The school moved to RAF Cranfield in October 1945, then to the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough in July 1947, before returning to Boscombe Down on 29 January 1968.

In 1943, Air Marshal Sir Ralph Sorley, Controller, Research and Development, Ministry of Aircraft Production, formed the "Test Pilots' Training Flight" at RAF Boscombe Down after many pilots died testing the many new aircraft introduced during the Second World War.

[2] On 21 June 1943, the unit became the Test Pilots' School within the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at Boscombe Down.

[3] The school was "to provide suitably trained pilots for testing duties in aeronautical research and development establishments within the service and the industry".

[1] The first training course, held by the Commandant, Wing Commander Samuel "Sammy" Wroath with G. Maclaren Humphreys, a civilian, as Technical Instructor, was initially attended by 18 pilots, drawn largely from the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy but included three civilian attendees (all from the Bristol Aeroplane Company).

Some of these schools operate exchange programmes, which expand the variety of aircraft the students have available to them for gaining flight test experience.

The Empire Test Pilots' School fleet consists of the following aircraft: In the past the school has operated: BAe Hawk T.1 XX343,[17] Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet, Hawker Siddeley Andover XS606,[18] Beagle Basset, Westland Gazelle, North American Harvard, SEPECAT Jaguar, Westland Lynx, Westland Sea King, Panavia Tornado, Short Tucano, Eurocopter Squirrel,[19] Bell 412, Bell 205, Saab Gripen.

In the tables of trophy winners the following abbreviation are used in the course names: Legend The individual was killed in an aviation accident.

In memory of the second Commandant of the School, Group Captain JFX McKenna, AFC, killed in a flying accident while serving in that post.

This trophy is awarded by the Edwards Air Force Base in California to the student who makes the greatest progress on the course.