FLIGHT OPERATING LIMITS FOR CUSTOMER PILOTED EVALUATIONS

 FOREWORD

 The necessity to establish flight operating limits during Customer Evaluations is established by Military Specification. Although other GAEG organizations are involved, the ultimate responsibility for performing these functions rests with the Test and Evaluation Department. The procedure described herein provides the basis for understanding the nature of these requirements and the coordination with the DPRO necessary to ensure the timely completion for all Customer evaluations.

 I. INTRODUCTION

 A. SCOPE: The policy and procedures to promulgate flight operating limits for pilots during Customer flight evaluations as set forth herein.

 1. Operating Limits. The procedure and policy presented herein is applicable to all Customer piloted evaluations, to be conducted at the [company] facilities, or requiring [company] support at Government test facilities.

 B. APPLICATION: This procedure applies to all T&E personnel responsible for promulgation and distribution of flight operating limitations for customer piloted evaluations.

 C. RESPONSIBLE ORGANIZATIONS:

- Flight Test Technology
- Program T&E Management
- Flight Operations
- Program Management
- Engineering
- Configuration Data Management

D. ABBREVIATIONS

1. CDM- Configuration Data Management

2. FOL - Flight Operating Limitation

3. T&E - Test and Evaluation Department

4. FTT - Flight Tst Technology

5. GAEG - [company] Aerospace & Electronics Group

6. NASC - Naval Air Systems Command, Washington

7. DPRO - Defense Plant Representative Office

II. ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS

A. Applicable Documents

1. Aircraft Model Contract

2. MIL-D-8708B, "Military Specification, Demonstration Requirements for Airplanes" and addendum as applied to an individual aircraft program ( applicable as identified in the contract)

3. T&E Procedure, "Flight Operating Limitations for Contractor Programs"

III. GENERAL POLICY

A. Overall Responsibility. The Program T&E Manger has the overall responsibility to insure that customer piloted evaluation limitations and restrictions are submitted in sufficient time to preclude program delays due to approval time requirements.

B. T&E/DPRO Coordination. The Program T&E Manager and the DPRO Program Manager are the single points of contact for all matters relating to a specific program. If they are not available, the T&E contract will be the Assistant Test Manager; the DPRO contact will be identified in the contractual documentation as Point of Contact (POC).

C. CUSTOMER PILOTED EVALUATION FLIGHT OPERATING LIMITS

1. MIL-D-8708B stipulates that the contractor shall provide aircraft flight operating limitations to NASC via DPRO for approval on a periodic basis throughout the development program of an aircraft. It is a further requirement that aircraft operating limitations intended for use by Navy Pilots be defined and shown to be safe as substantiated by flight test data obtained by the contractor.

 2. Flight Test Technology, T&E has the responsibility for the generation of all flight operating limitations pertaining to [company] aircraft. The term "generation" is used in the broad sense; it is recognized that it consists of assimilating inputs from within the T&E and other GAEG agencies into a cohesive restrictions document.

 3. Specific procedures for generating FOLs are documented in T&E Procedure 70.02, Flight Operating Limitations for Contractor Programs.

 4. These contractor program FOLs are the basis for Customer piloted evaluation flight operating limits.

 IV. PROCEDURE

 A. GENERAL. The procedures outlined have been formulated to insure timely action in order to prevent program delays due to insufficient review and approval time for Customer piloted flight operating limits. Particular attention must be given to the submittal dates, which represent the "routine" route. It is recognized that extraordinary circumstances may arise which preclude meeting the desired dates. In these instances it is mandatory that the Program T&E Manager contact DPRO to arrange suitable alternate courses of action, and document the agreement reached.

 It is also noted that the emphasis and time lines in this procedure reflect the formally defined (MIL‑D‑8708B) Customer prerequisites considered to be most dependent on schedule and data requirements. When a Customer piloted evaluation is to be conducted, a conference between T&E/DPRO/Customer Program Office/Customer Test Agency shall be conducted at least 60 days prior to the proposed evaluation, or as specified in the applicable contract, to define and document the necessary prerequisites.

 B. DETAILED PROCEDURE. The T&E functional tasks and responsibilities for formulating Customer piloted flight operating limits are presented below. The implementation and approval procedure described herein, and shown in Exhibit A, assume the customer requirement is MIL‑D‑8708B. When the customer requires changes, or an equivalent specification, the responsible test team members will deviate from this procedure as required.

 IV. PROCEDURAL FLOW

A.  Joint conference to establish pre‑requisites for customer piloted evaluations

B.   Initial Operating Restrictions for Contractor Pilots

C.   Define proposed FOLs 

1. Initial Flight Tests

2. MIL-D-8708B OR

3. Conformance A Requirements

D.   Submit proposed customer FOLs to Customer Program Office via DPRO at least 45 days prior to evaluations.

E.   Forward recommended customer FOLs with endorsement to Customer Program Office.

F.   Customer Program Office Amends/Approves/Forwards to DPRO

G.   Submit substantiating data to DPRO with advance copies to Customer Program Office (with DPRO cognizance)

1. At least one week prior to pre‑evaluation  conference OR  

2. As defined at joint Conference A

H.   Pre-evaluation Conference

1. At least 2 weeks prior to evaluation OR

2.As defined in joint Conference A.

I.   Submit remainder of substantiating data to DPRO

J.   Verify/modify Customer Program Office approved limits

K. Issue FOLs to Customer.

L.   Start Evaluation