Flight Test Safety Workshop
2-4 May 2023
Drury Plaza Hotel Boardview
400 West Douglas Avenue
Wichita, KS 67202
Save the Date!
Join us 2-4 May 2023 in Wichita, Kansas.
More information on this event will be available soon.
Flight Test Safety Committee
The Flight Test Safety Committee (FTSC) was formed jointly in November 1994 by members of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP), the Society of Flight Test Engineers (SFTE) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). These and numerous additional organizations presently comprise the FTSC. The purpose of the FTSC is to initiate and sustain a flight test related safety organization intended to promote flight safety, reduce the risk of mishap, promote risk reduction management and continually improve the profession's communication and coordination.
Flight Test Safety Fact 22-12
Sometimes when I write these newsletters, I feel like I am banging two rocks together, creating sparks and attempting to direct them towards the dry, feathery threads of material, hoping that something will catch fire. My hope is that something in your heart, your mind, will catch fire, some thread of passion and curiosity. In other moments, I feel as if I have to unwind some of the threads of the rich fabric of flight test safety, pulling the threads apart so that the sparks will be able to set them on fire individually.
There are many such sparks and threads in this edition of the Flight Test Safety Fact, and as we end the fourth year of publication of the newsletter for the Flight Test Safety Committee, I point it out on purpose, reminding the reader that this is one of several objectives of the project. I don’t know if I have ever stated this objective explicitly, but I want to light a fire.
In this edition, we mention topics that were addressed in depth in other forums, because we intend to weave those threads (those topics) together—the DARPA and Lockheed Martin Optionally Piloted Aircraft (OPA) is one of those threads. It weaves into the fabric of OPA and history and the main theme of flight test safety, which then points us to a NASA book on the topic of unmanned aircraft. The book is a vein of gold ore. This edition also mentions articles and past editions of the newsletter and the efforts of late members and hopes aloud that someone will pick up the mantle.
This edition also includes feedback from readers from the October newsletter and another request from a reader for help with a safety survey. These are some of the oft overlooked but incredibly valuable parts of this project.
As we end another year, I hope you will share your thoughts and observations with This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., an attempt to add your sparks or fuel to the fire.
Sincerely,
Mark Jones Jr.
@FlightTestFact
flighttestfact.com
Editor
Download the newsletter here.
New Podcast Episode - EP 36 - Teaching New Pilots Old Planes
Flight Test Safety Committee Podcast Channel - EP36 - Teaching New Pilots Old Planes
This month we talk with test pilot Roger "Dodge" Bailey about flying the incredible assortment of aircraft in the Shuttleworth collection. They fly these aircraft every summer in public demonstrations. He discusses unique characteristics of those aircraft, their approach to training pilots/maintaining currency, and the occasional need to conduct flight tests on those aircraft.
Here is a Link to the Shuttleworth Collection
Link to our Flight Test Safety Committee Reference on Airshow Guidance
Available on iTunes, Spotify, Podbean, Google Play, and Amazon Music: FTSCChannel
This Podcast is sponsored by Time2climb Training and Consulting
Flight Test Safety Fact 22-10
Just this week, all of the FTEs flew north for the winter (I mean...annual symposium in London, Ontario), and a week earlier, the international Flight Test Safety Workshop ended in the UK. Both meetings resulted in countless discussions that deserve their own columns in this newsletter, but instead of a technical paper, this month features something light-hearted and fun...orange you glad?
Orange wire, orange flight suits, and orange paint on our airplanes...each is related to safety, but where does legend meet fact?
Ghouls and goblins might be the source of Halloween fright, but another thing that scares us is the complexity of today's modern systems and the effect of unknown unknowns on flight test safety. You can help Ben Luther research the topic by facing your fears and taking his survey.
If you have your own photos of Frankenstein aircraft or flight test modifications, send them our way. If there is a flight test safety paper we should know about from the SFTE symposium or European FTSW, send that to the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Happy Halloween!
Mark Jones Jr.
Editor
Download the newsletter here.