the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command. RTC provides technical expertise, state-of-the-art facilities, and capabilities to plan, conduct, analyze, and report the results of tests on missile and aviation systems, sensors, subsystems and components.
USNTPS trains pilots and engineers for development test and evaluation of aircraft and aircraft systems. USNTPS is a component of Naval Test Wing Atlantic under Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) in Patuxent River, Maryland
Social Sharing