Congress·In Committee·H.R. 9889

PILOT Act

Military Testing: Civilian Test Pilot Expansion

To direct the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress on the potential expansion of pathways for graduates of civilian test pilot schools to serve as test pilots and flight test engineers in support of military testing activities, and for other purposes.

Jul 22·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Next up: A house committee

A house committee must act next: committee consideration.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Could go either way

This bill has bipartisan support and only asks for a study, but it still needs to clear the House Armed Services Committee where many bills stall.

Key Points

This bill asks the Department of Defense to look into letting graduates from civilian test pilot schools help with military flight testing. Currently, most of this work is done by pilots trained directly by the military.
The Secretary of Defense would have to report to Congress by January 2027. The report will look at whether there are enough pilots to handle current military testing needs and if civilian schools meet the right safety and training standards.
If the plan moves forward, it could create new job opportunities for civilian pilots and engineers. It would also help the military get new aircraft and technology tested faster by using a larger pool of qualified experts.
The bill requires the government to create a certification process for these civilian schools. This ensures their classes and training match what the military requires for its own test pilots.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jul 22, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

Jul 22, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Bill NumberHR 9889

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)

R: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.