January - June 2011

January - June 2011 1 THE SOCIETY OF EXPERIMENTAL TEST PILOTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS President...... William A. Flynn, Lockheed Martin Vice President...... David Nils Larson, NASA/DFRC Secretary...... Douglas A. Benjamin, Boeing Treasurer...... Maurice Girard, Cessna Legal Officer...... Kevin Prosser, Calspan Executive Advisor...... Terry E. Tomeny, Boeing President-Elect...... Steve Rainey, Boeing Technical Advisor...... Timothy J. Morey, CAPT, USN Technical Advisor...... Mike Wallace, Boeing Canadian Section Representative...... Jason Randall, Transport Canada Central Section Representative...... Mark O. Schlegel, Bombardier East Coast Section Representative...... Thomas W. Huff, CAPT, USN European Section Representative...... Jeremy P. Tracy, AgustaWestland Great Lakes Section Representative...... Robbie Robinson, ATK Mission Research Northwest Section Representative...... Leon Robert, Boeing Southeast Section Representative...... Gary Plumb, DCS Corporation Southwest Section Representative...... Robert Moreau, FedEx West Coast Section Representative...... Stuart Rogerson, Maj, CAF Paula S. Smith Executive Director

CANADIAN SECTION Chairman...... Jason Randall CENTRAL SECTION EAST COAST SECTION Chairman...... Dan Hinson Chairman...... John Tougas Vice Chairman...... Don Parker Vice Chairman...... Eric Mitchell Secretary...... Scott Whitley Secretary...... Billy Berryman Treasurer...... Jeff Karnes Treasurer...... Mark Johnson GREAT LAKES SECTION EUROPEAN SECTION Chairman...... Robbie Robinson Chairman...... Marco Venanzetti Vice Chairman...... David Glade Secretary...... Eric Fitz Treasurer...... Sam Ryals NORTHWEST SECTION SOUTHWEST SECTION Chairman...... Leon Robert Vice Chairman...... Tom Twiggs Chairman...... Robert Moreau Secretary...... Ed Kolano Vice Chairman...... Aaron Tucker Treasurer...... Loran Haworth Secretary/Treasurer...... Jerry Singleton SOUTHEAST SECTION WEST COAST SECTION Chairman...... Gary Plumb Chairman...... Stuart Rogerson Vice Chairman...... Scott Cain Vice Chairman...... Rich Burr Secretary/Treasurer...... Sion Hughes Secretary...... Dave Marten Treasurer...... Jason Dotter

SETP COMMITTEES

Flight Test Safety Committee Chairman...... Maurice Girard Membership Committee Chairman...... Eric Hansen 2011 Fellows Coordinating Committee Chairman...... Leo Janssens Publications Committee Chairman...... Allen Peterson 2 January - June 2011 SETP 2011 CALENDAR

55th Symposium & Banquet Southwest Section 21-24 September 2011 Flight Test Historical Symposium Grand Californian Hotel & Spa 29 October 2011 Anaheim, CA Frontiers of Flight Museum Love Field, Dallas, TX 5th European Flight Test Safety Workshop 8-10 November 2011 Crowne Plaza Salzburg -THE PITTER Salzburg, Austria

COCKPIT is published by The Society of Experimental Test Pilots Address all correspondence to SETP Publications Chairman, Post Office Box 986, Lancaster, California 93584-0986 661-942-9574 Statements and opinions advanced in technical papers and letters-to-the-editor are those of the authors and do not necessarily coincide with the tenets of The Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Letters to-the-editor are encouraged whenever there are dissenting opinions. Table of Contents: President’s Memo...... 4 Technical Articles ...... 5 Editor’s Memo...... 21 Membership News...... 26 2011 Symposium Information...... 28 2011 Symposium Highlights...... 32 Scholarship Foundation News...... 38 SETP Foundation News...... 40 Know The Corporate Member...... 45 New Members and Upgrades...... 47 Who...What...Where...... 59 Section News...... 61 Book News...... 63 Last Flights...... 66

Cover Photo This image shows the F-35 US16E Ejection Seat being tested for JSF Qualification from the Martin-Baker Meteor WA638 which has completed over 550 ejection tests to date. Photo courtesy of Martin-Baker Aircraft Company, Ltd.

January - June 2011 3 PRESIDENT’S MEMO The annual Symposium and Banquet approaches and I trust as many of you as possible will travel to Anaheim for what promises to be a first class event. Following the theme of the Centennial of Naval Aviation, the program will focus on many of the highlights of this special year in Naval Aviation history. You will not want to miss it. This year SETP has hosted 10 different symposia and at each venue, the rooms were full of test pilots, flight test engineers and interested folks. The keys to success included great technical presentations on relevant test activities and William A. Flynn (F) relating the lessons learned from on-going programs of all Lockheed Martin sizes and shapes. The hard work of busy testers preparing SETP President presentations and writing technical papers was appreciated by these audiences who came to listen in spite of difficult economic times. I wish to thank everyone who donated their time and effort to participating in these forums. Honest, humble, open communication relating our mistakes, failures and successes from our adventures aids our fellow testers directly as they take on-board the lessons learned to apply to their own work. It has been a very difficult year with the accidents and fatalities we have suffered. Our organization is focused on preventing accidents, communicating what we learn flying and testing aircraft. We relate lessons learned and tell each other how our aircraft and systems have evolved hoping that those who follow us will not suffer our fate. However, as diligent, focused and humble as we may be, we cannot mitigate every risk nor prevent every accident. I wish we could change that. As many will recall, SETP began an association with the Mayday Foundation in recent years. Mayday provides critical incident stress aid to families of aircraft incident or accident victims. The Foundation is based in Germany and is closely associated with the airline industry in Germany and the greater European flying community. Their network provides a very effective web of support to those who need help, including the families of our SETP organization. Mayday has links to similar support groups in the US and Canada, helped by ALPA, and we will forge relationships with the North American network to develop counseling and support for the SETP families left after major aircraft incidents and accidents. Many of our members work without formal support networks and the help from trained and qualified personnel who are willing to reach out and help. At the annual Symposium and Banquet, there will be a special Spouses Meeting to present the “Family Handbook” which has been put together by a group of talented, professional spouses to help focus on what needs to be dealt with in case of an accident to one of us. The Family Handbook provides a valuable guide to focus on considerations that often are forgotten until it is too late. I encourage you to communicate that this meeting will be offered specifically for the spouses. I know it will be an interesting and valuable introduction to the subject. As my term as President ends, I wish to thank everyone for their support keeping SETP viable, relevant and healthy. You believe in what this organization represents, know that the cause is honorable and give your time and effort to help others in our profession. It most certainly was a thrill this year. Fly safe. Cheers

Billie 4 January - June 2011 TECHNICAL ARTICLES

Flight Testing and High Reliability Organizations James G. Casler, Ph.D., P.E. (AF) Introduction On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger launched from Cape Kennedy on Mission 51L. The primary mission objectives were to place in orbit two satellites, one of which was to observe Halley’s Comet. On board were seven astronauts, including Christi McAuliffe, the first “Teacher in Space.” The Space Shuttle had been declared operational on July 4, 1982 after an orbital flight test program of only four launches and was now considered safe enough for crewmembers who were not members of the professional astronaut corps. Launch conditions were unusual. The temperature at launch time was 36°F and was the lowest ever for a Shuttle launch by 15 degrees. Upper level winds were later determined to have created wind shear forces that exceeded prior flights but were within design limits. (Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident 1986, hereafter noted as the Rogers Commission). This launch was the second of twelve flights planned for the year and came on the heels of nine launches in 1985. The program goal was to eventually achieve a rate of 24 launches per year in 1990. This specific launch had been rescheduled several times, primarily due to a slide of the preceding 61C mission from December to mid-January. (Rogers Commission). Many will remember exactly where they were when, at 73 sec into the launch, the Challenger orbiter exploded, killing all aboard. NASA began conducting its own investigation but the visibility of the mishap demanded that these efforts be subsumed by the Rogers Commission. The Rogers Commission immediately found that the material failure was failure of both the primary and secondary O-rings at the aft fieldjoint of the right solid rocket booster (SRB). This breach directed a plume of hot gases onto the external tank (ET) containing liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuel for the orbiter and the attachment strut of the SRB to the ET, causing a breach in the ET and subsequent explosion. (Rogers Commission). But why did this event happen? The Rogers Commission ultimately identified what they felt was a deeply flawed management organization that gave launch approval in adverse launch conditions in order to meet the production pressures of an aggressive launch schedule imposed on them and despite know deficiencies in the O-ring design. (Rogers Commission). In short, the Rogers Commission findings suggest a management philosophy of “amoral calculators,” whereby managerial decision-making is reduced to primarily rule- bound decisions without consideration of the risk of injury or death. (Vaughn 1996, p. 35) The Challenger and Columbia mishaps (among others) demonstrate that organizations can nurture conditions, culture, and structures that inadvertently inhibit the safe accomplishment of the mission. Consequently, while flight test professionals may be much more comfortable in managing the activities in a cockpit or flight test control room, it behooves us to have at least an appreciation of those conditions, cultures, and structures that keep us safe, or perhaps detract from that safety. In organizational management circles, there has been an academic discussion occurring for roughly twenty-five years concerning how organizations dealing with high technology systems might manage the risks incumbent with those systems. This discussion, or argument, is essentially bipolar – there is little middle ground. There is a school of thought that suggests that accidents, including catastrophic accidents, are an inevitable aspect of high technology. As a consequence of this inevitability, the response in some cases, January - June 2011 5 notably with respect to the nuclear power industry, has been to recommend abandonment of the technology because it cannot be adequately controlled for the potential benefit to outweigh the potential costs. On the other hand is a school of largely practitioners who, while recognizing the inherent risks of the technology, have developed approaches to deal with those risks, albeit at high cost and arguably without being able to provide assurances that the technology is under control. Among these high technologies, unsurprisingly, we find aerospace systems, as well as the air traffic management system. Consequently, in general, as testers of these aeronautical and space systems, we need to look at how organizational behavior affects our product, i.e., the accurate, precise, and safe characterization of our flying machines. We need to explore this so as to recognize the organizational indicators of impending problems and to be able to step back to reconsider and correct. There is no literature currently available that specifically deals with the flight testing community where the central premise is to fly machines that have not been flown before in a given configuration or operating environment. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to highlight the key aspects of the two schools of thought on organizational reliability and compare with those of the flight test community. This comparison is done to assess whether flight test organizations are fatefully bound to commit an occasional catastrophic error or whether identifiable measures can be taken to create and sustain highly reliable operations, and, hence, to mitigate such inevitable consequences. Problem Statement We are all too frequently reminded that experimental and developmental flight test is inherently hazardous. The aerospace industry has pioneered not only technology but also management practices intended to reduce mishaps – both in frequency and in severity. Yet, despite great apparent successes, such as the Apollo lunar landings, highly visible losses such as the Challenger and Columbia mishaps still occur. Is there a limit to expected levels for flight test safety? As system complexity increases are more errors inevitable? Or, is it reasonable to expect that a flight test organization can simultaneously sustain highly effective and highly reliable operations indefinitely?

Scope The discussion here is limited to those organizations that conduct research, experimental, and developmental flight test, to include human space flight operations. Although recognizing that there are wide differences between government test organizations and those in the private sector, this analysis will consider both. Method The approach is first to consider the decision theory and systems management perspective arguments that system complexity increases probability of error. Second, the decision theory and management perspective of high reliability organizations (HRO) are considered, and both perspectives are compared to contemporary flight test organizations. Finally, the two schools of thought will be compared qualitatively to identify risk mitigation strategies to maximize both effectiveness and reliability with the view to provide recommendations as to desirable characteristics that enhance the reliability of flight test organizations. The overall approach will be from a systems engineering perspective in that not only will the technology be considered as a portion of the system but also the organization structure, processes and procedures, and culture. This viewpoint seems somewhat remarkable in itself because such a construct does not appear to be often taken in such studies.

6 January - June 2011 Assumptions An assumption that flight test effectiveness and reliability are preferred over efficiency is critical to this discussion. While this view may be widely held within the flight test community, it would be an exception in many (if not most) enterprises outside flight test. For example, most manufacturing organizations are designed and operated to optimize efficiency, i.e., the greatest production for the least use of resources, as the principal objective. However, while concerned with efficient operations, HRO are culturally far more focused on operational reliability and effectiveness and use such as their principal measures of effectiveness. Literature Review The literature dealing with management of high technology is lengthy but for the purposes of this paper, the discussion begins with Perrow’s introduction of Normal Accident Theory (NAT) in 1984, and later updated in 1999, in response to the visibility and magnitude of technology failures and resulting public concern. At heart, normal (system) accident theory suggests that major errors in the management of technology are inevitable and the probability and severity of those errors increases with technological or system complexity. As examples of technology, Perrow considered the following systems: nuclear power plants, petrochemical plants, aircraft and air traffic management, maritime systems, dams and mines, space, nuclear weapons, and genetic engineering. Apparently not convinced of the inevitability of such accidents as Bhopal, Challenger, and Three Mile Island, Weick (1987) provides a general assessment of organizational culture in terms of high reliability. He discusses both Three Mile Island and Challenger, as well as the de Haviland Comet and the Keilland oil rig, and holds these mishaps in contrast to successful and reliable organizations such as the Diablo Canyon nuclear facility and aircraft carrier operations. Weick’s premise is that in modern complex systems, humans are insufficiently complex to sense and anticipate problems generated by these systems. As with instrumentation, the sensor must be at least as complex as the system monitored. Weick’s solution is for organizations to ensure collective diversity that increases requisite variety and improves reliability and goes on to describe how an organization might accomplish this collective requisite variety to develop a culture of reliability. In the late 1980’s, the High Reliability Organization Project was initiated at the University of California, Berkley to conduct field research in complex, technology-intensive organizations. The systems considered were the Federal Aviation Administration air traffic management system, nuclear aircraft carriers and carrier air wing operations, and the electric power grid of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company. As a leading member of this team, LaPorte, among others, contributed several writings to describe this pivotal research. These writings provide the basis of our discussion of HRO for this paper. Also a member of the HRO Project, Schulman (1993) observed the behavior of both Pacific Gas & Electric and the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. Schulman demonstrated how the negotiation of informal control within otherwise rigorous formal procedures and the incorporation of “conceptual slack” to prevent “aggressive hubris” within these HRO. Roe and Schulman (2008) observed electric power grid management in the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) from 2001 to 2006 and expanded the concept of HRO by introducing High Reliability Management. Separately, Landau and Chisholm (1995), in evaluating Challenger, observed that organizations must vigorously guard against complacency, must be self-critical, and must be intolerant of concealment of errors, in order to eliminate mistakes. However, despite the apparent success of HRO, several writers are not convinced. Vaughn (1996 & 2005) provides a compelling reassessment of the Challenger and Columbia mishaps to arrive at the conclusion that even a well-intentioned and disciplined engineering January - June 2011 7 organizations such as NASA can find itself on the slippery slope of incrementalism and normalization of deviance. Raghavan (2002) also investigates the Challenger mishap and goes so far as to describe NASA as an HRO and concludes that suggests HRO is an illusion. Finally, Sagan (1993) considers nuclear weapon management in the Cuban missile crisis, as well as several other cases, and concludes that the principal reason that a catastrophic nuclear weapon incident has not yet occurred is that there have not yet been enough opportunities and that such an event is inevitable. The final point to this discussion is that there is no apparent literature linking HRO to flight test or aerospace research organizations. Hence, this paper examines flight test organizations in light of the behavior of HRO to determine whether flight test organizations respond as HRO. And, if so, learn from the challenges of such organizations. Analysis and Discussion Normal Accident Theory Normal accident theory (system accident theory) appears in 1984 with Charles Perrow’s Normal Accidents (later updated in 1999 to include Challenger, and others) in response to: Three Mile Island (TMI) in 1979, Bhopal in 1984, Cherynobl in 1986, Exxon Valdez in 1989, and other major industrial accidents. These mishaps killed hundreds, endangered thousands, and cost billions in damages and clean-up. Perrow’s basic premise is that, while rare, such catastrophes are inevitable with high technology. A fundamental question was posed: How could these accidents have occurred given all of the safety systems in place? And, how can they be prevented? The answer to the first question was somewhat surprising because, in several cases, the accident occurred not only despite the safety systems, but because of those systems. This observation occurs because the safety systems added to overall system complexity and coupling. Before proceeding to the second question of how can these mishaps be prevented, it is worthy to note that Perrow is a Yale sociologist and that his interest was in organizational behavior. In that regard, he seems to be somewhat intimidated by technology, and, indeed, appears to have arrived at a faulty conclusion, at least with respect to abandonment of nuclear power technology (as well as nuclear weapons). And, for many who have been members of mishap investigation teams, his identification of root causes of specific mishaps sometimes seems to be erroneous. Indeed, Perrow’s examples are fraught with malfunctioning safety devices and poor display of system status to the operator. For example, he is reluctant to say that the cause of any mishap was operator error, rather it is always the fault of the system. While the human factors community would often agree on that point, we also know that operators, to include test pilots, can sometimes simply make an error. However, Perrow (1999) does make some insightful and useful observations about systems characteristics. Among those is his approach to consider the system more holistically than typically viewed. In that regard, for our flight test operations, the “system” might be considered as not only the system under test, i.e., the test article, aircraft, etc., but also the test crew; the control room crew; the crash, fire, rescue personnel; the tracking and telemetry system; etc. In that regard, he views the system as being comprised of generally familiar components, i.e., design, equipment, procedures, operators, supplies and materials, and environment (DEPOSE). With this concept in mind, Perrow identifies two characteristics of any system that are the key factors in system failures. These dimensions are system complexity and the degree 8 January - June 2011 of interactive coupling. Perrow characterizes system complexity as “unfamiliar, unplanned, or unexpected” linkages (or sequences) among multiple components that preclude observation or comprehension. Such component relationships are distinguished from those much more straight-forward sequences of linear systems, as exemplified in Table 1.

Table 1: Comparison of Complex and Linear Systems (Perrow 1999, p. 88)

Complex Systems Linear Systems Proximity Spatial segregation Common-mode connections Dedicated connections Interconnected subsystems Segregated subsystems Limited substitutions Easy substitutions Feedback loops Few feedback loops Multiple & interacting controls Single-purpose, segregated controls Indirect information Direct information Limited understanding Extensive understanding

Aerospace systems are the epitome of system complexity. Subsystems are packed in close proximity to minimize volume and drag and to improve structural integrity. Engineering efficiency and cost control demand use of standard components in multiple applications. Subsystems, such as control, propulsion, and avionics, are increasingly intertwined to optimize performance and efficiency with feedback systems, multiple loops, etc. to the extent that vehicle control surfaces often move in manners unbeknownst to the pilot. Direct observation of systems status is increasingly unavailable. Finally, while flight testers are typically thoroughly familiar with the systems of the test vehicle, the ground and airborne instrumentation systems, and prior test results, the fundamental reason that the testing is being done is that there remains a limited understanding of system behavior. Coupling can be described as the degree of slack and process sequence flexibility permitted between components in the system. As compared to loose coupling in Table 2, tight coupling suggests no slack or buffering between components, greater time dependency, and invariant sequences. (Perrow 1999). As shown in Table 3, examples of tight coupling abound in the aerospace community. Table 2: Comparison of Tight and Loose Coupling (Perrow 1999, p. 96)

Tight Coupling Loose Coupling Delays in processing not possible Processing delays possible Invariant sequences Order of sequences can be changed Only one method to achieve goal Alternative methods available Little slack Slack in resources possible Buffers & redundancies fortuitously Buffers & redundancies designed-in available Substitutions of components limited Substitutions fortuitously available

January - June 2011 9 Table 3: Aerospace Examples of Tight Coupling Coupling Characteristic

Coupling Characteristic Characteristic Defined Example Delays in processing not Once initiated, events Ignition of Space Shuttle possible progress unabated and SRB quickly toward completion, Initiation of carrier catapult unless human or system stroke intervention occurs. No Flutter occurrence time available for cognitive Pilot-induced oscillation deliberation. G-loss of consciousness Dynamic rollover Vortex ring state Retreating blade stall Icing increasing drag, reducing lift, changing center of gravity, and FODing engines Combinations and configurations of external stores that create structural, vibration, performance, and stability & control problems Invariant sequences Once initiated, process Engine start/shutdown events must occur in Ejection sequence precisely the same Weapons release sequence, i.e., the sequence order cannot be changed. Single method to achieve Alternative methods or Spin recovery goal processes are not available. Flameout landing Carrier landing Little slack Few occurrences of Low altitude high speed inactivity or delays flight between process events. Engine inlet blanked Performance tolerances during spin narrow. Reduced rotor rpm reduces power, controllability, and loss of generator power

10 January - June 2011 Buffers & redundancies Automatic acceptance Automatic reversion to designed in or shedding of out-of- degraded operation modes, tolerance operation. e.g., back-up generator, Automatic selection hydraulic, stabilization of redundant systems. systems, etc. Graceful degradation. Fortuitous availability of alternative methods or resources as result of ad hoc action cannot be relied upon. Substitutions of Failed components cannot Replacement components components limited be easily replaced. must meet form, fit, and function requirements. Replacement components must be airworthy. No critical systems are known to be replaceable in flight.

We can see that NAT is both intellectually and intuitively agreeable, i.e., it has both content and face validity. We can easily envision the normalization of deviance in a complex organization with many interacting players under extreme time pressure, but committed to the mission, accepting a small deviation because nothing adverse has happened before until another small deviation triggers an irreversible catastrophic sequence of events. (Vaughn 1996) However, we do note the following characteristics of the organizations discussed by Perrow. First, these organizational structure and systems are static. They do not change in the face of changes in environmental or operational conditions. Second, typically, but not always, decision-making is centralized at levels that indeed may have limited direct information and understanding of activities throughout the organization. Third, surprisingly, there is little apparent quantitative risk analysis, e.g., probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). Indeed, Perrow calls risk assessment “shamanism.” (Perrow 1999, pp. 12, 306). Fourth, technical solutions to perceived problems are often addressed by additional redundancy as a means to achieve the desired reliability. Such redundancy serves to increase complexity and coupling and, thereby, exacerbates the likelihood of a system accident. Finally, these organizations did not systematically attempt to relieve inadequate understandings of system status and processes or to identify the “unknown unknowns.” An Alternative to Inevitable Catastrophe: The High Reliability Organization An alternative view of how organizations can safely and reliably handle high technology comes from the High Reliability Organization Project at the University of California – Berkeley. The High Reliability Organization Project investigated organizations dealing with complexity but that are highly reliable. Organizations investigated include the FAA air traffic management system, nuclear aircraft carriers, and nuclear power systems (LaPorte & Consolini 1991). Whereas NAT holds that catastrophic accidents are inevitable in high technology organizations, high reliability organizations (HRO) suggest that such catastrophic events are definitely not inevitable and can be avoided. However, LaPorte & Consolini (1991) acknowledge that high reliability organizations appear to work “in practice but not in theory.” January - June 2011 11 We will look at HRO from the following viewpoints: structure, culture, communication, leadership, and processes. Among their characteristics, summarized in Table 4, HRO can be described as adaptive organizations that are able to restructure in response to tempo changes or unexpected events (McCurdy 1993). As McCurdy (1993, p. 162) describes, “collegial authority patterns overlay bureaucratic ones as tempo of operations increases,” i.e., tight, centralized management systems with local responsibility – the “loose-tight” relationship mentioned by Peters and Waterman (1982). The organization is simultaneously centralized and decentralized with a strong hierarchy and well-developed standard operating procedures but allowing considerable technical discretion. In NASA’s case, McCurdy (2001) notes high centralization through systems management, with “highly structured, rigid procedures” that couple proposed engineering changes to cost, schedule, and interoperability impacts. Decentralization occurs through extensive in-house capability, hands-on activity, extensive testing, risk-taking within bounds, and constant learning. Table 4: Summary of Characteristics of High Reliability Organizations (Roe & Schulman 2008, Appendix 2)

Characteristics High technical competence High performance and close oversight Constant search for improvement Hazard-driven adaptation to ensure safety Often highly complex activities High pressures, incentives, and shared expectations for reliability Culture of reliability Reliability is nonfungible Limitations on trial-and-error learning (operation within anticipatory analysis) Flexible authority patterns under emergency Positive, design-based redundancy to ensure stability of inputs and outputs Often parallel or overlapping activities that can provide backup Operators and first-line supervisors trained for multiple jobs Low input, process, and output variance

However, other organizations maintain similar “loose-tight” structures. Our HRO also “operate tightly coupled, complex, and highly interdependent technologies” (LaPorte & Consolini 1991). What makes the HRO different? These organizations maintain a “culture of reliability,” to the extent that LaPorte and Consolini (1991) report that “failure-free performance is a condition of providing benefits” (emphasis added). Reliable operations have primacy over short-term efficiency. This position establishes the starting point in the decision-making process. A critical aspect of the HRO is the adaptability of the organization in the face of challenging conditions. It is in this transformation from highly-centralized decision making to decentralized decision making that we see the significance of communication. In the quiescent (routine) state, operations are controlled by formal institutions, extensive standard operating procedures (SOP), and top-down communications based on hierarchical authority. Yet there also exists a vibrant bottom-up flow of information relating to operational status. Effective organizations encourage this essential flow, rather than quash it (or inadvertently create barriers to it). A rapid dissemination of “Houston, we have a problem” is critical 12 January - June 2011 to an HRO. As the operations become increasingly intense, i.e., more tightly coupled, communication becomes more lateral as local coordination is developed and assistance is sought and rendered in “hot spots” in a “just-in-time” manner. (Roe & Schulman 2008, pp. 44-45). Meanwhile, there becomes increasingly less direction from higher organizational levels and more monitoring of the lower level “chatter” so as to quickly deploy additional resources if needed, to coordinate on an organizational scale, and to vigorously shield the local operations from intrusions from the external environment. The simultaneous “loose-tight” structural characteristic of HRO is achieved in large part due to the nature of HRO leadership. While not always explicitly recognized in the literature for what it is, i.e., what LaPorte & Consoline (1991, p. 35) term “multilayered, nested authority systems,” examples imply thoroughly competent leadership at all organizational levels. In part, we might see this as an aspect of the “culture of reliability,” which is developed and strengthened by selection and training. But, it is more. It stems from a realization by senior leadership that they cannot definitively know the precise conditions at the operator level and from an abiding confidence in the operator to take the initiative and respond correctly despite not having received orders to act. This decentralized leadership at the operator level to “take charge” during the most time-critical, tightly-coupled periods is a defining feature of HRO. The characterization of “working in practice but not in theory” (LaPorte & Consolin 1991) suggests a potential issue with HRO – is it sustainable? As LaPorte and Consolini (1991, p. 23) point out, the existence of HRO to date has assumed adequate resourcing. Indeed, Vaughn (1996) suggests that production pressures in the face of perceived diminishing resources contributed to the Challenger mishap. The systematic continual selection and training of personnel at all levels to ensure both knowledge compliance with SOP as well as recognition of frequently encountered operational patterns and limited scope “trials without errors” (LaPorte & Consolini 1991, p. 28) serves to enhance decision-making but adds an additional overhead burden to organizational costs. Further, the degree of discipline necessary to understand and comply with the rigorous formal procedures, as well as to maintain composure and situation awareness in high tempo operations, appears to demand a degree of isolation and insulation from external distractions. This separation is intrinsically costly to any parent organization. Additionally, Schulman (1993, p. 364) argues the existence of “conceptual slack,” i.e., “divergence in analytical perspectives among members … over theories, models, or causal assumptions …” to protect against “errors of rendition.” This internal organizational self-critique guards against groupthink and complacency and provides an atmosphere that promotes error reporting and error avoidance without recrimination. However, such organizational slack reduces efficiency and increases the cost of doing business. Finally, HRO typically incorporate features that permit what might be described as “graceful degradation.” Arguably, such provisions also reduce efficiency while “keeping the lights on.” (Roe & Schulman 2008). Despite the higher operational costs to sustain an HRO, arguably it is a case of “pay now, or pay later,” with the costs of a catastrophic event far outweighing the day-to-day costs of reliability. Indeed, Tamuz and Lewis (2008) observe that managers must balance the certain costs of reliability and safety investments in the near term with whatever uncertain benefits may be obtained at some undetermined future point in time. And, they find it “difficult to demonstrate that [such] investments in prevention are successful,” i.e., that the unseen benefits are worth the observed costs. Dissenting Views of High Reliability Normal accident (or system accident) theory focuses on system properties rather than more conventional accident causes, such as operator error, supervisory error, maintenance, subsystem failure, weather conditions, etc. Vaughn (1996) introduces three characteristics of organizational behavior in her reassessment of the Challenger mishap. These are normalization of deviance, culture of production, and structural secrecy.

January - June 2011 13 Vaughn (1996, p. 62) describes normalization of deviance as the continual acceptance of risk despite continual evidence of a problem. The following decision-making process characterized by incrementalism and risk acceptance (Vaughn 1996, p. 65), leads to this normalization: 1. Signal of potential danger 2. Official recognition and escalation of risk 3. Review of evidence 4. Official act accepting risk 5. Confirmation of the current approach The culture of production embodies a commitment to production goals (the “can do” attitude) driven by strong bureaucratic and political accountability, often despite inadequate resources to complete the mission. Vaughn (1996, pp. 207-8) notes such an attitude may involve bureaucratic organizations that emphasize discipline, a sense of responsibility, “technical efficiency”, production pressure, cost awareness, limited resources, and compromise. Vaughn (1996) defines structural secrecy as “the way that patterns of information, organizational structure, processes and transactions, and the structure of regulatory relations systematically undermine the attempt to know and interpret situations.” Structural secrecy can lead to normalization of deviance through: 1. Patterns of information that alter the workgroup’s definition of the problem or situation 2. Structure, process and transactions that affect the ability of the work group to accurately and comprehensively convey information up the decision chain 3. Structure of safety programs that inhibits the ability of safety personnel to change the paradigm of normalization. The Challenger mishap provides an often-used case study in the normalization of deviance in that erosion of the primary O-rings of the aft field joint of the solid rocket booster (SRB) had been unexpectedly observed on early flights but had been determined to be within safety margins while the secondary ring provided redundancy. Incrementally increasing degrees of erosion were continually accepted. A “work group” culture emerged from the Apollo program early in the Shuttle program. The frame of reference for this work group culture was that, while risk could not be eliminated, it could be mitigated. The general risk mitigation strategies included (Vaughn 1996): 1. Take a conservative design approach 2. Subject the vehicle to the most benign operational environment possible 3. Provide the means for the crew to take corrective action The risk management demanded that the system did not pass a flight readiness review (FRR) until either the hazard was eliminated or controlled by corrective action or until testing indicatedthe hazard was not a threat. Of note, here we see the elements of how we currently view risk as having dimensions of severity (or cost) and probability of event occurrence. We also see a process not unlike what the Navy terms as Test Hazard Analysis. Other test agencies no doubt have their own terms for such a process. The FRR process was highly disciplined and adversarial at all levels but the sheer numbers of engineering issues meant that attention was directed primarily to the exceptions and to changes from the previous flight. Consequently, when erosion was observed on the primary O-ring of the SRB field joints on an early flight, although it was unexpected, it was determined that the observed blow-by and related erosion was within limits and was an anomaly. The observation was further discounted because if the primary o-ring failed, 14 January - June 2011 the secondary o-ring provided sufficient protection against breach. In other words, it was a case of “no harm, no foul” and the referee would catch more serious infractions. While the decision-making process led to some engineering changes and process changes, these were successfully argued at the FRR and subsequently confirmed for the next Shuttle launch. No one seemed to notice this gradual, incremental slide down the slippery slope toward Challenger flight 51L. (Vaughn 1996). Marais, Dulac, and Leveson (2004) also take issue with the HRO model, suggesting that while NAT is unnecessarily pessimistic, the HRO model oversimplifies the problems. While they correctly observe that the fatefulness of NAT can be relieved by reducing system complexity and loosening coupling, their assessment of HRO suggests that the HRO alignment of safety and production goals is not possible, that the centralized-decentralized operations concept is contradictory, and that decentralized decision making leads to mishaps, that organizational learning is insufficient, and that the HRO use of redundancy simply increases system complexity. Rather, Marias, Dulac, and Leveson (2004) advocate adopting a “top-down systems thinking approach” and treating the larger socio-technical system holistically. They note that reliability of the socio-technical system, i.e., all of the personnel, culture, procedures, and physical components assembled to accomplish some defined purpose, is not the same as safety. Safety is a characteristic of the total system, whereas reliability relates to the predictability of the performance of each of the constituent subsystems and components. Since safety is an “emergent or system property,” they argue that a systems approach that identifies and enforces system safety constraints and considers the dynamics of the continually adapting socio-technical system is necessary to understand and prevent mishaps. (Marais, Dulac, Leveson 2004) Finally, Sagan’s (1993) assessment of nuclear weapons safety also offers a comparison between HRO and NAT and concludes that, despite the organizational structure, procedures, system safeguards, and personnel training and experience among the world’s nuclear powers, the avoidance of a nuclear weapons catastrophe has been largely serendipitous. Through several case studies during the Cold War, he rejects HRO and suggests that each of the cases could have easily gone the other way. In other words, he contends we were lucky and that eventually the interactive complexity and tight coupling would product a cascade of events leading to a nuclear accident, i.e., a Normal Accident Theory point of view. His view is that HRO organizations have conflicting objectives that preclude a focus on safety. That is to say that significant production pressure exists and that the reconciliation is difficult between the external demands for production and the internal demands for safety. Additionally, despite procedures and training, misinformation and communication lapses are inevitable and lead to creation of mishap situations. Sagan (1993) contends that organizations are inherently unable to devise training programs that anticipate all possible failures. The following observations can be made regarding these dissenting views. First, the holistic view of the system to include the components of design, equipment, procedures, operators, supplies and materials, and environment (Perrow 1999), i.e., the sociotechnical system (Marais, Dulac, Leveson 2004) appears to provide a valid and useful model that is consistent with the HRO model. Secondly, the dissenting views tend to diminish the positive contribution of the human component in the system, while emphasizing the negative (but valid) aspects, such as conflicts of interest, dysfunctional personal interactions, and dysfunctional communications. It appears that the presence and strength of the positive aspect of assertive, proactive, energetic, knowledgeable, and ethical leadership at all levels of the organization, i.e., socio-technological system, may be the crux of the issue. Fundamentally, this observation demonstrates how the HRO approach may fail, i.e., through the absence of leadership of this sort and extent. Arguably, assertive, involved, and mission-focused leadership is a January - June 2011 15 necessary, but perhaps not sufficient, attribute of a HRO. While perhaps worthy of a paper in its own right, leadership qualities in these organizations do not explicitly appear in the current literature, having seemed to have been overlooked by the research community.

Are Flight Test Organizations HROs? In Table 5, the features of an HRO in comparison to those typical of flight test organizations are revisited. This comparison is primarily based on the author’s over twelve years of experience in the Navy’s developmental flight test organizations, i.e., in the then-Rotary Wing Aircraft Test Directorate and the Navy Test Pilot School, as well as observations of several commercial flight test organizations, notably Bell Helicopter, Boeing Helicopter, Sikorsky Helicopter and then-Hughes Helicopter flight test operations. For the purposes of this paper, these organizations are considered representative of the flight test community. Table 5: Comparison of HRO with Flight Test Organizations

HRO Characteristic Flight Test Organizational Features High technical competence Replete with multidisciplinary competence/talent at both theoretical and practitioner level to include: aero eng, ME, EE, structures, systems eng, instrumentation techs, FTE, test pilots, etc. High performance and close oversight Typically, multiple review levels external to the flight test organization, to include configuration managers, flight clearance monitors, as well as the direct supervisory chain. Constant search for improvement Use of simulation for test event rehearsal Hazard-driven adaptation to ensure safety Extensive test planning incorporating hazard analysis and lessons learned from previous tests and flight test programs. Extensive organizational structure to address airworthiness and flight clearance issues. Often highly complex activities Test events are typically highly choreographed activities featuring (among others) the test crew, chase crew, ground control, instrumentation, telemetry, tracking, range control, air traffic control, maintenance, and system/ subsystem experts.

16 January - June 2011 High pressures, incentives, and shared For military flight test organizations, expectations for reliability the incentive is to ensure that the fleet, or operational units, will eventually receive the best equipment possible. For many test team members, many of their service comrades may have to operate the weapon system in field or combat conditions. For commercial flight test organizations, the incentive is to competitively serve customers. The vehicle under development often represents a significant investment of company resources. Additionally, the program may involve organizational risk in creating new or modified product lines and in serving new customers. Culture of reliability Culture of professionalism Reliability is nonfungible Emphasis on flight safety from flight test planning including test hazard analysis, risk categorization, safety checklists, risk mitigation strategies, etc., through test execution to include weather monitoring, range sweeps, communication checks, flight tracking, special test instrumentation, etc. Limitations on trial-and-error learning Test events are typically highly (operation within anticipatory analysis) constrained with experimentation done on the ground, not in the air. Deviations from standard practices demand extensive scrutiny and rationalization. Flexible authority patterns under Flight crew has intrinsic authority to emergency respond as needed based on conditions observed in the cockpit. All other entities revert to support. Positive, design-based redundancy to Multiple operational redundancy ensure stability of inputs and outputs. from direct pilot observation to chase, These are often parallel or overlapping telemetry, optical and radar tracking, and activities that can provide backup, as well instrumentation. Inside the cockpit there as operators and first-line supervisors are test cards, voice recording, cockpit trained for multiple jobs cameras, etc. to record data.

January - June 2011 17 Low input, process, and output variance Standard Operating Procedures. Flight crews and typically flight test engineers, many control room personnel, and project/program managers are graduates of an accredited test pilot school with well-established, stable curricula teaching standardized test methods. Flight test handbooks, FAA test guidelines, etc., guide methods of data collection and execution of test maneuvers. Also, flight clearance process. Reporting templates and styles are highly standardized. Standardized terminology

For each HRO characteristic, the typical flight test organization is found to exhibit that characteristic in several aspects. Consequently, while there may exist differences among aircraft manufacturers, civil agencies, and military services in their respective test policies and procedures, these organizations are profoundly similar with respect to the structure, management, and culture of regularly dealing with the risks of advanced technology in highly visible and consequential development programs. And, these organizations are similar to non-aerospace, such as nuclear power plants, that have adopted the HRO model. If a distinction is to be made, it is that the HRO model is more likely found among the non-flight test organizations in individual companies or groups. Table 5 suggests that for flight test the model appears to be applied across the industry. I Implications for Flight Testing While the HRO model has been primarily descriptive, rather than prescriptive, this assessment has implications for the flight testing organization as it seeks to maintain the character and strengths of its success. While tight coupling of complex systems is common in flight testing, failures need not lead to highly visible and costly mishaps. Catastrophe can be avoided by insertion of organizational slack to give some time to loosen the degree of coupling, i.e., to “delink” the series of events leading to the mishap. In particular, conceptual slack is essential in the organization to facilitate introspection opportunities, to enable continuous learning, and to identify and correct errors. Additionally, intellectual diversity is necessary to ensure that the “requisite variety” of viewpoints exists. This is achieved by increasing the number of viewpoints from which a potential problem may be considered. In large part, interdisciplinary and crossfunctional teams do this naturally by incorporating the perspectives of the various systems engineering disciplines, organizational functions, as well as the customer. Empowered operators operating within a rigorous and well-defined framework of processes, procedures, and knowledge enable the organization to be flexible through the centralization- decentralization scheme. This approach not only incorporates the perspectives of the personnel closest to the problem but also enables timely actions to avoid mishaps. In that regard, the “NO” vote, i.e., veto power for the operator regarding a test point, or even a mission, should be encouraged and protected to ensure that the operator is not pressured into actions that are at odds with the conditions. While production is important, short-sighted pursuit of production goals is actually counterproductive. Rather, leadership should be committed to prioritization of safety and reliability as the primary goal. Consistently higher productivity is achieved by avoiding the downtime and cost of mishaps through such far-sighted leadership. In the short-run, 18 January - June 2011 HRO operations will be more costly than non-HRO operations. However, these heightened costs are easily offset by avoiding the loss of assets, the loss of personnel, and the loss of good will. These additional costs arise from more personnel and more communications systems to achieve redundancy, more training and indoctrination, higher experience and competence levels of managers and operators who thoroughly understand system operations, and more monitoring of the operations environment. Flight test organizations should seek to maintain high levels of redundancy in personnel, in communications, and in technical safety measures, such as multiple system status displays to facilitate decision- making. Continual training and rehearsal develops emergency responses under controlled conditions. Open communications ensure the removal of impediments to safety reviews. One of the shortcomings of the HRO model is the cost of maintaining a sustained high level of intensity, attentiveness, and concentration over lengthy periods of time – theoretically, in perpetuity. In part, this will take dedicated, involved, imaginative leadership to prevent “burnout” of the frontline personnel. In that regard, the work must be made meaningful and interesting. Additionally, personnel rotation also reduces burnout by keeping a fresh perspective and serves to add diversity and depth of experience to the operations team. Implementation of an HRO is made difficult due to the higher degree of isolation or insulation of the organization necessary to control the interface with the environment. The HRO restricts, or filters, influences from the external environment to reduce distractions and to generate a spirit of cohesiveness among the team. It also reduces the likelihood of a random failure to implement standardized procedures and potentially initiate a failure sequence. While the nature of the technology and the magnitude of a potential catastrophe may naturally dictate some separation from the outside, the ubiquity of social networking alone makes this task difficult. Physical security of the operations provides some measure of separation, as does identification of specific individuals as contact points, or liaisons, with the external world. Nevertheless, flight test managers will need to develop means to keep the cacophony of voices outside so as to better hear the signals from within the team. Finally, flight test organizations clearly exhibit the characteristics of high reliability organizations. While specific organizations may exhibit these qualities to a greater or lesser extent, these organizations will need to remain attentive to cultural, structural, and procedural changes to retain their reliability and to avoid the catastrophe forecast by NAT. In that regard, Weick and Sutcliffe (2001) identify the characteristics of “mindfulness” that they describe as the hallmark of high reliability. 1. Preoccupation with failure. 2. Reluctance to simplify interpretations. 3. Sensitivity to operations. 4. Commitment to resilience. 5. Deference to expertise. “Mindful” organizations can be seen to exhibit not only situational awareness but also a sense of self-awareness that serves to keep the organization on course. As a stabilizing influence, mindfulness is a cultural aspect of the organization that, if not currently present, requires time and committed leadership to implement. Indeed, such leadership must be necessarily present at all levels of the organization for mindfulness to occur. Lessons Learned Normal Accident Theory suggests that flight test accidents cannot be avoided, i.e., they are a systemic, or “normal,” part of the practice. Furthermore, as the systems under test become more technically complex, NAT suggests that more errors are inevitable. However, the HRO model suggests that such normal accidents may be avoided. That is to say that, catastrophic events are not inevitable for complex, tightly coupled systems. But, high reliability requires work, resources, and vigilance. January - June 2011 19 Flight test organizations can simultaneously sustain highly effective and highly reliable operations indefinitely. The conditions are that leadership must be committed to safety and reliability over efficiency, that empowered operators work within well-defined processes, that organizational experimentation and training is done under controlled conditions, and that there is an emphasis on communication – up, down, and sideways. The flight test organization should be diverse to achieve requisite variety of perspectives but the external environment should be kept out to keep input variance low. However, even well-intentioned and disciplined engineering organizations are subject to incrementalism and normalization of deviance. Flight test organizations must maintain a questioning or critical attitude, i.e., a mindfulness that continually checks and rechecks the organization and the operation for adverse trends. The organization should continually poll not only the test pilots and flight test engineers, but also the engineers, designers, systems experts, technicians, safety personnel, etc., to listen for signs that something is amiss. Sources Landau, M. & Chisholm, D. (1995). The arrogance of optimism: Notes on failure-avoidance management. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management 3,(2), 67-80. LaPorte, T. R. & Consolini, P. M. (1991). Working in practice but not in theory: Theoretical challenges of “high-reliability organizations.” Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 1, 19-47. Marais, K.; Dulac, N.; Leveson, N. (2004, March). Beyond normal accidents and high reliability organizations: The need for an alternative approach to safety in complex systems. Paper presented at the Engineering Systems Division Symposium, Cambridge, MA. McCurdy, H. E. (1993). Inside NASA: High technology and organizational change in the U. S. space program. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. McCurdy, H. E. (2001). Faster, better, cheaper: Low-cost innovation in the U. S. space program. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. Perrow, C. (1999). Normal accidents: Living with high-risk technologies. (Rev. ed.) Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Peters, T. J. & Waterman, R. H. (1982). In search of excellence: Lessons from America’s best-run companies. New York: Harper & Row. Raghavan, S. V. (2002). Decision making in complex organizations: Lessons learned from the Challenger disaster. In Decision Sciences Institute 2002 Annual Meeting Proceedings (pp. 1690-1695). Atlanta, GA: Decision Sciences Institute. Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident (June 6, 1985). Washington, DC: U.S Government Printing Office. Roe, E. & Schulman, P. R. (2008). High reliability management: Operating on the edge. Stanford, CA: Stanford Business Books. Sagan, S. D. (1993). The limits of safety: Organizations, accidents and nuclear weapons. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Schulman, P. R. (1993). The negotiated order of organizational reliability. Administration & Society 25(3), 353-372. Tamuz, M. & Lewis, E. T. (2008). Facing the threat of disaster: Decision making when 20 January - June 2011 the stakes are high. In G. P. Hodgkinson & W. H. Starbuck. (Eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Organizational Decision Making. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 155-173. Vaughn, D. (1996). The Challenger launch decision: Risky technologies, culture, and deviance at NASA. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Vaughn, D. (2005). System effects: On slippery slopes, repeating negative patterns and learning from mistakes. In W. H. Starbuck & M. Farjoun (Eds.). Organization at the Limit: Lessons from the Columbia Disaster. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Weick, K. E. (1987). Organizational culture as a source of high reliability. California Management Review, 29(2) 112-127. Weick, K. E. & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2001). Managing the unexpected: Assuring high performance in an age of complexity. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Editor’s Memo: A Little Help Please!

Greetings SETP Members and associates. I’m AL Peterson the SETP Publications Chairman and I have a favor to ask of all of you. I need your help in finding, soliciting, and sending in good technical articles, RefleXtions style articles, photos, and general member news for publication in Cockpit. Our society members are doing great and fantastic work out there in the world, but you would never know it based on the lack of technical articles and other information that get submitted to Cockpit for consideration for publication. Quite honestly, we struggle every issue to find good technical and RefleXtions articles to publish, and I know we don’t receive a fraction of the news about the great things our members are doing. If you know someone who has written a technical or historical flight test article please encourage them to submit it. If you know someone who has done some interesting flight test work (past or present) but hasn’t written an article, encourage them to hit the keyboard and then send it in. Likewise for sending in news about the great things our members are doing, if you know something interesting that has happened in the flight test world please send it in. Good quality and interesting photos should also be sent in for inclusion in the news section and also for consideration for the cover of Cockpit. Cockpit is sent to and belongs to everyone in the Society and in order to keep it useful and relevant technically, journalistically, and socially we need everyone to actively seek out and send in articles, news, and photos. Thanks in advance for your support. Cheers, AL

January - June 2011 21 IS INNOVATIVE AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY GETTING TOO FAR AHEAD OF ITSELF? Desmond E. Barker (M) We live in a society that suffers from automation addiction! The next generation of pilots are highly ambidextrous beings, able to utilise keypads at high speed; they also seem to have an unwavering faith in the latest technologies which are being introduced at a rate beyond which pilot training is able to match. Is there a ‘red flag’ out there that we are missing? The human element is unchanged over the past 107 years of powered flight, we are still at the Wright brother’s level of psychomotor skills, but it could be argued that automation is rapidly regressing our flying skills and airmanship. Should automation failures be able to lead to aircraft accidents? Has automation gone too far ahead of the human? Calling all pilots, aircraft and system design engineers and civil aviation regulators! Is there anyone out there that has noticed the irony of aviation’s technological advances over the last 107 years of powered flight? There is no doubt that innovative engineering and technological advances have increased aviation efficiency and safety at a higher rate than any of the other sciences, but HOW we are actually directing the benefits of this technology gain, and HOW we are amending flight training to adapt to the technological pace, should be a concern to all. Regulators have over the years, exercised their mandate in directing safety conventions in accordance with their existing knowledge and experience. Do the regulators currently have a full understanding of the introduction of innovative technologies and the impact on flying an aircraft? Are we facing a revolution in technological affairs which is beyond the scope of current regulator’s understanding? Within the airline pilot community worldwide, concern prevails in some instances at the lack of basic situational awareness and handling capabilities appearing in the cockpits. In several accident cases, the causes could be traced back to pilot’s inadequate ‘hands-on’ abilities or loss of situational awareness operating the latest generation aircraft. It is no secret that engineers seized upon the fickleness of pilot judgement to deliberately design ‘pilot error’ out of the cockpit. The universally accepted 72% of accidents attributed to MAN, spurred engineers on to introduce automation into the cockpit to ameliorate pilot handling and judgement inadequacies. But, based on recent accidents and incidents, the question can rightly be asked: Is automation error going to be the new human factors contribution to accident statistics? The problem stems from the fact that smart avionics, smart aerodynamics and smart flight control systems have made modern aircraft a lot easier to fly and consequently, it could be argued that pilot workload has decreased significantly to the extent that the ‘pilot-out-of-the- loop’ philosophy increasingly poses a threat to piloting skills. Have engineers led pilots to a place where a trust in technology has overwhelmed a faith in the ability of the pilots to recover from a ‘bad situation’? It is prudent to ask the question: Are the pilots themselves complicit in this situation? The luxury of automation is turning pilots into ‘better informed’ passengers with inadequate physical cues to handle emergency situations in some cases. Historically, pilots have always needed to ‘feel’ what an aircraft is doing and what the aircraft was saying to them; by designing them ‘out of the loop’, this is no longer the case. From another angle, very little seems to made of the fact that engineers have not yet succeeded in designing zero defect equipment and their backup philosophy of quadruple redundancies statistically reducing failure to better than 10-9, have not lived up to expectations in the real world. The loss of the Air France Flight 447 Airbus over the Atlantic in 2009, saw, over a time span of four minutes, a series of twenty-four ACARS messages sent automatically, indicating amongst other speed measurement inconsistencies, the disconnection of the autopilot and the airplane going into ‘alternate law’ flight control mode which happens when multiple failures of redundant systems occur; 228 people died. The loss of major systems left the pilots with information overload but no real option to control the aircraft manually under the adverse weather conditions prevailing at the time.

22 January - June 2011 The simple failure of a radio altimeter led to the delayed attempts at stall recovery of the Turkish Airlines Boeing 737 Flight 951 in which the investigators’ preliminary report confirmed that the pilots allowed the automatic systems to decelerate the aircraft to a dangerously low speed as it approached Schiphol Airport. Very late detection and pilot response at 450 feet agl; the pilots scrambled to accelerate out of the stall before it crashed to the ground, killing the three flight deck crew and six others on board. The radio altimeter had “informed” the automatic flight system that the aircraft was 8 feet below the surface when it was still nearly 2,000ft in the air which caused the auto-throttle to pull back the thrust levers to idle, as if the plane were touching down. The Amsterdam incident was at least the fourth in thirteen months in which pilot error caused an airliner to stall and crash. The accident findings intensified the debate over the dangers of pilots suffering skills decay as a result of relying on the sophisticated electronics that control airliners through most of their flights. Boeing was prompted to issue an unusual world-wide alert covering procedures that already should be second nature to aviators: “to carefully monitor primary flight instruments during critical phases of flight” such as takeoffs and landings. Coupled to the technological threat from engineering, the emphasis for ‘paper licences’ by Civil Aviation Authorities, without an equivalent focus on handling skills and decision making by the transfer of such knowledge from classroom to cockpit, has lead many ‘old hands’ to question the future of manned aviation. Several airline pilots have voiced their concern regarding the physical handling skills of some of the next generation of pilots entering the flight deck. Then there’s the issue of the removal of stalling and spinning from the basic flying training syllabus as a mandatory basic handling requirement has been debated for many years and is being accepted by several civil aviation authorities in some cases. Engineers, offering an improvement to aviation accident safety statistics through stall and spin free handling qualities in their latest products, are in fact, indirectly, producing ‘handling deficient’ pilots. The result, pilots with a lack of recognition of high angle of attack characteristics and low confidence in handling aircraft at high angles of attack; resulting in accidents that should never have occurred. A recent FAA study found serious flaws in pilot training for handling automation and suggested that flight crews have never been properly trained for operating highly automated aircraft, and that for many of the problems, they have to deal with, there are no checklists, leaving the pilots to manage using ingenuity and airmanship. Inadequate crew knowledge of automated systems was a factor in more than 40% of accidents and 30% of serious incidents between 2001 and 2009. Presenting progress in her research, FAA human factors specialist, Dr Kathy Abbott catalogued the evidence of disharmony between crews and their highly automated aircraft. Among the recurring handling problems pilots demonstrated, included lack of recognition of autopilot/auto-throttle disconnect; lack of monitoring and failure to maintain energy/speed; incorrect upset recovery and inappropriate control inputs. Abbot delivered the judgement: “Failure assessment is difficult, failure recovery is difficult, and the failure modes were not anticipated by the designers.” Is the threat real? Are engineers getting ahead of, and out of synch with the pilot’s abilities to deal with the complexities of modern ‘smart’ systems? Is regulator knowledge adequate to guide the formal training requirements for highly automated aircraft? Is it possible that the advanced technologies instituted to ameliorate human deficiencies could turn out to be a bigger threat to safety than the human factor? What role should test pilots be fulfilling during this revolution in technological affairs? Well, unless methods of reconciliation can be found between pilots, engineers and regulators, this may well prove to be a challenge of the future.

January - June 2011 23 REFLECTIONS C-5A GALAXY, MAT- RUNWAY TESTING DYESS AFB, TEXAS by Gervasio Tonini, LtCol (Ret)USAF Glenn Gray, Lockheed’s Performance test pilot, and I, a USAF multi-engine test pilot, from Edwards AFB were selected in 1969 to conduct joint C-5A takeoff and landing operations on the Tri-Service landing mat runway at Dyess AFB, near Abilene, Texas. Ship #2, the instrumented performance test aircraft, at the time was located at Lockheed facility at Dobbins AFB, Georgia. I flew from Los Angeles to Abilene via commercial air carriers. I met up with the Lockheed test team upon their arrival in Ship #2 from Geogia. After we got together, the flight crew had the whole afternoon to reconnoiter the airfield and especially the short 4,000 foot Tri-Service mat runway, while the aircraft was being serviced and a few repairs made for the next day’s testing. The mat runway was located between the main runway and the parking ramp. It paralleled the main ramp edge, with a narrow mat interconnect taxiway at each end that joined the concrete ramp.

On our first day out, Glenn Gray occupied the left seat and I the right. The aircraft was equipped with brake metering gages immediately in front of the left seat pilot. The test plan indicated we would make four medium-brake landings that day and would share piloting responsibilities. For the first takeoff we taxied out to the mat runway via the very narrow interconnect mat taxiway. The main wheels of the C-5A barely fit on taxiway. Glenn then made a sharp ninety degree left turned to align with the mat runway. While sitting in the takeoff position, I noted that the two inboard engines were roughly aligned with the runway edges and the outboard engines were well out over the grass.

Lockheed provided a ground support vehicle which we could talk to on a common frequency. The runway looked very short, so Glen applied full power while holding the brakes, before releasing them for takeoff. I was in the process of making the final EPR (Engine Pressure Ratio) adjustments when our support truck urgently yelled “shut them down, shut them down.” We quickly complied. When we came down the ladder, we could immediately see the problem. The thrust from our left engines had blown under the interconnect taxiway and it was rolled up into a large spiral about thirty feet high without coming apart. We aborted our mission and were towed back to our hangar while Dyess personnel and our ground crewmen repaired the taxiway. It required a large bulldozer driven from the concrete ramp onto the spiraled taxiway to cause it to finally break apart and fall to earth. The work crew labored most of the night and had the taxiway repaired for our next day’s operations.

The next morning we again taxied out on the just repaired taxiway and made our sharp ninety degree turn to align with the runway. Glenn, I, and engineering decided we would do rolling takeoffs to avoid damaging the taxiway as we did the day before. We made the first takeoff without a glitch. The Galaxy’s performance was magnificent. Glenn climbed out and turned on a right downwind for our first landing. I was somewhat shocked at how small the runway looked from 1500 feet on our downwind leg. Glenn made a nice landing and used medium braking with no problems. A radio call from our ground vehicle notified us that we were making a hump or bow wave in the runway, ahead of our main wheel trucks as we braked for landing.

That noted, we taxied off the mat runway, then back around for our second takeoff. The second takeoff again went as expected and we were becoming more and more comfortable with the Flight Manual’s takeoff and landing performance values. It was amazing me that we were taking off at near 550,000 pounds on a runway that was only 16 times the aircraft’s length. And, we were not using all the runway.

We taxied back onto the concrete ramp, we stopped and switched seats. [Note; the C-5A test program was a joint Lockheed and Air Force program and almost all tests were flown with a Lockheed pilot and a USAF pilot occupying the pilot seats. That also included the Galaxy’s first flight] I got into the left seat and Glenn in the copilot’s seat. I made a rolling takeoff and was again impressed at the C-5A’s performance. It just seemed to leap off the 24 January - June 2011 ground. I flew a closed traffic pattern and aligned for my first landing. With me flying, for some reason, the runway seemed even shorter, despite my having ridden through two landings with Glenn. It was just a little different with me at the controls. I made my first touchdown firm but had no problem stopping on the 4000 foot strip.

I taxied back, via the concrete ramp, to the takeoff end of the mat runway and made my second rolling takeoff. The takeoff went well and seemed perfectly normal. On my second landing I aligned with the short runway and touched down very near the approach end and applied medium braking per the brake metering gages. All of a sudden there was a loud “bang, boom, bang. boom, boom” We did not need instructions from the ground crew and immediately shut the engines down. When we came down the ladder it was obvious what we had done. The runway planks had come apart and flew into the air, one high enough to damage our left flap and another went over the left forward truck and ripped part of the gear door off. The aircraft had substantial damage and was towed back to the hanger. The runway was torn up at three separate sections.

During the next two days the Lockheed engineers analyzed the problem. They discovered that the C-5A at roughly 550,000 pounds had slid the entire runway in the landing direction while using only medium braking. They estimated the runway moved longitudinally 33 inches in one landing. The runway planks were held down with slide-on brackets at each end and staked to the ground. During our four landings, the runway planks had slid far enough in the landing direction that the side tie-down brackets slid off the planks and they became unrestrained. In addition the planks were joined laterally and locked together when laid. The hump or bow wave had raised the planks sufficiently that they separate laterally. Once unrestrained by their stakes, the hump discussed earlier ahead of the C-5A wheel trucks raised the planks to a high enough angle that they separated laterally and were free to fly.

Needless to say, once the incident was reported to the C-5A SPO, C-5A Test Force Director, and Lockheed management, it took them very little time to terminate any further mat runway landing tests.

In a summary of a Lab Report written by David D. Currin, of the Kirtland AFB, Air Force Weapons Lab, dated July 1971 (some two years after the occurrence) he states: “The magnitude and effects of jet blast damage, lateral and longitudinal mat movement, runway bow and bow waves are described [in the report]. Large quantities of debris were deposited on the runway because of jet blast. The jet blast dislocated a portion of a mat taxiway interconnect. Lateral mat movement was severe in turnaround areas. Longitudinal mat movement resulted in a bow in the plane of the mat which caused mat end connector failures. Longitudinal movement up to 33 inches in one landing resulted in bow waves which caused severe mat failure in the runway at three separate locations during one [my last] landing. In its present configuration the Tri-Service mat runway is not suitable for future tests.”

We in the cockpit could not see the bow waves ahead of the main landing gear and did not realize their size and seriousness. Also, the ground crew reports of the bow waves did not indicate any urgency. As the takeoffs and landings seemed normal from the cockpit, we therefore proceeded testing with serious results. And, it could possibly have been worse. From a lessons learned point of view, I would recommend that every odd or unusual occurrence, not fully understood, be investigated before proceeding with further flight testing. “You never know when something could jump up and bite you.”

January - June 2011 25 MEMBERSHIP NEWS AND UPDATES

After many months of contentious and energetic discussions, the membership has voted on two proposed changes to the SETP Constitution, which in each case requires a two thirds majority to pass. Of 1950 eligible voters, 1095 members voted either electronically or via mail-in ballot. I am grateful for the strong voter interest. The results are as follows: Proposed Amendment CII – Proposal to delete the requirement for prospective members to be actively engaged in flight test at the time of initial application. 538 Approved; 552 Disapproved – 49.1% For. The motion fails. Proposed Amendment CIII – Proposal to clarify that only pilots in the cockpit of manned aerospace vehicles are eligible for membership. 986 Approved; 106 Disapproved – 90.1% For. The motion passes. Future SETP balloting will improve on the electronic voting process as it was discovered to be cumbersome by a number of members. This debate was not always conducted in the civil fashion to which SETP normally conducts business. We will return to standard of comportment that is expected of members of this elite organization. If we are able to maintain our composure in the cockpit through the toughest of flight testing, we can certainly behave professionally and respectfully to our fellow test pilots when outside the cockpit. The Constitution will be amended and SETP will once again focus on the business of testing airplanes. I look forward to seeing many of you at the Annual Symposium and Banquet in Anaheim. Thank you all for participating. Cheers Billie Flynn SETP President *******************************************************

A little over a year ago, SETP was offering the membership the option to purchase a customized SETP Breitling Watch. The minimum order that can be placed must be 25 watches, but we have not yet attained the minimum. The retail cost of the watch is $3,630, however, Breitling has offered SETP a discount price of $2,178. Once the minimum order of 25 is attained, Breitling has indicated that the turn-around time is 10-12 months. If you would like to order a watch please contact [email protected]

26 January - June 2011 Tony Buttler, an Aviation research author in the UK, plans to write about the McDonald F3H Demon and is keen to get in touch with someone who flew it. Would anyone willing to answer some questions about how it flew please contact him at ; [email protected]

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Flight Test Wiki At last year’s annual symposium it was suggested in the Open Forum that SETP initiate a “wiki” to facilitate the exchange of flight test information between Society members. Dan Canin (M) has agreed to lead the effort to establish the wiki and has set up a prototype wiki online. The Board of Directors would like several highly motivated individuals who are passionate about the idea of using the internet in this way to join Dan in establishing this capability. Please contact Dan at [email protected] if you would like to help set the foundation of the wiki that could become the most important component of our Society in the future. ******************************************************* On Saturday June 25th 2011, The Society of Experimental Test Pilots was honored at the Lancaster & Rosamond Chambers of Commerce 108th Annual Installation Banquet. The annual event is held to pay tribute to the outgoing Chairperson, Board of Directors, and other Chamber of Commerce officers and to install the incoming Chairperson, Board and other officers. This year, the Society was among five Community Service Awards that also honored the Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Northrop Grumman Corporation, and Edwards Air Force Base. The Society of Experimental Test Pilots was presented this prestigious award for our generous contributions to the Antelope Valley community service organizations, advancement of aerospace technology, and efforts to foster academic advancement of the local student population. Both the outgoing Chairman Mark Davey, and the incoming Chairwoman Jacqueline Owens promised continued support and cooperation with SETP. The combined Chambers are hoping to sponsor an Antelope Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival and hope that part of the proceeds can be used to help build a museum for SETP and Edwards Air Force Base. In addition, they also hope to bring the Unlimited Air Races back to the AV and request our help and support with this effort. It is an honor for the Society of Experimental Test Pilots to be acknowledged and awarded this honor by the community. ******************************************************* The officer election ballots have been counted and your newly elected officers are: President- Elect: Doug Benjamin Vice President: Kevin Prosser Secretary: Mark Stucky Treasurer: Brett Vance Legal Officer: Mike Wallace

Proceedings On Demand The Proceedings are will be distributed on DVD. If you would like to order a hard copy, you can do so through the SETP website, www.SETP.org.

January - June 2011 27 2011 SYMPOSIUM INFORMATION

The Southwest Section of The Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the North Texas Chapter of the Society of Flight Test Engineers will hold a historical symposium at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field, 6911 Lemmon Ave., Dallas, TX 75209 (214) 350-3600 on Saturday, October 29, 2011. The symposium will be a bit different from the usual technical type of SETP or SFTE symposium as we are concentrating on presentations/interviews from many of the older programs that have a connection to the southwest section (Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico). The program will include presentations by Phil Oestricher – F-16 High Angle of Attack Testing; Norm Driscoll – A-7 Night Attack Testing; Lou Knotts – The NT-33A Variable Stability Aircraft - 5 Decades of Flight Test; Dr. Ralph Kimberlin – The Travails of a 40 Year General Aviation Test Pilot; Dale Ford – B-58 Stability and Control Testing; Mike Folse – The Design and Development of the Bell AH-1 Huey Cobra; Nick Lappos – Rotary-wing Flight Test; Don Ward and Dave Lund – Flight Research Support of the X-38 Program at Texas A&M; Jay Miller – Flight Test Photography; Brien Wygle and Lew Wallick – Boeing Video Oral History of the 737 First Flight and Development. The dinner speaker will be former astronaut Robert “Hoot” Gibson talking about various subjects including flying the Space Shuttle, air racing at Reno and homebuilt/flight test activity with the EAA. Registration and check-in will be from 0730 to 0830. The presentations will begin promptly at 0830. There will be a mid-morning break and a light lunch served about noon and a mid-afternoon break with presentations ending between 1730 and 1800. There will be a social hour and museum walk-through until dinner at 1900. A block of rooms has been reserved at Embassy Suites Dallas-Love Field at the Group Rate of $99. For reservations please call 214-357-4500 and ask for the rate under the name of 2011 Flight Test Historical Symposium, or make reservations on line at http://www.setp. org/table/southwest/. The cut-off date for reservations is 7 October to guarantee a room at the group rate, and after that date the group rate will be provided on an “as available” basis. In addition to members of SETP and SFTE we welcome students of college and high school aero/aviation departments with an interest in flight test. We also welcome AIAA members, regional EAA chapters, as well as local pilot groups. In short, we welcome anyone with a keen interest in flight test history, how and why it was done the way it was, how the individual test pilots and test engineers approached the program, lessons learned, and putting each program in the context of its time. The Society wishes to express its deep gratitude to sponsors for this event: Elbit Systems of America, XFS Inc., the North Texas Section of AIAA and Bell Helicopter Textron. We request that anyone attending (or speaking) wear their desired organizational logo polo shirt (if they have one), such as SETP, SFTE, EAA, AIAA, University of Whatever, School of ..., etc. The deadline for refunds on cancellations is Friday, 21 October 2011.

28 January - June 2011 Southwest Section Flight Test Historical Symposium Registration Form

MAIL TO: The Society of Experimental Test Pilots Post Office Box 986 Lancaster, California 93584 Telephone 1-661- 942-9574 FAX 1-661- 940-0398 E-Mail [email protected]

Number Amount Required Enclosed

_____Symposium Registration (includes session, lunch and banquet) @ $60.00______

______Symposium Registration STUDENT RATE @ $40.00 ______

______Banquet for non-registered guests @ $30.00 ______

Total Amount Enclosed $______

(Payment may be made by cash, check or credit card.)

Visa______MasterCard______American Express ______

Account Number______-______-______-______Exp.______/______

Cardholder’s Name______Amount Paid______Signature ______

NAME OF REGISTRANT:______COMPANY or RANK/BRANCH OF SERVICE:______MAILING ADDRESS: ______TELEPHONE: ______FAX:______EMAIL:______January - June 2011 29 5th European Flight Test Safety Workshop “Demonstrating Prototype Aircraft – Risks and Preparation” 8-10 November 2011 Crowne Plaza Salzburg – The Pitter Rainerstrasse 6-8 A 5020 Salzburg, Austria

Dr. Dieter Reisinger (M) is once again organizing the European Flight Test Safety workshop. This year, we will be actually conducting a workshop rather than a symposium. The purpose of the Safety Workshop is to provide an open forum where flight test safety issues can be presented, discussed, and probed with other members and other disciplines within the flight test community. Participants will have the opportunity to work in groups with experts on a variety of aircraft demonstration topics. We encourage members who have been engaged in Display Flying or who were fortunate enough to prepare or actually set an aviation record to participate in this workshop. The outcome of this workshop will be a proceedings and/or a “Demonstration Flight Checklist” which will be distributed to all participants, and more importantly, placed on the Flight Test Safety Committee web page http://www.flighttestsafety.org/ The workshop will begin with keynote topics and high profile speakers to lead into the topic: •Des Barker - “The Fickleness of Human Judgment in the Display Environment” •Dieter Thomas - “Tricks of the Trade” •Dave Carbaugh and Terry Lutz .- “Displaying Transport Category Aircraft” •Patrick Experton - “Dassault´s View” •Ricardo Traven - “High Performance Airshows vs. Product Demonstrations – and the Fickleness of Knowing the Difference” •Chris Worning - “Displaying the Typhoon - Lessons learned” •Paul Randall and Wayne Roberts - “Displaying Fast Jets and Transports in Military Operations” •Tore Reimers - “To Display or Not To Display – That is the Question” by Tore Reimers

•Andrew Warner - “Rotorcraft Display” (tbc) The remaining time will be used to extensively engage in •Demonstration Flight - Checklist development •Incident Review Meeting - share your knowledge! •Accident Taxonomy - were is the single source of reference for accidents and incidents? There will be an opportunity for all participants to share information during a dedicated incident review meeting on Wednesday afternoon. Should a participant wish to share a demonstration flight incident, he/she can decide to do so at the last minute. There is no need to come up with a formal presentation. The speaker is encouraged to try to analyze why the incident happened and share this information with the group.

30 January - June 2011 All those who are currently actively engaged in demonstration flights are encouraged to visit the web site http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3Z6NR27 which leads to a short questionnaire. Please answer the questions and note that the information is de-identified and will assist the organizers in preparing for the workshop. There will be an opportunity to visit the Red Bull “Hangar 7” on Wednesday evening. There is no charge for the visit, but a fee for bus transportation will be necessary. The Award Dinner will be held on Thursdey evening, 10 November, in the “Schlossaal” in the Crowne Plaza. The Flight Test Safety Award in memory of Gerard Guillamaud will be presented at 1900 and the dinner will be at 2000. The Crown Plaza hotel was chosen as the workshop location. The hotel is located at the Mirabel Gardens in downtown Salzburg, within walking distance from the famous Mozart birthplace and other sights. Hotel reservations can be made via the reservation form . The rates are: Classic double room, single use €139.00 Superior single room €159.00 Classic double room €159.00 Superior double room €179.00 Please book your room by 7 October 2011 as we can not guarantee availability after that date. Registration is available at http://www.setp.org/table/european-workshop/. The registration rates are: •Full Workshop and Dinner - €480 ($690USD) for the full workshop and tutorial, including award dinner •Workshop Only (no awards Dinner) - €400 ($560USD) for workshop without award dinner

•Single Day Workshop - €250 ($380USD) – For individual day, without award dinner •€90 ($130USD) for award dinner only •€15 ($20USD) for those who wish to join for the welcome drinks on evening of 8 November •€15 ($20USD) to cover bus transportation for those who wish to join at Red Bull “Hangar 7” on Wednesday evening, 9 November If you have questions regarding this event please contact Dr. Dieter Reisinger at +43 676 767 3001 or by email at [email protected].

January - June 2011 31 2011 SYMPOSIUM HIGHLIGHTS

Southeast Section 4th Annual Symposium

The Southeast Section held a symposium at the Ramada Beach Resort in Ft Walton Beach, Florida 24 and 25 Feb 2011. Approximately 90 attendees enjoyed a reception Thursday night and a full day of briefs Friday. Two sessions were held with the first including the following briefs: TPS Toolbox: Perfect for Simulator Development, GBU-53/B Small Diameter bomb Increment II, Flight Testing a C-130 Equipped with NP-200 Propellers, Anthropometric Discrimination, SETP Academic Bridge to the Aerospace Industry, a student paper, Is Automation the Answer and F-22 SDB Integration: Final DT Lessons Learned. The luncheon included Dr Richard Hallion presenting Hypersonic Flight Test, Perspectives and Reflections, an award presentation to the student paper briefer, and announcement of SETP SE Section’s high school senior scholarship winner. The second session included: Miniature Air Launched Decoy-Jammer: Test Strategy and Status, The Pursuit of Real-Time Parameter Estimation at USAF TPS: High Alpha, Stalls, and Doublets on a C-12, JSTARS Gets a Camera: A Structural Flight Test, Lessons Learned in Combined DT/OT: Ten Years of F-15 Testing by the OFP CTF, Modification and Flight Test of In-Theater Aircraft, and Year One at Edwards: F-35A Testing Hurdles. Following the briefs SETP President Billie Flynn presented The State of the Society. The Best Brief Award was presented to Maj Dan Javorsek for his presentation on F-22 SDB Integration.

41st San Diego Symposium

The 41st San Diego Symposium was held on 25-26 March 2011 at the Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa. We commemorated the Centennial of Naval Aviation at this symposium with a special video kickoff tribute during the opening remarks. Attendees were treated to a slate of 11 superb technical presentations that addressed a wide variety of topics from aircraft survivability to heavy aircraft with lasers to Small Diameter Bombs to aircraft with ludicrous speed to the White Knight mothership. The Society was honored by the presence of six students from local schools who competed for the opportunity to attend our Symposium by submitting a winning article to their faculty advisor. I brought the group to the stage and introduced each person individually and gave a brief synopsis of each student’s paper. Each of these engineers-in-the-making—while totally embarrassed by the Chairman calling them out in front of this august gathering—were nonetheless thrilled with the chance to listen to our proceedings and mingle with the crowd. I was particularly impressed by their eagerness to engage us in conversation and ask questions. The symposium gathered steam as it became apparent that the judging would 32 January - June 2011 be exceptionally close for best paper. While the judges were sequestered to perform their final duty, SETP President Billie Flynn came to the stage to give the customary President’s “SETP State of the Society” briefing. We then adjourned for the Luncheon Buffet and to prepare for the Awards Banquet that evening. Colonel Noel “Shamu” Zamot, Commandant of the USAF Test Pilot School, was our keynote speaker at the banquet. In addition to informing the audience about the curriculum now in place at the schoolhouse, he also gave us some significant food for thought regarding the direction of Flight Test education and the impact of Remotely Piloted Aircraft—both the systems and the testers—on the future of the school and the flight test community in general. We finally spotted the starving judges, the envelope in hand, making their way into the ballroom. The tally was in, and as we suspected, the voting was exceptionally close. In the end, the paper presented by Mark “Forger” Stucky from Scaled Composites titled, “WhiteKnight Two – Flight Testing the Second Generation Mothership” won the day. It was an honor to serve as your General Chairman for the San Diego Symposium this year. If the papers we saw here at the Catamaran are any indication of what we’ll see in Anaheim, the 55th Annual Symposium and Banquet promises to be spectacular. See you there. Cheers, Hollywood Brett Vance Symposium Chairman

Roy Martin (L) presents Mark Stucky (R) with Jack Col Noel Zamot Northrop Award

27th East Coast Symposium

The 27th Annual East Coast Symposium was held on Friday, 15 April 2011 in Patuxent River Naval Air Station. This was one of the most successful East Coast Symposiums ever, largely due to the superb effort of Symposium Chairman Mr. John O’Connor (M) and his East Coast Symposium planning committee. Over 153 flight test professionals attended including the current SETP President, Mr. Billie Flynn (F) and President Elect, Mr. Steve Rainey (AF) as well as two past presidents. The morning technical session, held at the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School auditorium, included. •“Road to First Flight: Lessons Learned During Developmental Test of the X-47B” (Mr. Mike Rabens (F), Northrop Grumman Corporation, LCDR Kevin Watkins, USN, VX-23, Mr. Matt Funk, NAVAIR) •“E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Carrier Suitability and Structural Demonstration” (LT Paul Meyer, USN(M), Mr. Les Ryan, Northrop Grumman (AF)) •“F/A-18C/D Station 4 LITENING Pod Loads Envelope Expansion Lessons Learned” (Mr. Michael Harris, MAJ Nicole Mann (M), USMC, Ms. Meredith Almoney, USN) A luncheon was held at the River’s Edge Conference Center on Patuxent River Naval Air Station. The keynote speaker was Mr. Doug Benjamin (F), who presented an informative

January - June 2011 33 brief on the Bird of Prey stealth technology demonstrator project in which he was the Chief Pilot. The afternoon technical session was held at the River’s Edge conference center and included: •“Undergraduate Evaluation of the Be-76 Duchess Airplane” (US Naval Academy Class of 2011 Midshipmen) •“MH-47G Engine Exhaust Suppressor Flight Test” (Mr. Brian Thompson (M), Dr. Preston Martin) •“DARPA: A Flight Test Update” (CDR Matt Rising, USN, LCol Matt Domsalla (M))

•“Risk Management During AT-6 Semi-Prepared Runway Operations” (Mr. Dan “Shaka” Hinson (M), Hawker-Beechcraft Corp.) The Leroy Grumman Award for the best paper went to the VX-23 F/A-18 test team of MAJ Nicole Mann, Ms. Meredith Almoney and Mr. Mike Harris for their LITENING Pod Loads Envelope Expansion Lessons Learned brief. A reception was sponsored by the USNTPS Alumni Association and provided the opportunity for the young, “up and coming” flight test professionals to meet the seasoned, not so young members and seasoned veterans of our profession. The East Coast Section installed a new lineup of Officers (see photo). From left to right: Mr. John Tougas (M) remains as Section Chairman. CDR Andrew McFarland (M)(not shown) was fare welled as he embarks on his Command Tour as the Chief Test Pilot of VX-31 in China Lake. CDR Eric “Pinto” Mitchell (M) takes over as Section Vice Chairman. Mr. Mark “Snap” Johnson (M) retained his role as Section Treasurer and LCDR William “SLAB” Berryman (M) was welcomed as the new East Coast Section Secretary. The East Coast Section gives special thanks to our corporate sponsors: Avian, Aviation Systems Engineering Corporation, The Boeing Company, Calspan Corporation, and Wyle. Finally, the success of this symposium would not have been possible without the outstanding support of the U. S. Naval Test Pilot School for providing the morning venue and the assistance of their outstanding staff.

SETP/SFTE Flight Test Safety Workshop The Flight Test Safety Committee sponsored a Flight Test Safety Workshop 3-6 May 2011 at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front, Pensacola, FL. The purpose of the Safety Workshop is to provide an open forum where test safety issues can be presented, discussed and probed with other members and disciplines of the flight test community. Rusty Lowry, USN Test Pilot School Technical Director, Thomas E. Roberts, RDT&E Safety Manager, Naval Test Wing Atlantic, The Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Society of Flight Test Engineers coordinated the event. The FTSW was held in conjunction with the Centennial of Naval Aviation.

The theme of the workshop was “Last Flights”. The workshop focused on the unique flight test aspects associated with “last flights”, both planned and unplanned. The workshop concentrated on the unique challenges that included aircraft limitations, pilot proficiency, team continuity, media distractions, life-limited components, funding, or any other issues associated with a final flight in a flight test program. 34 January - June 2011 The week started with a Technical Tour at Allegheny Pier, Pensacola NAS, for an airshow featuring the US Coast Guard, USMC Harrier Demonstration, vintage aircraft fly-by, and the Blue Angles. After the airshow, the group moved on to the National Naval Aviation Museum, where they spent the afternoon viewing the large variety (150+) of beautifully restored aircraft. The Flight Test Safety Committee (FTSC) once again sponsored a Flight Test Safety Tutorial on the first day of the workshop. This years theme was “Global War on Error for Flight Test” presented by Pat Daily. The tutorial discussed ways for an individual to identify, categorize, analyse and neutralize personal sources of error to create a solid foundation for system safety and team training efforts. The technical program started with opening remarks by Tom Roberts and Rusty Lowry. Each challenged the audience “to make the most of this workshop, to participate in the panel discussions and to put forward their own viewpoint.” In essence, to contribute. Rusty Lowry did a fantastic job of preparing and conducting the technical sessions. The workshop had 125 attendees. When the committee planned the workshop it set a goal of 100 attendees, it was gratifying to exceed that goal. Thanks to all SETP, SFTE and AIAA members who solicited attendance for the workshop - it paid off. We were very fortunate in having Dennis Morley, Paul Kissmann, Ken Cameron and Tom Pearl as our session chairs. The session chairs were instrumental in getting maximum participation from the audience during the panel discussions, and they did an outstanding job! The committee followed the strictest of non-attribution rules to ensure an uncensored flow of safety information. The presentations that have been cleared for publication will be posted to www.flighttestsafety.org shortly. All of the authors deserved great praise for their efforts. The event ended with the Flight Test Safety Dinner and the Bombardier Aerospace Best Presentation Award. The dinner was well attended and the food and atmosphere made it an especially entertaining night. CAPT Tom Huff presented the group with an entertaining slide show on the history of early Naval Aviation. The 2011 Bombardier Aerospace Best Presentation Award recipient was Pat Stoliker, NASA Dryden for his excellent presentation on “A Discussion of the Last Flight of X-31A Aircraft # 1”. Honorable mention was given to Lt. Jamie Struck, for his presentation “The Last Flight of Salty Dog 401: Resting in Pieces” and Richard Newman for his presentation”Flight Testing Fly By Wire Aircraft”. Also announced was this year’s recipient of the Tony Levier Award. The Tony LeVier Flight Test Safety Award was established by the Flight Test Safety Committee (FTSC) to formally recognize a single individual, or group of individuals, who over some period of time, has made a significant flight test safety contribution to a specific program, organization, or the flight test profession as a whole. This year’s recipient of the Tony Levier Award is Tom Roberts, Chairman of the FTSC for the last five years. Congratulations to both Pat and Tom! Special thanks to Bombardier Aerospace, Cessna, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Wyle for providing sponsorship for the event. I would be remise if I did not recognize Paula Smith from SETP, Margaret Drury from SFTE and Tamera Cooksey from the Navy for the work they did to make the workshop a great event.

January - June 2011 35 The next three Flight Test Safety Workshops will be as follows: • 8-10 Nov, 2011 – Salzburg, Austria, hosted by Dr. Dieter Reisinger, Austrian Airlines. Theme for this workshop will be “Demonstrating Prototype Aircraft – Risk and Preparation” • 30 Apr – 3 May, 2012, Seattle, WA hosted by Gerry Whites Theme TBD • 2012 – Linköping, Sweden, hosted by Mats Lundberg, SAAB Theme TBD We hope to see you there! Maurice “Moe” Girard Chairman, Flight Test Safety Committee Senior Engineering Test Pilot Cessna Aircraft Company

Great Lakes Section Symposium

The Great Lakes Section hosted the Great Lakes Symposium on 19 May at Wright-Patterson AFB, followed by a joint dinner event with SFTE. The morning consisted of a handful of very interesting presentations on the X-47B, Optionally Piloted Aircraft, C-17 formation testing, ACES 5 Ejection Seat, and Ps energy planning. LTC James Hanley (M) and Maj Bill Quashnock(M) were awarded the Best Paper - Wright Flyer award for their C-17 formation testing presentation. The afternoon theme of the Symposium centered on a panel discussion of future UAV testing, building a sense of future UAV plans in the Midwest region. At the joint SFTE evening dinner, Robbie Robinson presented SFTE with a donation to their new local organization. Tom Walters (M) gave a dinner presentation on flight test planning for a new replica of the Wright B Flyer.

Flight Test Northwest First Annual Symposium

The goal of the Northwest Section for its inaugural symposium was to assemble a diverse program representative of the myriad aviation activities in the Pacific Northwest. From presenters to sponsors to attendees, that goal and more were achieved on May 12, 2011. The day-long event featured eight presentations, a Luncheon Panel (L to R) Archer, Hayward, Ware luncheon panel celebrating the Centennial of Naval 36 January - June 2011 Aviation and an airplane static display. The venue was the Future of Flight Aviation Center at Paine Field in Everett, Washington. Participants were free to roam the museum as well as the adjacent flight line where airplanes included the RV-12 Light Sport Airplane, the experimental amateur-built Gweduck twin amphibian, Honeywell’s Convair 580 avionics testbed, a B-25 provided by the Historic Flight Foundation and the Legend Flyers’ ME-262 replica among the Mooneys, Cessnas and a Piper flown in by attendees. The spectrum of Northwest aviation was well-represented in our program: Spin Testing the Dakota Cub Super 18, Performance Based Navigation, ADAHRS Testing on Wheels, Floats and Skis, Development of the FAA RNAV/GPS System, 747-8 Flight Load Survey, SLSA Certification of the Van’s RV-12, Development, Testing and Certification of a Touch Screen Interface for Primary Navigation, and 787 Thrust Asymmetry Protection System. Our luncheon was held on the Strato Deck, overlooking the main runway. The panel consisted of Tom Archer (LtCol, USMCR – ret and AF), Flight Test Branch Manager for the FAA’s Seattle Aircraft Certification Office, Admiral Thomas Hayward, former Chief of Naval Operations and Commander James Ware, Air Boss on the USS Lincoln. Each provided a unique perspective of Naval Aviation as testers and operational leaders. With the help of local corporate sponsors, we were pleased to include students and teachers from Aviation High School in Seattle as well as the University of Washington. Puget Sound weather cooperated for the evening reception, also on the Strato Deck. No one seemed to mind their social aviation conversations occasionally interrupted by a Boeing or general aviation airplane landing on runway 16 – not that anyone was grading the landings. With more submitted abstracts than we could accommodate speaking slots, nearly 120 attendees, an aircraft static display, a venue that couldn’t be beat and adjacent hotel for those travelling, the first Flight Test Northwest Symposium was an unqualified success.

January - June 2011 37 SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION NEWS

The following is an excerpt from a letter received from Scholarship recipient Sean Brohmer:

I am writing to update you and the SETP Foundation board of trustees on my first semester of college.

Although my original major was Communication Studies, I participated in an excellent course on Interpersonal Communication and decided to change my major to Psychology. Specifically, I am looking into Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Adolescent Development. The first can be summarized as business psychology; how to use the theories and concepts of psychology and apply them realistically to running and improving a business. The second is a subcategory of clinical psychology, focusing on the psychological development of adolescents. I intend to use these studies in the workplace as well as mentoring or counseling high school and college age students.

I also participated in Biola University’s honors program, the Torrey Honors Institute. This institute models Oxford’s classical model of education, combining the reading of classic literature, discussions of these classics up to nine hours each week, and writing severely graded academic papers. Over the course of my four years at the university, I will take 72 units in this program. Last semester, I received a 97 overall in Torrey, earning an “A with Highest Commendations.” This assisted me in achieving a 4.0 GPA.

I have also been granted a unique opportunity to assist my current classmates and next year’s incoming freshmen. Each year, the board of the Honors Institute selects two students from the freshman body to coordinate it’s orientation in August. The coordinators are required to select and recruit 60 sub-coordinators. The coordinators must plan budget, guest speakers, housing and food for 300 people for a week. I have been awarded one of these positions.

I would like to express my gratitude for SETP’s scholarship and investment in my education.

Excerpt from a letter received from SETP Scholarship recipient Aaron Evenson:

I would like to convey my sincere appreciation for the Foundation’s continued financial support of my education. It has been invaluable in helping me reach my goal of becoming a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, and from there becoming a Combat Rescue Officer (CRO). CROs are the latest iteration of the USAF Pararescue Jumpers.

Currently I am part of AFROTC Det 028 (Best in the West) at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ where I am studying Global Security and Intelligence Studies. I have been admitted into Arnold Air Society. The freshmen were given the opportunity to run the Cadet Wing for one week and experience the jobs and roles that our Cadet Wing Staff take on throughout the semester. Myself and another cadet were selected to plan out the weekly Leadership Laboratory. We decided that we wanted a “go-to-war” Air Tasking Order (ATO) focused laboratory. This entailed the decision and execution cycle from the Commander’s Intent to Combat Plans, through the Frag Shop to publishing the ATO and SPINs for the aircrew. We then “flew” the mission. An undertaking of this nature 38 January - June 2011 had never been executed prior to this at our Wing. After two months of late nights and collaboration between the other cadet, and my father as a subject matter expert, Operation Eastern Darkness was executed. Other than a plotter machine breaking down, we were able to flex and execute accordingly. Everything else went off without a hitch and we hit our TOT’s and targets.

Without the help of SETP I would not have been able to attend Embry-Riddle and none of this would have happened. Again, thank you for your continued support in helping me reach my dream and goal of becoming a USAF Combat Rescue Officer.

Letter from the mother of a Russian scholarship awardee:

I express you words of sincere gratitude for the rendered help on payment of study of my elder son Beschastnova Maxim. Thanks that he had a possibility to graduate in the best high school of Russia - the Moscow State University. Thanks that have executed its old dream - to study in the Moscow State University and to receive a classical education. Thanks you for not indifferent relation to problems of my children who have remained without the father. Good deeds do not remain not noticed - they as beacons shine that who waits for the help. It is assured that your example is indicative and for other philanthropists. Assisting, you give not simply material assets, and give pleasure and hope of the future.

Let your kindness and generosity return to you. I wish you all blessings, health, prosperity.

Yours sincerely, Beschastnova Yulua Beschastnov Maxim

An excerpt from a thank you note: Thank you so much for all of your assistance with Jessica’s continued SETP scholarship. The scholarship money has made it possible for her to pursue her dreams and attend University of Colorado at Boulder. Without the assistance of SETP, she would not have been able to afford the out of state tuition to attend CU-Boulder. And knowing Jessica as I do, she would not have been as happy attending college in South Carolina and she would not have made the connections with the people she has met in Colorado.

Cheryl George

Excerpt from a letter received from Andrew Simpson:

Thank you so much for supporting me with your scholarship another year as I head back to the University of Florida. Your generous support will allow me to continue to grow in my learning of Mechanical Engineering. I hope I can give back to our country and its military in some way after I graduate. I am also incredibly honored to receive the Salmon Scholarship as it will assist me further in chasing my dreams. The support from SETP has provided invaluable assistance in furthering my academic career. January - June 2011 39

SETP FOUNDATION NEWS

SETP Foundation Update John A. Fergione Chairman The SETP Foundation is hard at work continuing to accomplish the objectives it first set out to do. I’ll discuss some of these initiatives here. The SETP Academic Bridge to the Aerospace Industry This initiative, headed by Bill Connor, is a mentoring program which involves naming and sponsoring awards for competitions to either a group of universities between their Aerospace Departments, or student teams, for excellence in an aerospace related project which they have undertaken. Of course, the Flight Test Safety Committee participates in any and all areas related to safety. The mentoring objective of this SETP Foundation program is to reach out to academia to encourage and stimulate interest in Aerospace careers with sponsorship of aeronautical activities, flight test evaluation and aerospace engineering developmental projects to motivate the students’ technical and creative skills. And boy has Bill opened the proverbial “Pandora’s Box”. To date, the SETP Foundation has: 1. Presented Certificates to the Two National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) National Champions, Sarah Morris and Sherman Carll, at the Annual Anaheim Symposium last September, and 2. Sponsored the NIFA Southeastern Regional’s in November, 2010 and presented the SETP Foundation Challenge Trophy and certificate to the winning Flight Team, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, for one year. The Flight Test Engineering Competition was won by Matt Scogsdill, a graduate student at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in Melbourne Florida. His winning paper, titled “Is Automation the Answer?” was presented at the SETP Southeast Symposium on February 24 – 25, 2011 at Ft. Walton Beach. The Certificate was presented at the luncheon. The Flight Safety Competition winner was Lori Costello, a graduate student at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Florida. Her paper titled “The Green Flight Challenge” was presented at the FTSC Workshop on May 3 – 6, 2011 in Pensacola during the 100th Anniversary of Naval Aviation. As you know, Rusty Lowry led the workshop effort and the SETP Certificate was presented to Lori there. Both of the above papers will be published with the SETP Proceedings for 2011. And the SETP Foundation: 3. Participated in the 2011 NIFA Nationals last May with thirty Universities competing for the National Championship. The host University was Ohio State University. We will do our best, funds permitting, to bring those champions to Anaheim like we did last year. 4. Will sponsor the NIFA Regionals hosted by FIT in November, 2011 in Melbourne, Florida. 40 January - June 2011 As a result of our “Academic Bridge” initiatives, FIT has formed the First SETP Foundation Student Chapter and elected Matt Scogsdill as President (You can find his name a few paragraphs above). Professor Steven Cusick, J.D., Associate Professor of the Aeronautical Science Department, is the Faculty Advisor. FIT is even interested in hosting a Flight Test Safety Workshop for industry to participate with academia. ERAU is in the process of forming a SETP Foundation Student Chapter which will be a Flight Test Safety Chapter that will combine Flight Test Engineering, Flight Safety and Aviation Safety (Flight Team Competitions) Talk about watching a planted seed begin to grow! The SETP Academic Bridge to the Aerospace Industry activities are largely focalized in the Southeastern United States and there is a whole lot of the Earth left to play in. Please consider joining our “Academic Bridge” and get universities and industry talking together in your region. Bachelor of Science in Flight Test Engineering (BSFTE) Andre Gerner and Bill Connor have been leading an effort to (finally) establish a BSFTE degree program. This program would be a Trifecta between Engineering, Test & Evaluation and will require some airborne laboratory work. Several schools have expressed an interest in this degree program. Bill met with the Deans of AE, EE, ME, AS and the Dean/Director of Aviation and Flight Training at FIT last March to discuss this program. At this point in the discussion, the degree program looks to be a traditional Engineering degree with a minor in Flight Test Evaluation. The Aeronautical Science department at FIT is working to get final approval for the BS Flight Test Evaluation FTE degree. It remains to be seen if the engineering community will embrace this as an engineering discipline and the BS in FTE as an engineering degree. It looks like FIT will be the first University to offer this minor. When Bill finished his presentation, all of the Deans liked the idea, and thought it was a wonderful opportunity to team up with the other departments and the Aerospace Industry to develop the FTE curriculum. Though it is not a full up Bachelors of Science in Flight Test Engineering degree at this time, it sure is a first step in achieving one. More meetings are scheduled with the Deans later this year. At the SETP East Coast symposium in April, Bill met with the NAWC people at Patuxent River with Tom Roberts to present the project and the internship pipeline. It was well received. He then presented the BS FTE activity and the Academic Bridge project to the symposium attendees. Intel International Science and Engineering Fair In other areas, we continued to be a Special Award Organization (SAO) sponsor, and provided ten judges, at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, hosted by the Society for Science and the Public, which was held in Los Angeles on May 10-12, 2011. With 1,600 finalists, this was a rich opportunity to advance Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs. SETP is currently the only SAO with an aerospace focus at this conference. Mike Melville was the Society’s face-to-the-public as one of our awards presenters and was the featured speaker at a Symposia Session titled “So you want to be an Astronaut?” The presentation was open to all finalists, teachers and the general public, and entailed the incredible journey of SpaceShipOne from initial concept to capture of the coveted Ansari X-Prize. Fifty attendees were present for Mike’s presentation and he remained behind afterwards to sign numerous flyers that we provided. The line for signatures was quite long.

January - June 2011 41 The Foundation presented $1,800.00 to our top three winners and provided three honorable mentions as well. It is interesting that the top three award winners were ladies and our top three Honorable Mentions went to men. Also interesting was that our 1st Place award went to a student who was not from the United States. As a result of our efforts in this Fair, the Dean of Aeronautical Engineering at FIT has stated he was interested in this competition. We’ll see how this conference grows within the SETP Foundation next May where it will be held in Pittsburg. Student participation in Symposia Attendance Thanks to the hard work of “Fast” Eddie Cabrera and CAPT (USN) Rich “Calvin” Burr, 6 students from Burroughs High School in Ridgecrest, California attended some of the Friday and Saturday symposium events at the San Diego symposium last March The high school held an essay contest to help select which students would attend. And in the Northwest, the Foundation Board approved funding for student attendees at the first Northwest symposium. A sincere thank you goes to Jim Raisbeck , CEO of Raisbeck Engineering, Inc., for providing the registration fees for ten students from Aviation High School and ten from the University of Washington. Thank you Jim! We continue to work with the Sunny Hills and Manual Arts High Schools to further develop our partnerships and establish aviation-related programs at each school that culminates with the S&B in Anaheim in September. We’re still looking for a third school (preferably in Orange County) to expand our outreach efforts. Business Plan Many thanks to Charlie Stender for completing our Business Plan. This multi-year effort is looking pretty nice and Jim Casler has volunteered to chair the committee henceforth and work with Charlie in making it even better as we add to it in the future. The SETP Foundation web site, http://www.setp.org/foundations/foundation.html, was also just recently updated by Charlie. Historical Update With four more oral histories in San Diego this year added to our archives, Roy Martin reports that we now have 106 oral histories of our members “in the can”. Publishing Jim Sandberg reports that there are still over 1,600 of the Caruso Book “Xtraordinary Planes, Xtraordinary Pilots” available for sale. We have already gleaned a nice profit on these book sales thus far. He and his committee are actively looking for additional sales outlets to increase funding to the Foundation and have some nice ideas in work. SETP Partners Committee Thanks to the efforts of Dick Schock, we established a SETP Partners Committee early this year consisting of a handful of ladies and a few men. The Committee, headed by Kelley O’Donoghue, intends to provide our members with a package of “Things they will need if...” and “Things they should consider doing before...” a spouse passes away. When their goal is achieved with their debut presentation in Anaheim, the SETP Foundation will finally be able to provide a free notebook. When the sections are completed by the member and his/her spouse, the book will hold everything important that a family will need if the other one doesn’t come home one day. It is a service the SETP has decided they want to provide to our members and it applies to either spouse or child. I can’t thank the following individuals enough for the huge amount of work they have completed for our benefit: Kathryn Benjamin Linda de France 42 January - June 2011 Kathy Lynn Fergione Kirsten Larson Kelley O’Donoghue, and Richard Schock There are still more initiatives in the works but I will stop blowing our horn for now and add to this in the next issue. As you can see, your SETP Foundation is really on the move. Funds prevent us from doing more than we would like to be able to do, but I think we’re doing pretty fine with what little we have. With a lot of help from Dick Schock, we’re spending a lot of effort on fundraising, grant writing, etc. so we can do more and hope that these efforts will grow fruit in our future. If you plan to give to a charitable organization this year, or more than one, please consider adding your Foundation to your list. Unlike many charities, 100% (less a very small part- time SETP staff expense) of your donation will head straight into achieving the SETP Foundation objectives.

Until next time, Ferg…Out

Florida Tech Students Earns Award for Flight Safety Paper MELBOURNE, FL. Florida Institute of Technology student Renee Morgan was recognized recently with a second place award by The Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) for her academic flight safety research paper, NowGen Bigger NextGen Better. Morgan’s paper was submitted in SETP’s First Annual Flight Safety Intercollegiate Competition held last year. The award is in recognition of Morgan’s dedication to flight safety excellence and her development of aerospace human systems integration technologies. Morgan, a Freeport, N.Y., native, graduated in May. She majored in aviation meteorology and computational mathematics in the College of Aeronautics and was advised by Tom Utley, College of Aeronautics associate professor.

An excerpt from Honorable Mention winner at the 2011 Intel Science and Engineering Fair: Thank you for the honorable mention at Intel ISEF this year in Los Angeles. I enjoyed presenting my research in aerodynamics to knowledgeable experts. I’m interested in pursuing an education in engineering, so the science fair is great practice. Caleb Meyer

Dear Mr. Plumb, Captain Connor, Colonel Hood, and SETP members,

I would like to take this occasion to thank you for the opportunity the SETP provided me to speak at the Southeastern Symposium. This experience has been very informative and though I cannot pretend to understand all of the information that was conveyed throughout the day, the chance to spend a day with such professionals has been very rewarding.

The organization was very kind to host me during the conference. The accommodations January - June 2011 43 were excellent as was the company. I was very impressed with the presentations that I got to see. Additionally, I would like to thank you for allowing my father to join me in this experience. Unfortunately for my mother, it will be the topic of many discussions when I go back home.

Finally, I would like to thank all of the members of SETP for their support of the young aviators who someday hope to become as successful as our predecessors. The award that I received is a great honor and one that I hope I will be able to live up to in the future. The opportunity to see the technical side of the aviation field was of particular interest given that my Master degree is in aviation safety. The practical experience in maintaining an acceptable level of safety in complex environment is critical to test pilots, and being able to see the components which I have been learning about being put to actions was very beneficial and informative.

Thank you again and safe flying,

Matt Stogsdill Florida Institute of Technology

44 January - June 2011 KNOW THE CORPORATE MEMBER

Martin-Baker is the world’s longest established and most experienced manufacturer of ejection seats and related equipment. The Company has also developed a range of special crashworthy seats for helicopters and a range of fixed-wing crew and mission seats that can be fitted in most maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. Martin-Baker has headquarters in Denham (England) and locations in France, Italy, and the United States. The Company’s recent ejection seat designs use an on-board electronic sequencer, to sense various factors such as speed and altitude to optimise control of the operation of the seat. The latest Mk.16 range of seats has been competitively selected for the Raytheon T-6, Korean Aerospace’s KT-1 and T-50, Pilatus PC-21, Northrop T-38 and F-5, Aermacchi M –346, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-35 Lightning II. Other Mk16’s are featured in the HAL LCA Tejas, HJT-36 and JF-17 Thunder. Martin-Baker has the capability to support the entire escape system development and qualification process necessary to meet the demanding and diverse requirements of Government authorities world-wide. In total, Martin-Baker has managed 202 escape system programmes and in the last 15 years alone has successfully managed 48 major programmes requiring the development of 9 new seat types to meet customer requirements. In addition the Company has managed numerous other projects to integrate, for example, night vision goggle release, helmet mounted sight systems and OBOGS oxygen systems into existing and new seats. These programmes have required over 420 full system ejection seat tests and 2,580,000 man hours for ejection seat development in the last 10 January - June 2011 45 years. A range of crashworthy seats has been developed that meet the specialist safety needs of the helicopter community. Each seat type embodies special features that tailor it to the needs of the occupant and the mission. For example, pilot seats incorporate vertical and fore and aft adjustment while rear cabin crew members have seats that rotate, traverse both fore and aft and sideways and incorporate a special harness that enables the occupant to stand while still secured safely. Pilot seats can also be provided in unarmoured or armoured versions. Features such as these maximize occupant efficiency as well as safety. Backed by 67 years of experience, Martin-Baker has saved over 7,300 aircrew lives in 93 Air Forces around the World. In recognition of its innovation in industry over Martin- Baker Aircraft Company Ltd. has just received its eleventh Queen’s Award. Martin-Baker currently has 16,000 seats in service in 50 different aircraft types, in 80 countries.

WANTED: MEMBER and CORPORATE MEMBER INFO AND PHOTOS!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep the members up to date on your Individual and Corporate news, events, and happenings!! The Society is soliciting flight test related news about SETP members and Corporate members for publication in the WHO...WHAT...WHERE section of COCKPIT Magazine. If you know of some interesting information about an SETP Member(s) or Corporate Member, please send it in. If you have some photos to accompany the news, all the better! All information and photos submitted will be given serious consideration for publication in COCKPIT Magazine. Flight Test events, awards, promotions, gatherings, etc. should be reported and shared.

To submit news and photos please contact Becki Hoffman at 1-661-942-9574 or [email protected]

SETP Headquarters P.O. Box 986 Lancaster, CA 93584

46 January - June 2011 NEW MEMBERS AND UPGRADES

The Society would like to welcome the following new Members:

Aaron, Charles (M) Biviano, Joseph (AM) Red Bull Lockheed Martin Joined 15-Feb-11 Joined 17-Aug-11

Brewer, Michael (M) Brown, Jonathan Kensey (AM) Colonel, USAF American Eurocopter Joined 19-Jan-11 Joined 15-Feb-11

Bryant, Lee (PAM) Bush, Steve (AM) Captain, USAF Joined 15-Feb-11 Joined 19-Jan-11

Caruth, Clinton (AM) Ciolette, Marcelo (AM) Cessna Lt Col, Brazilian Army Joined 16-Mar-11 Joined 16-Mar-11 January - June 2011 47

Clift, C.R. (PAM) Dafforn, Todd (AM) MAJ, USMC Cessna Joined 20-Apr-11 Joined 20-Apr-11

Dodin, Cyril (AM) Dunaway, David (M) French Army Corp. RADM, USN Joined 16-Mar-11 Joined 25-Mar-11

Escher, Charles (PAM) Groult, Reinald (PAM) LT, USN Major, French Air Force Joined 19-Jan-11 Joined 19-Jan-11

Hafeman, David (PAM) Hall, Kevin (PAM) LT, USN Maj, USAF Joined 20 Apr-11 Joined 19-Jan-11

48 January - June 2011

Hanekom, Stefan (PAM) Hanson, Mark (PAM) Maj, South African Air Force Joined 19-Jan-11 Joined 19-Jan-11

Hischier, Damian (M) Hoff, Rein (AM) Top View Aerospace Brunel Flight Safety Laboratory Joined 15-Feb-11 Joined 17-Aug-11

Howard, James (PAM) Howe, Scott (PAM) Maj, USAF Joined 19-Jan-11 Joined 19-Jan-11

King, Harold (M) Kipp, Timothy (PAM) Gulfstream Maj, USAF Joined 20-Jul-11 Joined 19-Jan-11

January - June 2011 49

Kistler, Herbert (M) Knowles, Chris (PAM) German Aerospace Center DLR LT, Royal Navy Joined 19-Jan-11 Joined 15-Feb-11

Massett, Anthony (PAM) Menza, Matthew (AM) Maj, USAF LCDR, USN Joined 19-Jan-11 Joined 17-Aug-11

Meteer, Philip (M) Mnich, William (AM) Terrafugia Boeing Joined 15-Feb-11 Joined 19-Jan-11

Naddy, Cory (PAM) Neo, Aik Chiao (PAM) Maj, USAF Captain, RSAF Joined 19-Jan-11 Joined 19-Jan-11

50 January - June 2011

Nugent, John (M) Phillis, Ian (M) Colonel, USA Flt Lt, RAF Joined 15-Jun-11 Joined 17-Aug-11

Pugsley, Brett (PAM) Schaffer, Zackery (PAM) LCDR, USN Joined 19-Jan-11 Joined 19-Jan-11

Skennar, Barry (PAM) Smith, Ryan (M) Flt Lt, RAAF Col, USAF Joined 20-Apr-11 Joined 17-Aug-11

Spaulding, Timothy (PAM) Steels, Bradley (PAM) Maj, USAF Captain, USAF Joined 19-Jan-11 Joined 11-May-11

January - June 2011 51

Stuhlfire, John (M) Tollefson, Brian (AM) CDR, USN LT, USN Joined 17-Aug-2011 Joined 20-Apr-11

Ungerman, Robert (PAM) Varma, Rohit (M) Maj, USAF Air Commodre, Indian AF Joined 19-Jan-11 Joined 19-Jan-11

PHOTOS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE FOLLOWING NEW MEMBERS:

Abler, Todd (M) Amspacher, Mark (PAM) CDR, USN MAJ, USMC Joined 20-Jul-11 Joined 20-Apr-11 Arlen, Lionel (PAM) Bell, David (PAM) LCDR Flt Lt, RAAF Joined 17-Aug-11 Joined 11-May-11 Billings Shaylor (PAM) Blake, Ryan (M) Maj, USAF Maj, USAF Joined 15-Jun-11 Joined 17-Aug-11 Bourrat, Christophe (PAM) Buller, Todd (PAM) French Navy USA Joined 19-Jan-11 Joined 17-Aug-11 Crappier, Nicolas (PAM) Davis, Joseph (PAM) French AF CAPT, USA Joined 11-May-11 Joined 20-Jul-11 DiGiulio, Domenico (PAM) Dirkes, Wayne (PAM) Capt, Italian AF Capt, USAF Joined 20-Jul-11 Joined 19-Jan-11 Egan, Joshua (M) Fendley, John (M) Maj, USAF Northrop Grumman Joined 15-Jun-11 Joined 20-Jul-10 Fenton, Timothy (PAM) Hnyda, John (PAM) Capt, USMC Maj, USA Joined 20-Jul-11 Joined 20-Jul-11 52 January - June 2011 Ilijanic, Steve (PAM) Jenkins, Andrew (M) Maj, CAF Sqn Ldr, RAAF Joined 20-Apr-11 Joined 17-Aug-11 Jewell, Jason (PAM) Johnson, Luke (PAM) CAPT, USN LT, USN Joined 20-Jul-11 Joined 20-Jul-11 Keeble, Mark (PAM) Kellogg, Erin (PAM) Flt Lt, RAF CAPT, USN Joined 15-Jun-11 Joined 20-Jul-11 Kim, Cheol han (PAM) Lamping, Logan (PAM) Korean Air Force Capt, USAF Joined 19-Jan-11 Joined 15-Jun-11 Lukkien, Ralf (PAM) Mangini, Marco (PAM) Maj, RNLAF Capt, Aeronautica Joined 15-Jun-11 Joined 15-Jun-11 Mayerbuch, Ingmar (M) McCarley, Zachary (PAM) Diamond Aircraft Industires Maj, USMC Joined 20-Apr-11 Joined 15-Jun-11 McLean, Michael (M) Mentges, William (M) LT, USN CW4, USA Joined 20-Jul-11 Joined 20-Jul-11 Mikal, John (PAM) Paap, Grant (PAM) Maj, USAF Maj, USAF Joined 15-Jun-11 Joined 19-Jan-11 Ponsart, Eric (PAM) Prawitwong, Sanit (PAM) LT, USN SqLdr, Thailand Air Force Joined 20-Jul-11 Joined 20-Jul-11 Rabe, Matthew (PAM) Rockliff, Larry(M) Capt, USAF Airbus Joined 15-Jun-11 Joined 17-Aug-11 Sallam, Hamdy (PAM) Sibenaler, Andrew (PAM) CAPT, USN Flt Lt, RAF Joined 20-Jul-11 Joined 20-Jul-11 Sorenson, Daniel (PAM) Steinfort, Edward (M) Capt, USAF Capt, USAF Joined 15-Jun-11 Joined 15-Jun-11 Strongman, Edward (M) Taliaferro, Brian (PAM) Airbus Capt, USAF Joined 20-Jul-11 Joined 15-Jun-11 Thorson, Taylor (M) Tippner, Peter (PAM) CDR, USN Flt Lt, RAF Joined 15-Jun-11 Joined 19-Jan-11 Vasconcellos, Pualo Marco (PAM) Washington, Thomas (M) Capt, Brazilian Navy Aurora Flight Sciences Joined 11-May-11 Joined 19-Jan-11 Weinstein, David (M) Zhao, Weibo (AM) Maj, USMC Airbus Joined 15-Jun-11 Joined 16-Mar-11

January - June 2011 53 Congratulations to those members who have upgraded their membership!

Anderley, Lawrence ( M) Beck, Nolan (AF) Maj, USAF CW5, USA Upgraded 19-Jan-11 Upgraded 15-Feb-11

Beglinger, Rolf (AF) Camamile, Clifford (M) Armasuisse LCDR, USN Upgraded 19-Jan-11 Upgraded 16-Mar-11

Canin, Dan (AF) Chaney, Van (M) Lockheed Martin Boeing Upgraded 20-Apr-11 Upgraded 19-Jan-11

Crane, Steven (AF) Dalum, Claus (M) General Electric Aviation Capt, RoDAF Upgraded 20-Apr-11 Upgraded 15-Feb-11

54 January - June 2011

Davis, C.R. (AF) Dobb, Christopher (AF) Lt Gen, USAF Boeing Upgraded 19-Jan-11 Upgraded 19-Jan-11

Feely, Rory (M) Franco, Josenval (M) Maj, USMC Maj, Brazilian Air Force Upgraded 19-Jan-11 Upgraded 19-Jan-11

Haider, Michael (AF) Iannelli, Giacomo (M) J.F. Air Traffic Capt, Italian AF Upgraded 19-Jan-11 Upgraded 17-Aug-11

Joslin, Robert (AF) Kerle, Andrew (M) FAA Sqdn Ldr, RAAF Upgraded 20-Apr-11 Upgraded 15-Jun-11

January - June 2011 55

Kern, David (M) Krishna, Suneet(AF) Maj, USAF Group Captain Upgraded 20-Jul-11 Upgraded 16-Mar-11

Kinney, Eric (M) Lewis, Richard (M) FAA CW4, USA Upgraded 19-Jan-11 Upgraded 15-Feb-11

Mitchell, Eric (AF) Mitchell, Mark (AF) CDR, USN Boeing Upgraded 20-Jul-11 Upgraded 20-Jul-11

Moreau, Robert (AF) Nolan, Robert (AF) Federal Express Brig Gen, USAF Upgraded 20-Apr-11 Upgraded 11-May-11

56 January - June 2011

Paines, Justin (AF) Phelan, Thomas (M) QinetiQ Wyle Laboratories, Aerospace Group Upgraded 15-Feb-11 Upgraded 16-Mar-11

Rohrsheim, Andrew (AM) Rothermel, William (M) LCDR, USN Maj, USMC Upgraded 15-Feb-11 Upgraded 19-Jan-11

Slover, Gregory (AF) Thibaudeau, Jacques (AF) Col, USAF Bombardier, Inc. Upgraded 20-Jul-11 Upgraded 17-Aug-11

Thomas, Jennifer (M) Uybarreta, Prospero (M) LCDR, USN Maj, USAF Upgraded 15-Feb-11 Upgraded 20-Apr-11

January - June 2011 57

Van Esselstyn, Tobias (M) Warner, Andrew (AF) Maj, USMC Eurocopter Upgraded 16-Mar-11 Upgraded 11-May-11 PHOTOS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS WHO HAVE UPGRADED THEIR MEMBERSHIP: Bieze, Raymond (AM) Campello, Luca (M) LT, USN Capt, Italian AF Upgraded 20-Apr-11 Upgraded 15-Jun-11 Hines, Robert (M) Imrich, Thomas (AF) Maj, USAF Boeing Upgraded 15-Jun-11 Upgraded 15-Jun-11 Javorsek, Daniel (M) Jeffords, Jennifer (M) Maj, USAF Maj, USAF Upgraded 15-Jun-11 Upgraded 16-Mar-11 Keithley, Terrance (M) Kolano, Edward (M) Maj, USAF FAA Upgraded 20-Jul-11 Upgraded 15-Jun-11 Levin, Daniel (AF) Lewis, Wayne( M) Lockheed Martin LT, USN Upgraded 20-Jul-11 Upgraded 11-May-11 Middleton, Charles (M) Nanoff, Michael (M) Maj, USAF LT, USN Upgraded 11-May-11 Upgraded 17-Aug-11 Nielsen, Michael (M) Prebula, Albert (M) Maj, USAF LCDR, USN Upgraded 15-Feb-11 Upgraded 17-Aug-11 Radocaj, Daniel (M) Reimers, Tore (AF) LT, USN Grob Aerospace Upgraded 19-Jan-11 Upgraded 11-May-11 Richter, Adam (M) Sessoms, Buddy (M) Capt, RAAF Piper Aircraft Upgraded 15-Feb-11 Upgraded 20-Jul-11 Stratton, Mark (M) Twomey, Patrick (AF) Maj, USMC Upgraded 20-Jul-11 Upgraded 19-Jan-11 Waddell, Michael (M) Williams, Russell (AF) LCDR, RAN Bombardier Upgraded 15-Jun-11 Upgraded 16-Mar-11 Wright, James (M) CW5, USA Upgraded 15-Jun-11

58 January - June 2011 WHO...WHAT...WHERE

Capt. Iven Kincheloe, USAF (M) and Dr. S. Harry Robertson (M) were honored with induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame “Class of 2011” On July 16th, 2011 the NAHF celebrated the induction at its 50th Annual Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony at the Dayton Convention Center.

Neil Armstrong (F) made the Gen. Richard A. Cody, USA (Ret) presentation to Iven Kincheloe’s on the left, who made the presen- widow, Dorothy tation to Dr. S. Harry Robertson (M). Photo credit: Mike Ullery for the NAHF

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A Change of Command and Retirement Ceremony was held at which Captain Timothy J. Morey (AF), USN was relieved by Captain Paul A. Sohl (M), USN On Thursday, the first of September, Two Thousand and Eleven at Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, California.

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USN Rear Adm. (ret) Craig E. Steidle (M) has been elected to the board of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation in Washington. As the first associate administrator for exploration systems at NASA, he initiated programs to foster commercial space transportation to the International Space Station.

January - June 2011 59 Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John “Jack” L. Hudson (M) has been named as the new Director of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. As Director, General Hudson will manage the museum’s 17-acre campus that includes more than 1 million square feet of public exhibit space, more than 500 aerospace vehicles and 78,000 artifacts. He will also provide technical and professional guidance to the U.S. Air Force Heritage Program, which includes 12 field museums and 260 domestic and international heritage sites, accounting for nearly 43,000 items on loan. Additionally, he will ensure accountability for more than 6,400 historical artifacts and aerospace vehicles on loan to 474 civilian museums, cities, municipalities and veterans’ organizations throughout the world.

******************************************* Geno Wagner (M) retired from the Air Force in March after 20 years, ten of which he served as a test pilot at Edwards, Boscombe Down, Hurlburt Field, and Eglin AFB. Most of that time was spent in various versions of the C-130, along with work in the C-17, L-1011 TriStar, BAC1-11, and A330. He has relocated from Florida to Denver to work for Riverside Research Institute as a Test Pilot/Sr Program Manager for Big Safari programs.

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In July 2011, Dr. Allen L (AL) Peterson (AF) was appointed as the President and CEO of the National Test Pilot School (NTPS) in Mojave, Ca by the NTPS Board of Trustees. After retiring from the US Army in 2002, Al held several positions at Sierra Nevada Corporation including Vice President of Program Support. He joined NTPS in early 2011 as a test pilot instructor and Vice President of Marketing, Business Development, and Export Compliance. Al’s vision for the school is to build on NTPS’ solid international reputation while moving it to a new level of professionalism in flight test instruction, academics, and training

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In July 2011, Mr. Greg Lewis (F) was promoted to Vice President and Director of the National Test Pilot School. As Director NPTS, Greg has oversight of all aspects of NTPS’ Academics and Flight Test Training. As Vice President, he will assist the NTPS President in the Strategic Planning for the future growth and development of the school.

60 January - June 2011 WEST COAST

Another three more successful events this year for the West Coast Section. First, a dinner meeting was held on April 14th, graciously hosted by NTPS. Once again the school did a superb job at hosting this combined SETP and SFTE event, offering up their facilities and providing tours for all those attending. The speaker this time was retired astronaut Mr. Vance Brand. Mr. Brand gave an excellent talk about his experiences both in space and as a test pilot and it was enjoyed by everybody - conducting FTTs during re-entry must be quite the challenge! About fifty people attended this event. On May 20th, an SETP advocacy night was held at USAF TPS for the graduating pilots of both USAF TPS and NTPS. Brett “Hollywood” Vance hosted the event with Mr. Greg Lewis as the guest speaker. Mr. Lewis discussed with the graduating students what SETP has personally meant to him and the impact it could have on their lives. Lots of pizza and beer were consumed back in the TPS lounge with around thirty people in attendance. Definitely a successful night, with 13 pilots signed up to be PAMs. The section’s next event was combined with the special business meeting in Mojave with Doug Shane speaking on June 10th. Doug gave a great presentation on the test pilots role in UAV development and everyone enjoyed the dinner catered by Famous Dave’s. On August 14th JetHawks hosted Aerospace Appreciation Night in which we had a suite to enjoy the game. Our very own Troy Asher (M) flew over during the National Anthem. Featured guest, Fred Haise (F) was also in attendance. Guests were given a bobblehead of Fred.

GREAT LAKES

On April 2, the Great Lakes Section of SETP and the Wright Chapter, Society of Flight Test Engineers (SFTE) participated in multiple engineering flight simulator evaluations hosted by the University of Dayton (UD) in an AIAA-sponsored student competition UD students submitted simulations of F-15, C-130, and a generic electric-powered light sport aircraft. UD also hosted two universities from the United Kingdom whose students together submitted four simulations attempting to model the F-35, Hawker Hunter, a blended wing-body business jet, and a lightweight human powered aircraft. The engineering simulator has hydraulic motion in 6 axes in a limited range and a computer- generated view out the front windshield; the cockpit is about the size of a Link trainer. Three of the SETP section test pilots flew the various modeling simulations, and provided evaluation comments to the university students on realism and usability for flying qualities engineering evaluations. The simulations were all quite well-designed and thought out, and the students were elated to have had “real” test pilot feedback on their designs. The Great Lakes Section of SETP held its annual picnic, attended by approximately twenty people, on 21 August. Many thanks to Peet and Carol Odgers for providing a great venue and meals for all the attendees – and good weather, to boot! Sadly, this event followed all-too-soon after the tragic Wright ‘B’ Flyer test flight accident on 30 July which claimed the life of two local long-time pilots, Mitch Cary and Don Gum. Mitch was an active SETP member and former SETP section officer; Don was a member of the Wright B Flyer, Inc, active in the Engineer’s Club, and had presented at this year’s this year’s joint post-symposium SETP/SFTE Dinner. In honor of the efforts and sacrifices of these two fine airmen, the Great Lakes Section will make a donation to the Wright B Flyer January - June 2011 61 organization. In addition, the Section plans to memorialize Mitch and his contributions to the Society by naming the annual Great Lakes Symposium award after him and changing the aircraft on the trophy to the Wright B Flyer. And, as a fitting tribute to Mitch, we all gave a toast to him. In other business, the current slate of section officers was extended for the next year. Section Chairman Robbie Robinson handed out the SETP brochures on the upcoming Annual Symposium, reminded everyone about the proposed constitutional changes, and requested that everyone please vote. He also addressed upcoming section events, including the Christmas dinner and involvement in a second round of AIAA/University of Dayton student simulator design evaluations ********************* SOUTHEAST We had 31 people go on a sunset dinner cruise here in our local bay. Darren Wees arranged the reservations and transportation to and from the dock. It was a beautiful night and we had a great time.

SETP SECTION CHAIRMEN CANADA CENTRAL Jason Randall Dan Hinson [email protected] [email protected] EAST COAST EUROPEAN John Tougas Marco Venanzetti [email protected] [email protected] GREAT LAKES NORTHWEST Robbie Robinson Leon Robert [email protected] [email protected] SOUTHEAST SOUTHWEST Gary Plumb Robert Moreau [email protected] [email protected] WEST COAST Stuart Rogerson Stuart.Rogerson.CA@edwards. af.mil 62 January - June 2011 BOOK NEWS

NEW FROM TONY BLACKMAN NIMROD RISE AND FALL

Publication: October 19, 2011 TPS: 240 x 170mm Extent: 224 pages; 4 colour throughout, over 140 photos Price: $35.95 Hardback ISBN: 978-1-908117-79-3

The scrapping of the Nimrod programme has been one of the most controversial events in the military aviation world for many a year.

For most of its operational life, from 1969 to date, its contribution to the defence of the realm and its role in offensive duties was, of necessity, often shrouded in secrecy. It was the ‘eye in the sky’ which was absolutely vital to a host of activities – from anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, to support of land battles throughout the world, to the Falklands campaign, to combating drug-running, the Nimrod’s unsung role was paramount.

And now the UK is bereft of such a multi-tasking reconnaissance aircraft.

The full story of the Nimrod, and its significance, now needs to be told. Tony Blackman, who was there at the beginning, test-flew nearly every aircraft and was at Kinloss on the very day the project was cancelled, has written this timely book, Nimrod Rise and Fall, covering every facet of its history, its weapons system developments and its tragic accidents. He writes in an approachable way, making technical subjects understandable but his conclusions will, inevitably, not be welcomed by everyone.

A must for all those interested in our modern air force.

For further information please contact [email protected] CATEGORY: AVIATION HISTORY

www.grubstreet.co.uk Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/grub_street

January - June 2011 63 Flying Carpets, Flying Wings: The Biography of Moye W. Stephens ISBN: 9780965218122 $ 29.95 includes shipping (international shipping additional cost) Moye Stephens could be truly considered one of the unsung greats of aviation. In the 1920s, he flew with Hughes, Hancock, Boeing, Pancho Barnes, and some of the best stunt pilots of the era. This experience resulted in a career as captain for Maddux, TAT, and T & WA in Ford Trimotors. In 1930, he began an around-the- world flight as author Richard Hallibruton’s pilot. His airplane was a Stearman C-3B named the Flying Carpet. The flight took 18 months to complete. In 1939, Moye was one of several who assisted in forming Northrop Corporation for which Moye acted as Chief Test Pilot on several prototypes including the N-1M. Flying Carpets, Flying Wings is the first factual narrative on the round-the-world flight. Information was taken from Moye’s letters home, the original maps used by Moye, and several interviews. The book includes many photos - so many that the Appendix has extra! The appendix also includes the TAT handbook and the Flying Carpet Timeline. Paperback, 6” x 9”, 352 pages. Author - Barbara Schultz.

Pancho: The Biography of Florence Lowe Barnes ISBN: 0965218104 $22.95 includes shipping (international shipping additional cost) Pancho Barnes was one of aviation’s most colorful members. She loved flying and she loved one particular airplane, the Travelair Mystery Ship, more than any other. In the 1920s, she barnstormed her way through the skies to become one of the best, capturing the women’s speed record in 1930. The test pilots of Edwards Air Force Base designated Pancho’s Happy Bottom Riding Club their unofficial debriefing room in the 1950s. She was spontaneous, adventurous, and dedicated to both flying and friends. Paperback, 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, 243 pages, 2 8-page picture inserts. Author - Barbara Schultz

Wedell-Williams Air Service ISBN: 0965218112 $24.95 includes shipping (international shipping additional cost)

Harry P. Williams and James R. Widell formed one of the most productive alliances in aviation during the 1930s. Their company, the Wedell-Williams Air Service Corporation, left a remarkable legacy to the world of air racing and the state of Louisiana. Wedell designed state-of-the art airplanes that raced for most of the 1930s, winning both the Bendix and Thompson Trophies. Roscoe Turner set several records in his Wedell Model 44. The book contains drawings of all Wedell aircraft and a comprehensive collection of photos. Paperback, 8.5” x 11”, 119 pages. Author - Barbara Schultz

Barbara Schults will generously donate a portion of the proceeds to the SETP Foundation for each book sold. The books will soon be available for purchase at www.SETP.org in our online store. 64 January - June 2011 In Their Own Words - The Final Chapter ISBN: 9781450290449 or 9781450290456

In Their Own Words - The Final Chapter explores and illustrates the courage, resourcefulness and patriotism of America’s fighter aces. These heroic flyers give their personal accounts of what it took to fly, fight and survive combat missions in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. This may be the last World War II aviation book to offer “first person” accounts by the fighter aces themselves. Of the 1,472 ace pilots our country has produced less than 150 are now still alive. Their average age is nearly 90 and in a few years their historic lives will only be a memory and a footnote to our nation’s rich military heritage. Stories from living aces such as Bud Anderson, Stan Vejtasa, Lee Mankin, Fred Ohr, Jerry O’Leefe and Charles Cleveland tell their pesonal stories that are at times exciting, humours and tragic, but all are from the heart and the gut. The stories of these brave aviators need to be told and shared. In addition my new book contains “first person” stories from many noted aces such as Robert S. Johnson, Herschel Green, Gordon Graham, Charles Milton and James Swett that are no longer with us to tell their remarkable stories.

In Their Own Words - The Final Chapter is divided into four sections that cover the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps in World War II, Fighter ace stories from Korea and Vietnam and our remarkable military test pilots.

6” x 9” with 25 photos and numerous “first person” stories. Author - James A. Oleson Available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

Also available through:

iUniverse Author Solutions Inc. 1663 Liberty Dr. Suite 200 Blommington, IN 47403 authorsolutions.com

January - June 2011 65 LAST FLIGHTS

CDR Charles M. Baucom, USN (Ret) (M), was born on 10 March 1952 in New Orleans, Louisiana and passed away on 18 May 2011. He was a son of the late Horace Clifford Baucom and Rosalind Windhorn Baucom. Chuck graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1974 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and went on for an MBA in the same discipline, which he received in 1984. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1983. In 1983 he was assigned to Strike Aircraft Test Directorate at NATC, Patuxent River as F-14 Program Manager and test pilot. He was heavily involved in the F-14 program throughout his Navy career. Cmdr. Baucom dedicated over 20 years of his life to the Navy, serving during Operation Desert Storm. He was proud to be a Top Gun graduate and an F-14 test pilot. Upon retirement from the Navy, he formed Baucom & Associates and later formed Integrated Business Analysis, Inc. Survivors include his daughter, Brittany (Chad) Baucom Owen of Lexington, SC; brothers, Adm. Larry (Linda) Baucom of Virginia Beach, VA, Adm. David (Peggy) Baucom of Yorktown, VA. Donations in his memory may be made to the SETP Foundation, P.O. Box 986, Lancaster, CA 93584.

Albert. W. Blackburn (F), was born on 15 May 1923 and passed away on 21 March 2011. Al was a Charter Member of SETP and the third President. He was the first Legal Officer of SETP in 1957 and Vice President in 1958, where he conceived and chaired the first symposium. He was an Executive Advisor in 1958, 1959 and 1960. He had more than 20 papers on flight testing and aircraft development presented and published. Blackie graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1944, following which he served as a Marine ground officer in Okinawa and in North China. Following Navy flight training in 1946, he served in carrier fighter squadrons for two years before resigning to become a consulting engineer. Later, he spent two years in graduate school at MIT, receiving a Masters of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1952. Once again, the Marine Corp beckoned and two additional years were spent at NATC, Patuxent River, Maryland, where he was involved primarily in the evolution of fighter tracking characteristics and fighter armament control systems development. Leaving service in 1954, he joined North American Aviation as an engineering test pilot, active in the development of the F-86, F-100 and F-107 series fighter aircraft. He performed structural demonstrations on the F-86, F-86K and LYF-107A, high mach duct buzz and supersonic climb tests on the F-100 ZEL program, 16 rocket launches including first launch, launches from shelter and at night. He was also involved in the F-100D LALSCD auto-land program with in-flight thrust reverser T-28B/C max sink-rate carrier tests. He had a total of 1484 66 January - June 2011 test flights over a 64 month period. In 1959 he joined the Office of the Secretary of Defense where he successively held the position of Special Assistant for Strategic Weapons and Deputy Assistant Director of Defense Research and Engineering for Tactical Weapons. He flew high-speed low altitude penetration checks in the B-58B and F4H-1, Development Manager for Polaris, Minuteman, TFX, Tactical Reconnaissance, COIN aircraft, NATO fighter and light amplification. Al later became Manager, Analysis and Information, and Program Manager, FX Weapon System, for the Republic Aviation Division of the Fairchild Hiller Corp. In 1965 he became President of Aero Systems Associates where he designed enhancements for Falcon, Citation and Challenger Development and tested three unique desert aircraft for Saudis to operate stealthily in Empty Quarter. He conducted first flights and flutter checks of RS-15. In 1999 Blackie published a book, “The Race for Mach 1 Aces Wild,” a dramatic tale of man’s quest to fly faster than the speed of sound.

Mitchell Dean Cary (M), was born on 23 December 1946, in Auburn, IN, and passed away on 30 July 2011, during a test flight of a Wright “B” Flyer replica near Springfield, OH. He was 64. Mitch held engineering degrees from Purdue University, the University of Dayton, and the Air Force Institute of Technology, and was pursuing studies in Theology from the University of Dayton. Mitch was a bomber pilot, tanker pilot, and test pilot in the U.S. Air Force and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. Mitch was employed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH, as a Program Manager and Chief of the Cargo and Trainer Propulsion Branch. He was very active in the Dayton community and contributed countless hours to several organizations. He was a member and Past President of the Wright “B” Flyer, Inc., Board of Trustees, where he had extensive experience flying the Wright “B” Flyer airplanes. He was also a member of Leadership Dayton, the National Aviation Heritage Area organization, and the Fairborn Performing Arts and Cultural Association. Mitch was also proud of his membership in the Purdue Alumni Association and Phi Delta Theta. Mitch was a very active member of SETP and was an officer in the Great Lakes Chapter for several years. He served as the Vice Chairman from 1998 to 2009, and he played a key role in establishing and supporting the chapter’s annual symposium held each May. He is survived by his beloved wife of 26 years, Judith Cary of Yellow Springs, OH; sons and daughters-in-law Mark and Julianne Cary of Dallas, TX, and Christopher and Kathryn Brandt of Kettering, OH; daughter, Lisa Cary and Ryan Meade of Beavercreek, OH; sister and brother-in-law Sue and Al McClure of Fort Wayne, IN; sister-in-law Elizabeth Cary of Huntington, IN; numerous nieces and nephews; and five grandchildren, Graham Cary, Max Cary, Lucy Cary, Daniel Brandt, and Jason Brandt. Donations in his memory may be made to Wright “B” Flyer, Inc., 10550 Springboro Pike, Miamisburg, OH, 45342.

January - June 2011 67 Lt Col Kent R. Crenshaw, USAF (Ret), (AF) was born 21 January 1947 to Rex and Therina Crenshaw, in San Bernardino, CA, and was lost in the Gulfstream G650 accident on Saturday, 2 April 2011 in Roswell, NM. Kent graduated with a B.S. in General Engineering from the US Military Academy at West Point, NY in 1969. He went on to serve 20 years in the US Air Force, retiring as a Lt. Colonel in 1989. He was awarded three Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross for service in SE Asia. In 1976 he received his Masters Degree in Aeronautical Engineering and was a distinguished graduate of the USAF Test Pilot School where he became Chief of Academics as a test pilot flight and academic instructor. Lt. Col. Crenshaw flew for Northwest Airlines, and later became Senior Engineering and Chief Test Pilot for Northrop Grumman Corporation, where he tested the B-2 Stealth Bomber. In 2000 Lt. Col. Crenshaw was recognized by the National Aeronautic Association and Federation Aeronautique Internationale as the World Record Holder for “Speed Over a Recognized Course” flying from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to Chicago, IL. Kent also worked as a Consultant Pilot Expert for Engineering Systems, Inc. of Colorado Springs, Co. For the past 14 years Kent has lived in Savannah and flown for Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation as Chief Test Pilot for commercial and special missions test programs. He was recognized by Gulfstream for his professionalism and dedication. He joined SETP in 1987 and became an Associate Fellow in 2002. Kent was married for 42 years to and is survived by his beloved wife Judith, of Savannah, his son Cameron Kent Crenshaw of White Sulfur Springs, MT, and his sister Dr. Paula Crenshaw of S. Lake Tahoe, CA.

The Society regrets to inform you that the last flight of David L. Ferguson (F) occurred on August 10, 2011. Dave was a native of Altoona, PA, held a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from the University of Nebraska and a Masters Degree in Mathematics from Arizona State University. Entering the U.S. Air Force as an Aviation Cadet in 1960, he became a fighter pilot and completed two tours in Vietnam flying the F-105. He graduated from the USAF Test Pilot School with Class 71B. As a Test Pilot he was stationed at the Air Force Flight Test Center for 8 years testing the F-105, F-4E, U-2 and several classified prototype aircraft. He was awarded the Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster, a Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster and the Air Medal with seven oak leaf clusters. Following retirement from the USAF, he joined the Lockheed Skunk Works in 1979 where he conducted the initial development of the F-117A Stealth fighter. He went on to become the Chief Test Pilot for the YF-22A and in that role conducted the first flight and initial air worthiness evaluations. Following award of the F-22 contract Dave was selected as the Director of Flight Operations and Director of Flight Test for the Skunk Works. Dave 68 January - June 2011 retired from Lockheed in 1997. Dave joined SETP in 1973, upgraded to Fellow in 1990 and served as President during the 1997-1998 term. He is a two-time winner of the Iven C. Kincheloe Award for his work on the F-117A and YF-22A. He was also as a member of the Red River Valley Pilots Association and AIAA. In 2008, Dave was inducted into the Lancaster, California Aerospace Walk of Honor. Dave is survived by Jan, his wife of 47 years, and daughters Teri Dowling of San Francisco and Bonnie Ferguson of Canterbury, England, and grandson, Cian Dowling. Dave will be buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetary on 8 December 2011 at 3:00pm. The family has requested the donations in Dave’s memory be made to the American Institute for Cancer Research, 800-843-8144, http://www.aicr. org/http://www.aicr.org/.

Squadron Leader James “Jimmy”Harrison (HF), was born on December 22, 1918. We just learned that he passed away on April 16, 2007. Jimmy was a Mosquito night interdiction pilot during the Second World War and went on to become an exceptional test pilot. At the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) at Farnborough, he tested early British jet aircraft before moving to Avro at Woodford, Cheshire, where he became chief test pilot. As such, he was responsible for much of the development of the Vulcan bomber, the 748 civil airliner, and the Nimrod maritime reconnaissance aircraft. Jimmy was twice awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, once while in the RAF and again at Avro. In addition, he was awarded the Air Force Cross in 1952 for his work at Farnborough. He was appointed OBE in 1968 for his key role in the development of the Vulcan, Nimrod and the Avro (later the HS) 748. Jimmy joined the RAF in 1934 as a Halton apprentice and qualified as an aircraftman fitter. When the war began, he was accepted for pilot training in Canada and remained there as an instructor. He obtained an operational posting in England in 1944 and joined No 605 (Mosquito) Squadron with which he was engaged on night interdiction. After the war he stayed in the RAF, becoming CO of his squadron, then graduated from the Empire Test Pilots’ School with a “distinguished” pass. His test flying ability earned him a posting to the Aeroflight at RAE where he flew all the swept-wing, tailless and delta- wing experimental aircraft of the era. By chance, the delta-wing Avro 707B one-third scale model of the Vulcan was sent to Aeroflight when it had finished its primary low-speed development work. It was through Harrison’s flying that this company became aware of his exceptional qualities. He joined Avro in 1953 where he became chief test pilot in 1958. In 1969 he became product support manager and retired in 1983. Jimmy flew some 7,800 hours on 93 aircraft, including 13 different prototypes. As product support manager, he kept in touch with all the operators of the 748 and military users of other Avro aircraft. He is survived by his wife Maureen and two daughters. In retirement, Jimmy became an immensely keen golfer. January - June 2011 69 Robert L. Matye (F), was born on 5 October 1922 and passed away on 30 April 2010 at the age of 86. He was a supremely gifted aviator and fighter pilot in World War II. In 1945 Robert was able to convince the very intelligent and otherwise clear thinking 18 year old beauty contest winner to be his bride, wife, lover, have their three children and be his true soul mate for the rest of their lives. Robert and Jean were married for over 64 years. Robert was recommended by his P-38 Group Commander to attend a classified interview in Los Angeles in 1944 that would mark the beginning of a life’s career in classified projects in defense of the United States. One classified project was the formation of America’s first jet powered aircraft fighter Group with the mission of defending the beach heads in the ultimate invasion of Japan. In 1944 Robert flew the Bell P-59 and was the first 2nd Lt. to fly the Lockheed YP-80 “Lulu Belle” and P-80A Shooting Star jet fighters. He was selected to be the Group’s P-80 public demonstration pilot. His jaw dropping, high speed, low level aerobatic displays earned him the life long call sign of “P-80 Matye.” Robert was a charter member of the post war California Air National Guard, flying the P-51D out of Van Nuys, California. This unit included WWII combat aces and won the highest award bestowed to an Air National Guard Unit for an Operational Readiness Inspection by the Air Force. He was approached by the Government regarding a secret assignment to fly a fighter combat tour for the newly formed State of Israel. It was during this time period that Robert was asked by Lockheed to join as a production test pilot on P-80/T-33 aircraft. This would start a 26 year career with Lockheed. Robert was promoted to experimental test pilot with Lockheed with the T2V and F-94 series of aircraft. He was assigned to test the first afterburner equipment, took the XF- 94C supersonic and was the rocket firing project test pilot on the aircraft. On one rocket firing test flight the engine failed immediately after take off. Robert had to perform a high speed belly landing with full fuel and armed rockets on board the stricken F-94C, resulting in two broken vertebrae in his back and a prolonged hospital recovery. He was assigned to work on a Lockheed/Howard Hughes venture regarding a modification project on an existing aircraft. During the Cold War with Russia and China, Lockheed was awarded two Collier Trophies for the F-104 Starfighter and the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft. Robert spent most of his time flight testing these two airplanes and was asked to join the “Skunk Works” program. Robert was then promoted to Chief Experimental Test Pilot for the F-104 program. Robert, who became the U-2 project pilot, was the second person to fly the U-2 and the first to take it to altitude. He shattered the existing manned sustained flight altitude records on three occasions. Much of Robert’s flying will never be made public, but in 2005, the CIA held formal ceremonies in which Robert was decorated for his work on behalf of the defense of the United States. After completing work on these programs, Robert was relocated to Lockheed’s Burbank facility and assumed test pilot duties on the Lockheed Electra, P2V-7 and P3A. He also flew non-Lockheed aircraft such as the North American F-86 Sabre Jet under the Skunk Works veil of secrecy. In all, he flew over fifty different aircraft, was a life member of QB’s and both a Charter Member and Fellow of SETP. Robert was a son, a brother, a cousin, a husband, a brother in law, a father, a grandfather, 70 January - June 2011 an uncle and is survived by his older brother Albert, daughter, Laura Craven; son, Mark Matye; son, Ken Matye; grandsons, Robert Craven and his wife Norma, and Matt Craven; great-grandchildren, Miguel and Andrea Craven, along with a large and beloved extended family.

David E. McCollum (AM), was born on 24 October 1963 in Olney, Maryland, and was lost on 2 April 2011 in the Gulfstream G650 accident in Roswell, New Mexico. He was a member of SETP since 2009. David attended Atholoton High School in Columbia, MD and graduated from Marion Military Institute (Marion, AL) high school in 1981, and junior college in 1983. He earned his BS degree in Engineering Science and Mechanics from Georgia Tech in 1988. David was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves in 1983. During the Gulf War he trained as a helicopter pilot at Fort Rucker, AL, finishing first in his class. He flew Chinooks while on active duty, reaching the rank of Major. He worked as a flight test engineer for Lockheed Martin in Marietta, GA, and Douglas Aircraft at Patuxent Naval Station, MD and at Long Beach, CA, before pursuing his dream of becoming a professional pilot. He flew as a pilot for Atlantic Southeast Airline for seven years before joining Gulfstream in Dallas, TX as a test pilot. David was an avid pilot and had volunteered for years at the Army Aviation Heritage Museum in Hampton, Georgia. David was an enthusiastic collector and restorer of classic cars and enjoyed hang gliding, sailing, playing guitar, and woodworking. Survivors include his parents, Offa Shivers “Mac” and Nancy McCollum of Highland, MD; his siblings, Offa Shivers McCollum, III (June) of Marietta, GA, Eugene W. McCollum (Kathy) of Millersville, MD, and N. Carolyn McCollum of Annapolis, MD; and his nephews, Will and Christopher McCollum. Donations in his memory may be made to either the MMI Foundation (www.marionmilitary. edu) or the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation (www.armyav.org).

Corwin H. “Corky” Meyer (F), was born on 14 May 1920 in Springfield, Illinois and passed away on 1 June 2011. Corky attended the University of Illinois and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Meyer received his flight training, including commercial, instructor and multi-engine ratings, from the Civilian Pilot Training Program in 1940-1942. After serving as a trainee for Pan American Airways, Corky joined the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation in 1942. Although he landed “wheels up” at the end of his first flight test, by 1944, had risen to Senior Engineering Test Pilot. He was the company’s project pilot for the Hellcat, Tigercat, Bearcat, Panther, Jaguar, Tiger and the Mach II Super Tiger. He flew all of the high-performance aircraft made throughout the world in the 1940’s, including the famed Japanese Zero. Corky tested Grumman’s first jet airplane, the XF9F-2 Panther in 1947 and in 1954 January - June 2011 71 became the first civilian pilot to qualify aboard an aircraft carrier with jet airplanes. He also performed the first flights in the Avenger, Guardian, Panther, Jaguar, Tiger and the Mach II Super Tiger. Meyer tested and evaluated more than 125 different types of military and commercial jet and piston-engine aircraft during a 36-year career with Grumman Corporation. He was at Edwards AFB from 1952-1956 as the head of all Grumman flight operations. He was elected a Vice President of the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation in 1967, and became a member of the Board of Directors of the renamed Grumman Aerospace Corporation in 1969 and a Senior Vice President in 1971. He also served as President of Grumman International, Inc., from 1963 to 1969. Corky was a Charter Member of SETP, and received the J. H. Doolittle Award in 1971. He was an Associate Fellow of AIAA, was the 23rd man since 1911 to have been named an Honorary Naval Aviator and has been inducted into the Naval Carrier Test Pilots’ Hall of Honor, the Wright Stuff Association – Wright Field World War II Test Pilots’ Association, the Early and Pioneer Naval Aviators Association of Golden Eagles and the Aerospace Walk of Honor. Corky Meyer has no regrets. He said, “If I could go back to age 17 and do it all over again exactly as my life has happened, I would jump at the chance.”

Arthur W. “Kit” Murray (F), of Clifton, Texas was born 26 December 1918 in Cresson, Pennsylvania and passed away on 25 July, 2011 at West Rest Haven in West, Texas. With World War II already underway in Europe, Kit joined the United States Army in 1939, and served in the Cavalry. He volunteered for pilot training the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and by 1943 was flying the P-40 as a fighter pilot in Africa. His unit worked its way across the continent from Casablanca to Tunisia, escorting B-25, B-26 and A-20 bombers as well as performing dive bombing and strafing missions. His unit was proud to never have lost a bomber to enemy fighters while under their escort. After a year tour in Africa, Kit returned to the United States as a P-47 instructor at Bradley Field near Hartford, Connecticut. He was then assigned as a maintenance flight test pilot and sent to Maintenance Engineering School at Chanute Air Force Base. After completion of that school his commander sent him to the Flight Test School at Wright Field. He was later offered the opportunity to be the first permanent test pilot to be assigned to Muroc Airfield (later Edwards Air Force Base). Kit was able to fly some of America’s earliest jet aircraft including the Bell XP-59 and the P-80. He also flew the P-51, P-82, F-84, B-25, B-43, B-45 and many other fighter and bomber aircraft. Kit flight tested the X-1A and X-1B, the X-4, the X-5 and also flew the XF-92A. In the X-1A, Kit set altitude records of over 90,000 feet and was considered at the time, 1954, America’s first space pilot. He was the first to see the curvature of the earth and the sky dark at mid-day. Kit was a test pilot at Muroc/Edwards from 1949 to 1955. His next Air Force assignment was in Paris, France. He was in charge of technology integration for the U.S. Regional Organization there and was privileged to fly some of Europe’s top airplanes at the time, including the Italian Fiat G-91, the French Mystere, and the British Javelin. After that one 72 January - June 2011 year assignment he went to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as head of new developments at the Systems Project Office. During his time there, 1958–1960, he was Air Force manager for the X-15 program. Kit held the rank of Major at the time, but this was considered a Colonel’s job. He was approached by Boeing in 1960. He retired with over 20 years of military service and became Boeing’s “company astronaut” managing crew integration for the space program. Kit worked for Boeing on many space program projects from 1960 to 1969, from the X-20 (a single place space shuttle) to the Apollo program. He was Technical Integration Manager for Boeing at Cape Canaveral. After retirement Kit managed a hunting club, flew some charter work for Mustang Aviation in Dallas then did some courtroom reporting for the Bosque County newspaper. Kit also was project manager for the restoration of the Bosque County Courthouse, taking it back to its 1886 splendor. He enjoyed riding horses and flying. He was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic church of the Assumption in West. Kit received the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal with eight oak leaf clusters. He was a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and recipient of the French Medal of the City of Paris. In 1996, he was inducted into the Aerospace Walk of Honor in Lancaster, California. He is survived by his wife, Ann; five sons, a daughter and three stepdaughters; 16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Donations in his memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

James L. Pearce (F), was born 29 December 1919 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and spent the last twelve years of his life in Costa Rica. He died peacefully on 9 February 2011 at 91 years of age. A highly decorated WWII fighter Ace turned test pilot, Jim was the first man to break the sound barrier flying an F-86. He was the Chief Test Pilot for North American Aviation and moved on from there to be the Assistant Program Manager for the Apollo space program. In 1967, Jim started American Marine Inc, a successful manufacturing business which is still thriving today. In addition he was a charter ship captain, airplane builder, successful land developer in Costa Rica, and wrote a book entitled, “A 20th Century Guy.” Among his many accomplishments, Jim was the President of SETP in 1965, Chairman of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, member of the American Fighter Aces Association, the first recipient of the SETP J.H. Doolittle Award in 1966, and inducted into the Carrier Aviation Test Pilots Hall of Fame in 1989. He was truly one of the “best of the best” generations of Americans. Jim is preceded in death by his beloved wife Marilynne, his two brothers Fred and Dick, and a sister Ruth. He is survived by his children, Mike Pearce (Daph), Kent Geis (Dorothy), Jeff Pearce (Cyndi), and Marsha Van Arman (Gary). He had 15 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren, and last but not least is his faithful dog “Wolfie.” The family requests donations be made to: William Childs Hospice House, 381 Med Plex Parkway, Palm Bay, FL 32907.

January - June 2011 73 Col Roger W. Peard, USMC (Ret) (M), was born in Quantico, VA on 30 January 1926 and passed away on 15 March 2011. After graduation from 6th Basic Class, Roger joined the 1st Marine Division at Pusan, South Korea. He landed at Inchon on Wolmi-do Island as leader of the First Platoon, George Company 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. He participated in the recapture of Seoul. Roger was wounded by a land mine while leading the battalion advance to the northwest of the city. He then landed at Wonsan and participated in the Northeast campaign as far as Chinhung-ni in the advance to the Chosin Reservoir. He was evacuated medically with hepatitis. After his hospital discharge, Roger served with Sea School at MCRD San Diego and with Training and Repacement Command at Camp Pendleton. He then entered flight school at Pensacola, FL and subsequently went to Corpus Christi for training in the F6Fk, F8F, TV and SNB. He was designated Naval Aviator in November 1952 and ordered to MCAS Cherry Point, assigned to VMA-225, MAG-11 at Edenton, NC, flying Au-1 Corsairs. Roger then went to NAS Atsugi, Japan with MAG-11 and flew F9F-5 with VMF-314. Roger was ordered to Pensacola as a basic flight instructor at Whiting Field and then as an advanced flight instructor at Sherman Field flying F9F-2. He transferred to MCRD in San Diego in 1957 and served as recruit company commander for most of the year. He was assigned to VMF-223, MAG-33, 3rd MAW at El Toro flying F8U-1 and graduated from the Naval Aviation Safety School at the University of Southern California. Roger was reassigned to MVCJ-3 flying F8-1P and later the F3D-2Q. He was then sent to VMCJ-1 at Iwakuni, Japan in 1960. Roger then joined the staff of MAG-32 as S-1 at Beaufort, SC. He transferred and graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, MD. He served as the Head of Ordnance Branch, Weapons Test Division of the Naval Air Test Center. He was ordered to Naval Air Systems Command in Washington, D.C. in 1965 and served as the F-8 Design Officer in the Fighter Design Office. Roger transitioned into the H-53 heavy helicopters in 1968 and was sent to MAG-16, 1st AMAW at Marble Mountain, RVN. He served as CO, HMH-463 and later as XO, MAG-16 and flew 315 combat sorties. He was then ordered to the staff of CG, FMFPac in Hawaii as the Safety and Standardization Officer and later as the Plans and Operations Officer in G-4. He returned to the Naval Air Test Center in 1971 as the CO, Marine Aviation Detachment and Test Program Manager of Marine-interested aircraft. Roger retired in 1974 and moved to South Lake Tahoe, CA. He and his wife, Dee, attended dealer’s school and dealt cards in several casinos. He continued to fly by buying a Cessna 150 then traded up to a Cessna 177RG Cardinal, which he flew for 20 years for convenience and in the Civil Air Patrol. He spent time nursing his four Corvettes and road racing his 93 ‘Vette. Roger is survived by his wife of 60 years, Dee, daughters, Lynn Kronberger, Shirley Alstadt, Barbara Peard, Audrey Peard and son Roger Wood Peard, six grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.

74 January - June 2011 Major General Cecil W. Powell, USAF (Ret.) was born on 12 December 1935 and passed away on 1 August 2011 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. General Powell was one of the Air Force’s most experienced test and fighter pilots. Following pilot training he was assigned to the 436th Tactical Fighter Squadron (FS) as an F-104 pilot where his squadron was deployed to Germany for the Berlin Crisis and to Florida during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He logged 104 missions in the F-105 over North Vietnam and Laos. Among his many decorations, he was the first American soldier awarded the Japanese “Zenkokal” (Good Deeds) in 1965 after his engine failed and he aimed his airplane into a small plowed field and ejected late to save the small local village from a downed airplane. He finished the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB where he remained to work on a variety of flight test programs, including NASA’s lifting body program, making 3 flights in the X-24A and 4 in the M2-F3, helping to expand the envelope for the forerunners of the Space Shuttle. He was awarded the Octave Chanute Award by the American Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics for his accomplishments as an experimental test pilot. He was the Commander of the 422nd Fighter Weapons Squadron and ran the Stealth Fighter program and formed the original F-117 flying unit. He was the Commander of the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Commander of the 316th Air Division in Germany. His final assignment was as the Commander of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center at Kirtland, AFB. He retired in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area and was a consultant to the National Laboratories for 15 years before he truly retired. Cecil leaves behind a large and loving family of 7 children, 21 grandchildren, 1 great-grandchild, his sister, Pat, of Houston and his wife of 38 years, Sally.

Vivan L. Ragusa “Noodles” (M) was born 26 November 1959, to Vivan and JoAnn Ragusa in Munich, Germany, where his father was stationed in the U.S. Army. He passed away tragically on Saturday, 2 April 2011, in Roswell, New Mexico when a Gulfstream G650 crashed during takeoff performance testing. Vivan grew up in Davenport, Iowa. In 1983, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Systems Engineering from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY. Having always dreamed of flying, Vivan immediately went on to serve in the US Navy, first as an A-6 Bombardier Navigator and then as an F/A-18 Pilot. In 1994, he began his test pilot career as an F/A-18 Project Pilot at the Naval Weapons Test Squadron, China Lake (VX-31) where he was involved in developmental flight test of tactical weapons and weapon systems. He also served as the Foreign Military Sales Liaison for eight countries and FCF and instructor pilot. In 1996, Vivan was selected to the Naval Postgraduate School / U.S. Naval Test Pilot School co-op program. In 1999, he received a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering and was designated a Naval Test Pilot. From 2000 to 2002 Vivan served as a test pilot with Naval Strike Test Squadron (VX-23) in Patuxent River, MD. One of January - June 2011 75 the highlights of his career was being selected as the lead U.S. experimental test pilot for the X-31 and completing the first flight. The X-31 VECTOR program was a joint U.S. / German program with Boeing and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Systems exploring high alpha and Flush Air Data Systems. While with Strike, he also conducted developmental flight test on T-45 A/C and F/A-18. Vivan served 23 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a Commander in 2007. Upon his retirement, he was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. Desiring to continue flying, Vivan joined Gulfstream Aerospace in 2007 as a pilot in the company’s Airborne Product Support program. He later became an experimental test pilot flying the company’s newest aircraft, the G650. Commander Ragusa is survived by his loving wife of 16 years, Jane, his sons Vivan III, Skylar and Aidan, his father Vivan Ragusa, his sisters Valerie Ragusa and Gianna Ragusa- Rogan (Jeff) of Davenport, Iowa, his father- and mother-in-law, David and Peggy Elmore, his brother-in-law Edward Elmore (Amy), his nephew Scott, and his nieces Anna and Heidi. He was an incredibly devoted husband, father, son and friend. While he loved flying, his greatest joy was spending time with his family. Vivan enjoyed football and racing cars, but one of his favorite things to do was to watch his sons play sports. Before leaving for his second trip to Roswell, he spent his last two weeks at home helping them prepare for their first baseball game of the season. He was fondly remembered by his friends in the following quote, “The sun shines a little less bright; he was truly the best of us.” The family has requested that donations in Vivan’s memory be made to the SETP Scholarship Foundation, PO Box 986, Lancaster, CA 93584 or http://www.setp.org/ scholarship-foundation/scholarship.html.

Robert M. Robbins (M) was born on 15 May 1916. He graduated from M.I.T. in 1938 with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. From 1938 to 1941 he worked for Pan American World Airways where he earned his Aircraft and Aircraft Engine Mechanics licenses and became a senior flight engineer on the Boeing B-314 flying boats on transatlantic runs. In December 1941, he joined Boeing as an Engineering Test Pilot. In this capacity, he flew as Project Pilot on B-17’s, the XPBB-1, B-29’s and XB-47’s. Except for the first few months of the XB-29 flight test program, he did most of the flying during World War II on the Number 1 XB-29 which was dubbed the “flying guinea pig.” In mid-1946, Mr. Robbins was assigned to follow the development of the XB-47 and was pilot-in- command of the initial flight of the first XB-47 in December, 1947. He completed Phase 1, 40-hour flight test program on the XB-47 following which the plane was turned over to the Air Force for evaluation. The B-47 production program was the culmination of this evaluation. In 1948, Mr. Robbins was made Assistant Project Engineer on the B-47B production program. He laughingly told that one of his first assignments was to determine appropriate action on the “squawks” which he had turned in to the engineering project when he was a test pilot. He became assistant project engineer just in time to be on the receiving end of these recommendations. He became project engineer on the B-47C program during 1951 and senior project engineer on the B-47 program in 1952. He was made Chief Project Engineer of the Wichita Division of The Boeing Company in 1956, B-52 Engineering Manager in 1958 and Assistant Director of Engineering in 1960. In 1968 he was Military Program Manager at Boeing – Wichita.

76 January - June 2011 Robert was a member of SETP and 1968 Chairman of the Central Section. He was also a member of AIAA, a registered professional engineer in the State of Kansas and a member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Educational Council.

Col Joe S. Schiele (F), was born on 9 March 1925 in Vidalia, Louisiana. He passed away on 8 May 2011. Joe had a distinguished career in large aircraft testing from the C-47 through the C-5A including the C-123, C-130 and C-141. Joe was Chief of Bomber Test at Edwards and had the distinction of being the first Air Force pilot to fly the C-5A. He was the acknowledged expert in unprepared surface testing and in recognition, the site at Edwards AFB is unofficially called Schiele Strip. Joe graduated from LSU in 1948 with a degree in Aeronautics and a regular commission. After a few years of operational assignments, he attended Purdue University where he received a Masters in Aeronautics and an assignment to Edwards AFB. Joe’s career in flight test began with selection to the USAF Test Pilot School. Upon graduation in 1956, he was assigned to Flight and All Weather Test at Wright-Patterson AFB. He flew early development tests on T-37 engine and fuel control, T-28 control systems and snow/ski tests on C-130’s and SC-47’s along with adverse weather and icing tests on many cargo and trainer aircraft. The next milestone in Joe’s flight test career was an interesting exchange assignment in Canada. There he flew elevator control systems tests on modified F-86’s and performance tests on Canadian 540. In 1961, Joe returned to Edwards to fly the X-21A, a highly modified B-66 used for research on laminar flow-control. He also gained prominence in project Rough Road Alpha, which entailed take-off and landing tests on unprepared strips with C-123’s and C-130’s. He was the primary pilot on the Cat II Development Test and Evaluation of the C-141. As chief of Bomber Test, he flew low speed control tests in the C-135 and Cat II Systems Test I, the HC-130H. In 1967 he was selected as the Air Force test pilot on the combined contractor-Air Force testing of the C-5A at Lockheed Georgia Company. He made the first flight with the contractor in 1968 and flew on the full envelope expansion program including structural demonstrations. Joe left the program in 1969. After assignments at the War College and a combat tour in Vietnam, he retired in 1973 as a colonel. In 2008 Joe was inducted into the Aerospace Walk of Honor, Lancaster, California. Joe is survived by one son, Joe Scott Schiele Jr. and wife, Kathy, of Yuma, Ariz.; one daughter, Kathy Dellinger and husband, Keister, of Ferriday; four grandchildren, Kimberly Gilgan and husband, Victor, Scott Schiele and wife, Deanne, Lee Dellinger and Steve Dellinger; and two great-grandchildren.

January - June 2011 77 Bruno Schmitt, (AF) passed away on 6 February 2011 in Bülach, Switzerland at the age of 87. Bruno joined the Society in December 1966 and upgraded to Associate Fellow in September 1986. Bruno was born on the 1st of October 1923 in Winterthur, Switzerland. He started glider flying at the age of 15. Bruno became a pilot in the Swiss Air Force in 1945. For 26 years, Bruno was an active militia pilot, flying the Morane, Mustang P51, De Havilland Vampire and Venoms and many other types. After graduating in Mechanical Engineering at the Technical State School in Winterthur in 1948, Bruno started to work for Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. as an Experimental test pilot, helping to develop the P4, a predecessor of the PC-6 Pilatus Porter. In 1949, Bruno joined the Swiss Government’s Military Flight Test Center in Emmen. As a test pilot, Bruno was involved in the procurement of the first jet fighter for the Swiss Air Force, the Vampire DH-100 Mk 6. Two years later, Bruno became an airline pilot with Swissair, and flew commercial flights for the company until 1981. In parallel and in various positions within the Operational Engineering branch, Bruno was involved in specification and acceptance of many airline models, including CV-990A Coronado, DC-9, DC-10-30, A310, Fokker 100 and MD-11. In the seventies and eighties, Bruno was a member of various industrial working groups and projects defining the upcoming electronic flight displays and flight management systems. He helped develop concepts which led to the transition to two pilot crews on commercial transport aircraft. After retiring from line flying at the age of 58, Bruno remained in the position of Head of Operational Engineering for Swissair for another seven years. In addition Bruno worked for many years part time for the Swiss Civil Aviation Authority performing airworthiness flights on multiengine propeller aircrafts and training instructors. When Bruno retired from Swissair at the age of 65, he continued to be an aviation enthusiast by building his own GLASAIR II, with his own cockpit design. After six years and approximately 9000 working hours, he started an intensive and comprehensive flight test program, and after successful certification, continued to fly his own built aircraft until he was 81. Up to then, Bruno had flown more than 155 different types of aircraft! Bruno was an active member of the Society. He was the Chairman for the European Section Symposium in 1971 and 1977, presented papers in 1974 and 1983, and helped organizing all Symposia the Swiss hosted during the last 40 years. Bruno was an outstanding test pilot, who experienced a very dynamic period in both civil and military aviation. His friends will miss his positive attitude, humor and contribution the activities of the Society in Switzerland. Bruno is survived by his wife Ursula, his daughter Susanne and son Jürg, and his seven grandchildren.

78 January - June 2011 Col. Jimmy R. Sharp, USAF (Ret.) (M), was born on 29 November 1940 in Grandfield, Oklahoma and passed away on 17 April 2011, at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center. Jimmy graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1962. He loved his University of Oklahoma Sooners! Upon graduation, he entered pilot training at Enid, Oklahoma, and spent 26 years in the U.S. Air Force. He was the project pilot on a number of “Seek Eagle” projects at Eglin AFB, Florida on the F-4 and A-7 aircraft. He also performed Target Identification and Acquisition System tests using the F4D at Nellis AFB, which included the first release of the “Black Crow” smart bomb. While serving his country Jimmy was a member of the River Rats, Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Order of Daedalions. Jimmy is survived by his wife, Linda, of Niceville, Florida; cousins, Gretchen Ryan and family of Dallas, and Cecilia Gibson and family of Lubbock, Texas. Memorial donations may be made to the Fisher House at Eglin Air Force Base, 350 Boatner Rd., Eglin AFB, FL 32542.

Col John S. Smith III (Jerry), USAF (Ret) (AF), was born on 28 October 1936 in Atlanta, Georgia, and passed away 15 April 2011. He was a graduate of Georgia Tech with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He retired from the United States Air Force after 26 years of service. Col Smith’s military education included Squadron Officers School, Maxwell AFB, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, VA, and DSMC’s Program Manager’s Executive Course. Jerry’s daughter Janette shared stories about her father. “He told me his greatest accomplishment was getting nineteen-year-old Beverly Jean Fye to say yes when he asked her to marry him. He was a junior at Georgia Tech with not a penny to his name. He was in the ROTC program and was on track to go into the Air Force the October after graduation. My father promised my mother that after six years of serving in the Air Force they could pick a state and town that they liked and settle down. This was all before he took that first flight. While waiting for my father’s oncology appointment, I asked again for his career accomplishments. He smiled and said, “Here’s some trivia. I have flown five different airplanes at twice the speed of sound; the B-58, the F-4, the F-104, the F-111 and the B-1.” He said he might have gone faster in the F-111 because “that was one fast plane.” My dad had been a bomber pilot, fighter pilot and a test pilot during his 26 years in the Air Force. I reread an article in the Atlanta magazine from November of 1965. In 1965, my father was one of the youngest aircraft commanders in the Strategic Air Command Wing at Robbins Air Force Base in Georgia. As noted in the article, “To receive the necessary flying time to qualify, Captain Smith volunteered for every training mission he could in a month, flew 11 twenty-four hour training flights in 45 days, and with the other four or five January - June 2011 79 regular missions scheduled during the same period, logged an incredible three hundred flying hours.” A month later he got his crew. In one of my father’s Officer Effectiveness reports, a then Brigadier General USAF, Peter W. Odgers wrote in 1982 that my father was a brilliant officer, had exceptional performance, and also stated that he had total trust in my father because he performed under immense pressure and had strong potential for a senior command position. My dad said the best of times of his life were spent in the Air Force. He also said that for 26 years he jumped out of bed and couldn’t wait to get to work. My dad went to work for Lockheed after retiring from the Air Force. He worked on the F-22 design project. When he first started on the project, he would park his car at the beginning of his week, then be taken to an undisclosed location, work for a week, and then be returned to his car to return home for the weekend. When the F-22 production was moved to Georgia, he and my mother returned to the state they were both born and raised. My father retired from Lockheed after 13 years. It was time to work on his golf game.” Jerry received the following awards and decorations: Air Force Outstanding Unit Award; Republic Vietnam Campaign, Combat Readiness, Air Medal with 9 Oak Leaf Clusters; Distinguished Flying Cross; Air Force Commendation Medal and Legion of Merit. Jerry was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church. He was preceded in death by his parents and one grandchild. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Beverly Smith, son Dean Smith (Susan), daughters Caroline Smith, Janette Nigro (Michael) and Marilyn Ahuna (Jim) and 10 grandchildren. Donations in his memory may be made to the St. Vincent De Paul Society, 3401 Lower Roswell Rd, Marietta, GA 30068 or to The Humane Society of Cobb County, 148 Fairground St S.E., Marietta, GA 30060.

Brig Gen Guy M. Townsend, USAF (Ret) (F), was born on October 25, 1920 and passed away on March 28, 2011. He was born in Columbus, Mississippi and graduated from San Jacinto High School in Houston, Texas in 1939. He attended Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas where he studied Aeronautical Engineering from 1939 to 1941. Guy entered military service as an aviation cadet in the Army Air Corps in October 1941, completed pilot training at Ontario and Victorville, California, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in May 1942. During World War II, he flew 450 combat hours in B-17’s and B-29’s in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Guy was a retired United States Air Force Brigadier General, test pilot, and combat veteran. As an Air Force officer, he served as Chief of Bomber Test at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, flew as co-pilot on the first flight of the B-52 Stratofortress, was Test Force Director for the XB-70 Valkyrie, and served as Program Director for the C-5 Galaxy and B-1 Lancer. He was the first military pilot to fly the B-47, B-50, B-52, and the 367-80 prototype of the KC-135. He also test flew the Convair B-36, North American B-45, Convair XB-46, Martin XB-48, and the Martin XB-51. As of October 1968, he had logged more than 8,000 hours of flying time—5,000 in experimental flight testing in many different aircraft. After retiring from the Air Force, Guy joined The Boeing Company as the head of the Supersonic Transport (SST) Operations Organization. After the SST program was cancelled 80 January - June 2011 in 1971, he supported a number of other Boeing efforts including the E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post, the YC-14, the Microwave Landing System, and the B-2 Spirit. Townsend retired from Boeing in 1986. Guy remained active in aviation after his retirement. In 2003 and at 82 years of age, he regularly flew aerobatics as co-owner of a private plane. He continued flying until 2007 when failing eyesight forced him to stop. Brig Gen Townsend was awarded the following medals for his military service: Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Distinguished Unit Citation Emblem, Presidential Unit Citation, National Defense Service Medal, and the Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon. In 1969, SETP presented Guy with the J. H. Doolittle Award. In 1994, the Museum of Flight presented him with the Pathfinder Award recognizing those individuals with ties to the Pacific Northwest who have made significant contributions to the development of the aerospace industry. In 1995, he was inducted into the Aerospace Walk of Honor in Lancaster, California. On October 25, 2002, the Flight Test Historical Foundation recognized Guy and five others as distinguished flight test pioneers for their work on the B-52 flight test program. Guy and his wife Ann lived in the Covenant Shores community on Mercer Island, Washington.

Lt Cdr L. Peter Twiss, OBE, DSC and Bar, RN (Ret) (HF) was born in Linfield, Sussex, England on 23 July 1921 and passed away on 31 August 2011 at age 90. He held the World Air Speed Record as the first man to fly at a speed greater than 1,000 mph. He joined the Fleet Air Arm in 1939 flying Tiger Moths, Hawker Harts and Fairey Battles and went on to operational training flying the Blackburn Skua and Roc, as well as Gloster Gladiators. During the Malta Convoys in 1942 he flew with 807 Squadron, on Fairey Fulmars, from the carrier HMS Argus. For his service, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in June 1942. Later in the year the Squadron converted to the Supermarine Seafires flying from HMS Furious for the Operation Torch landings in North Africa. During the Allied landings in Algeria and Morocco he added a bar to his DSC. In 1944 he was assigned to Night Fighter School with the RAF and completed intruder patrols over Europe, flying Beaufighters and Mosquitos. Lieutenant Commander Twiss was a member of the British Purchasing Commission and was sent to the U.S. where he had the opportunity to test various prototype aircraft and evaluated airborne radar equipment. He also served at the Naval Air Station at Patuxent River, MD. He graduated from the Number Three course at the Empire Test Pilots’ School in 1945. Upon graduation from test pilot school he served as a test pilot for the Navy Test Squadron in Boscombe. He joined Fairey Aviation in 1946, and was involved in the development of the Firefly IV and Spearfish, as well as flying the Fairey Delta I and FD2. One of these flights, on 19 March 1956, earned him the World Speed Record of 1132 miles per hour. He performed the first flight on the Fairey Gannet twin turboprop anti-sub, carrier borne aircraft. Lt Cdr Twiss was involved in the program until it was accepted by the January - June 2011 81 Squadrons. He performed early flights on the Fairey Delta I research project, and also flew for a neighboring aircraft company testing the M.L. Aviation Inflatable Delta. He also flew Gloster Meteors with various rocket systems. Lieutenant Commander Twiss was promoted to Chief Test Pilot in 1954, continuing his test work with the Firefly MK.7 trials and participating in rotary wing flying on Tip Jet Ultra Light Helicopters as well as the Fairey Rotodyne. He was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for saving the Fairey Delta II following an engine failure caused by fuel starvation due to a collapse of fuel bag tanks. Then the undercarriage failed to lower, forcing him to perform a nose wheel only landing at Boscombe Down. In 1960, Lieutenant Commander Twiss had accumulated 4600 hours of flying with approximately 7000 flights in 140 types of aircraft. In 1972 through 1988, he joined Fairey Marine as Manager and was involved in boat development and sales. He began his gliding career in 1980 and received the Silver Distance and Diamond Height Awards in 1999. He had over 1000 flights in 12 types of gliders and was a member of the II.9 International Association of Eagles at Maxwell AFB, AL. He appeared in the British War Film “Sink the Bismarck!” in which he flew a Fairey Swordfish, and was later in the James Bond film, “From Russia With Love” piloting a speed boat. In 1963 he wrote a book “Faster Than The Sun” and published a Second Edition in 2005.

82 January - June 2011 January - June 2011 83 The Society of Experimental Test Pilots PRSRT STD P.O. Box 986 U.S. POSTAGE Lancaster, CA 93584-0986 PAID SUNDANCE PRESS 85719

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