2011 March
Friday, 18 March 2011 12:33
Steven Lewis
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
 We have kicked off the year’s events that include 8 local SETP symposia, 2 Flight Test Safety Workshops and our annual Symposium and Banquet. I hope we can encourage you and your colleagues to come out and share the lessons you have learned with others. The first of this series was held in Fort Walton Beach, Florida recently. Gary Plumb (AF) and his team put on a first class event, with a strong technical slate of papers and saw great attendance. Their effort was appreciated by all.
The local symposia were created to reach a broader audience than could be expected in our bigger, more elaborate Annual Symposium and Banquet forum. We hope that more test pilots and engineers can find their way to spend a day at the regional events to listen to what is happening in on-going projects from active test pilots.
An unfortunate truism in Flight Test is that there are no new lessons to be learned. They have all been seen and experienced in the past, many of them etched in blood. However, test pilots are no different from anyone else in how we process and retain information. We need constant reinforcement to drive lessons home. Our technical presentations bring out issues experienced in recent, on-going projects that help bolster our data base of what works and what does not. Perhaps someday we can avoid making the same mistakes as our predecessors and ensure that we do everything right the first time. Sadly, we are not at that point in our evolution and many of our programs are destined to repeat the errors of the past. At best, we can hope to diminish the risk of major mistakes by being armed with some of the lessons of what to do (or not to do) from programs that we have heard about in our SETP symposia.
I have said often that everyone has something to contribute by relating what they have seen and learned in their test programs. Draft a presentation and talk about what you have experienced recently in your flight test efforts and you will surely be educating someone in that audience. The local symposia are less formal but no less technical in format. Having attended many of the regional events, I note that it is often the smaller programs that are most effective in telling their tale of what worked or what should not be allowed to be repeated. I look forward to seeing you there.
Finally, a note to all who have ideas and energy to help this society evolve and grow. I encourage all of you to send me all your inputs and comments. I can be reached at
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. SETP does not run on autopilot and needs your inputs to ensure that we remain viable and relevant to the membership and those we serve.
Fly safe,
Billie Flynn (F)
Lockheed Martin
MESSAGE FROM HEADQUARTERS
Reminder – SETP Headquarters is now accepting nominations for the Kincheloe and Doolittle Award. Please visit www.setp.org for more information on submitting a nomination.
2011 dues invoices were sent out early in December. If you have yet to pay yours, please contact SETP Headquarters at 661-942-9574 or
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.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
- 41st San Diego Symposium – 25-26 March 2011, Catamaran Resort & Spa, San Diego, CA
- East Coast Symposium – 15 April 2011, Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, MD
- Flight Test Safety Workshop – 3-6 May 2011, Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front Hotel, Pensacola, FL
- Northwest Symposium – 12 May 2011, Future of Flight Aviation Flight Center, Paine Field, Everett, WA
- Great Lakes Section Symposium – 19 May 2011, Wright Patterson AFB Banquet Center, Dayton, OH
- 43rd European Symposium – 25-29 May 2011, San Clemente Palace Hotel, Venice, Italy
- Central Section Symposium –6 June 2011, Hotel at Old Town, Wichita, KS
- Special Business Meeting – 10 June 2011, Flight Research, Inc., Mojave, CA
- 55th Symposium & Banquet – 21-24 September 2011, Grand California Hotel, Anaheim, CA
- European Flight Test Safety Workshop – 8-10 November 2011, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Salzburg, Austria
MEMBERSHIP NEWS AND UPDATES
Alan "Al" Norman (AF) was recently named Chief Test Pilot for the F-35 Lightning II program. Norman replaces former F-35 Chief Test Pilot Jon Beesley (F), who retired Jan. 31.
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Council honors pioneer test pilot
One of the roads leading to Majors Field Municipal Airport in Greenville, TX will soon be renamed to Andonian Drive in honor of Harry Andonian 9F) of Greenville.
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These pilots gathered for their monthly luncheon at the Suntree Country Club in Melbourne, Florida.
Seated left to Right:
Bob Mosley, Ray Roberts, Paul Chell
Standing:
Paul Deehan, Al Crews,
Bud O’Connor, Wendy Shawler, Bud Evans
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The Aviation Week Laureate Awards recognize individuals and teams for their extraordinary accomplishments. Their achievements embody the spirit of exploration, innovation, vision or any combination of these attributes that inspire others to strive for significant, broad-reaching progress in aviation and aerospace.
The 53rd Annual Laureate Awards presentation was held on 8 March 2011 at a black-tie dinner. Several SETP Members were honored!
- Business/General Aviation: Randall Greene (AF) supported, led and expanded the Corporate Angel Network, which has arranged free flights for 35,000 cancer patients.
- Defense/Government: U.S. Air Force Major General (ret.) Michael C. Kostelnik (M) fielded the Guardian Maritime Unmanned Aircraft System, the first air vehicle system dedicated to maritime homeland security and counter-narcotics missions.
- Klass Award: RADM Thomas J. Cassidy, Jr., USN (ret.) (AF) was recognized for contributions to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
 The Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. X2 Technology(TM) demonstrator team has been named the winner of the 2010 Robert J. Collier Trophy.
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Member Request
If anyone is attending the European Symposium and is interested in sharing a room with Leo Janssens, SETP Fellow, please contact him at 772-979-1080 or
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.
If you have any membership news such as upcoming events, the death of a Member, scheduled burials at Arlington Cemetery or special awards or recognitions, please notify SETP.
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, 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.
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 presented Certificates to the Two National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) National Champions, and sponsored the NIFA Southeastern Regional’s in November, 2010. We presented the SETP Foundation Challenge Trophy and certificate to the winning Flight Team, Emery Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) for one year.
The SETP Foundation will be participating in the 2011 NIFA Nationals on May 16, 2011, with thirty Universities competing for the National Championship. We will also be a sponsor for the NIFA Regional’s hosted by the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in November, 2011 in Melbourne, Florida.
As a result of our “Bridge” initiative, FIT has formed the First SETP Foundation Student Chapter. ERAU is also in the process of forming a SETP Foundation Student Chapter.
Talk about watching a planted seed begin to grow!
The SETP Academic Bridge to the Aerospace Industry is pretty much focalized in the Southeastern United States presently and there’s a whole lot of Earth left to play in. Please consider joining our “Bridge” and get universities and industry talking together in your region.
In other areas, we will continue to be a sponsor at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair being held in Los Angeles in May 2011. With 1,600 finalists, this is a rich opportunity to advance Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Thanks to the hard work of “Fast” Eddie Cabrera and CAPT (USN) Rich “Calvin” Burr, 6 students from Burroughs High School in Ridgecrest, California will be attending some of the Friday and Saturday symposium events in San Diego later this month. The high school held an essay contest to help select which students would attend.
And in the Northwest, the Board recently approved funding for student attendees at the first Northwest symposium.
Roy Martin reports that we now have 102 oral histories of our members “in the can”. Roy, with the wonderful help of Dana Kilanowski, will add four more oral histories in San Diego this year.
There’s much more going on with your Foundation, but I am limited with space here so I’ll stop for now and provide a more detailed report in the next issue of Cockpit. 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 considerable amount of effort on fundraising so we can do even more. We 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 small part-time SETP staff expense) of your donation will head straight into achieving the SETP Foundation objectives.
Until next time,
Ferg…Out
SECTION NEWS
West Coast
On Feb 24th, the West Coast Section along with the Antelope Valley section of SFTE held a dinner meeting at the Air Force Flight Test Museum at Edwards AFB. Following dinner, Tom Morgenfeld gave a very entertaining presentation on "Dancing with the Lockheed Stars". Tom's talk ranged from flying MiGs and the F-8 Crusader all the way to the F-117, YF-22 and X-35.
Just prior to this event, the West Coast Section election results were released. I would first like to thank Eddie Cabrera and Gregory Wood for volunteering their time over the past year ensuring the West Coast Section remained relevant to our members. Their hard work and dedication allowed us to hold many successful events and paved the way for significant educational outreach opportunities for our local communities. Our newly elected section officers are Vice Chair: Rich "Calvin" Burr, Secretary: Dave "Sardot" Marten and Treasurer: Jason "Mongoose" Dotter. We will endeavour to hold a social event once a month and expand our education outreach to local schools over the next year.
The following events are already in the planning stages, so please mark your calendar. March 25-26th is the San Diego Symposium at the Catamaran Resort which is always a great time. April's event is still to be determined, so more to follow. In May, we will be holding a Pizza and Beer call at USAF TPS to congratulate our newest grads from both USAF TPS and NTPS. On June 10th, we will be holding a dinner meeting in conjunction with the SETP Special Business meeting at NTPS. Doug Shane will be giving a short presentation so you don't want to miss this one. Then on August 13th we have reserved a suite for the Jethawks game during the Aerospace Appreciation Night. Seats are limited and will be available to purchase at the beginning of July.
Finally, we have also created a new email address for our section
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. Hopefully this will eliminate some firewall problems we have had in the past. Feel free to use it if you need to contact us. Hope to see you at the next event.
Central Section
Dan “Shaka” Hinson chaired the first Central Section Board meeting of 2011 on a red-letter day in early February. The day was marked as Don “Bun” Parker’s last active service day with the USN. Bun’s seamless transition to the civilian routine saw him not only jumping into his new job at Hawker-Beechcraft but also fulfilling his role as the Vice Chairman. Jeff “Pig Pen” Karnes (Treasurer) and Scott “Scooter” Whitley (Secretary) were also in attendance to welcome Bun aboard.
The Central Section encompasses a large geographic region but continues to be Wichita centric. Our goal is to actively increase SETP Central Section membership throughout the region and to ensure that all members actively participate in the sharing of information and the attending of events.
In order to help enhance communication within the region a sub-group has been established on LinkedIn that will serve to keep all members appraised of the latest information available for Central Section events and get-togethers. All members of SETP and interested parties are encouraged to use this medium as an alternate means of keeping in touch with the events we have planned.
Also, the planning continues for the Central Section symposium which will be held on Jun 6 at the Hotel at Old Town. Dale Bleakney graciously volunteered his services as the Chairman and has already organized over a half dozen of very interesting presentations. Marc Mannella set the standard extremely high for our symposium last year and Dale has put together a venue that will maintain that standard of excellence. If you are in the region during this time period, please keep the date open on your calendar.
Lastly, as a reminder, there will always be an informal meeting open to all members of SETP every third Thursday of the month. Location and timing will be determined by Pig Pen and communicated to all by our efficient HQ staff. We truly wish you can join us in the near future for some informal lessons learned, exchanging of flight test best practices, flight test safety discussions and some Mid-West hospitality.
East Coast Section
The East Coast Section held a “Welcome to Flight Test” reception to honor the December graduates of USNTPS back in December. The well attended reception for the 32 TPS Graduates of Class 138 (we’re up to Class 138 already!?!) was held at the Pax River Naval Aviation Test Museum, and was jointly sponsored by SETP, SFTE and the USNTPS Alumni Association. The Grads were from all the U.S. military branches and several allied countries.
The mixing of older Members and the new (provisional) Associate Members
Mike “Sting” Wallace (AF) and Klas “Santa” Ohman (M) working their flight test sideburns.
The mixing of older Members and the new (provisional) Associate Members
Mike “Sting” Wallace (AF) and Klas “Santa” Ohman (M) working their flight test sideburns.
Mark your calendars: The major upcoming event is the East Coast Symposium, to be held on 15 April 2011 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. The symposium is being held in conjunction with the USNTPS Reunion which is 14-17 April.
Great Lakes Section
On March 5th, members from the Great Lakes Section of SETP supported a safety and technical review of a new Wright B Flyer that is scheduled to begin flight testing in the next few months. The section is now gearing up for the 19 May 2011 Symposium at the Wright-Patterson Club. A few other events to be held in the meantime are the Air Force Museum Open Cockpit Night on March 17th (members only), and we will be supporting an event on April 2nd at the University of Dayton where we will be conducting evaluations on an engineering flight simulator developed by Merlin Flight Simulation Group from the UK. Both SETP and SFTE will support UD's request
to evaluate simulator software OFPs, written by engineering student teams, with experienced test pilots and engineers in order to provide feedback on the viability of the simulator for use in the aerospace engineering curriculum.
LAST FLIGHTS
The Society sadly announces the passing of the following members:
David Finney (M) – 11 December 2010
James Pearce (F) – 2 February 2011
Bruno Schmitt (AF) – 6 February 2011
SETP SECTION CHAIRMEN
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CANADA
Jason Randall
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GREAT LAKES
Robbie Robinson
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CENTRAL
Dan Hinson
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NORTHWEST
Leon Robert
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EAST COAST
John Tougas
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SOUTHEAST
Gary Plumb
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EUROPEAN
Marco Venanzetti
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SOUTHWEST
Bob Moreau
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WEST COAST
Stuart Rogerson
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Last Updated on Friday, 18 March 2011 13:14
2010 November
Tuesday, 30 November 2010 19:23
Steven Lewis
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Let me begin by relating how honored and excited I am to take the reins of SETP. I have such enormous respect for what the membership represents and for the caliber of individuals who are part of the Society. I promise to represent you and your ideals this coming year with the same professionalism that you show every day you fly.
Our organization is steeped in history of great test pilots and bold endeavors but also filled with the energy of test pilots actively engaged testing the newest flying vehicles all over the globe. SETP members are dedicated to testing and flying in the safest manner possible. As part of our calling, we communicate with one another to ensure that our lessons learned from testing are passed on to our colleagues and that our mistakes are not repeated. I learned this during my earliest encounters with SETP and continue to believe it so.
My efforts as President this coming year will be two fold. First, I want to energize and encourage our younger test pilots not only to join in SETP activities but also to spur them to relate what they have learned from their current test programs. It is the active test pilots in the field who are pushing the boundaries and have the most to contribute including the lessons learned for all of us to learn. Secondly, we need to reinvigorate our Corporate Members. The glory years where test pilots knew the company owner personally are long past. We need to make ourselves known and present in more than just flying activities. Test pilots contribute far more to test programs and the development of aircraft than merely just being the stick and rudder person. We must ensure that the contributions of test pilots are recognized as a valuable resource both in and outside of the cockpit.
I will be traveling extensively this year participating in as many of the activities as possible. I look forward to meeting you all. I welcome your comments and feedback on how the Society is being run and how to make things better. Until then, fly safe.
Cheers,
Billie Flynn (F)
Lockheed Martin
MESSAGES FROM HEADQUARTERS
The 2010 Symposium and Banquet Photo Gallery is now available on our website at http://www.setp.org/index.php?option=com_expose&Itemid=84
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 You should have received an email from SETP Headquarters offering the option of electronic invoice for future billing for those Members who pay annual dues. If you have not already done so, please respond to
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if you would like to go paperless. Please be sure to indicate which email address you prefer the invoice to be sent to.
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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. We thought it would good to offer this watch to the membership once again to see if we can attain the minimum order.
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
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
• Southeast Section Symposium – 24-25 February 2011, Ramada Plaza Beach Resort, Ft. Walton Beach, FL
• 41st San Diego Symposium – 25-26 March 2011, Catamaran Resort & Spa, San Diego, CA
• East Coast Symposium – April 2011
• Flight Test Safety Workshop – 3-6 May 2011, Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front Hotel, Pensacola, FL
• 43rd European Symposium – 25-29 May 2011, Venice, Italy
• Special Business Meeting – June 2011
• Central Section Symposium – Wichita, KS 6 June 2011, Hotel at Old Town, Wichita, KS
• Great Lakes Section Symposium – Dayton, OH (tentative date of 19 May 2011)
• 55th Symposium & Banquet – 21-24 September 2011, Anaheim, CA
• European Flight Test Safety Workshop – 8-10 November 2011, Salzburg, Austria
CALL FOR PAPERS
4th Annual SETP Southeast Symposium
Ft. Walton Beach , Florida
24-25 February 2011
The 4th Annual Southeast Symposium will be held 24-25 February 2011 at the Ramada Plaza Beach Resort in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida.
This is an official call for papers. Presentations should be limited to 30 minutes, including the discussion period. No proceedings are published for this Symposium therefore formal written papers are not required. Those interested in presenting should submit an abstract by 20 December 2010 to:
Gary Plumb, SE Section Chairman
C/O SETP Headquarters
Post Office Box 986
Lancaster , California 93584-0986
Email:
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41st Annual San Diego Symposium
San Diego, California
25-26 March 2011
The 41st Annual San Diego Symposium will be held 25-26 March 2011 at The Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa, 3999 Mission Boulevard, San Diego, California.
This is an official call for papers. Presentations should be limited to 30 minutes, including the discussion period. No proceedings are published for this Symposium therefore formal written papers are not required. Those interested in presenting should submit an abstract by 21 January 2011 to:
Brett Vance, Symposium Chairman
C/O SETP Headquarters
Post Office Box 986
Lancaster , California 93584-0986
Email:
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2011 FLIGHT TEST SAFETY WORKSHOP INFORMATION
Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front
Pensacola, FL
3-6 May 2011
The Flight Test Safety Committee (FTSC) will be sponsoring the annual Flight Test Safety Workshop on 3-6 May 2011 at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front, 12 Via de Luna Drive, Pensacola Beach, FL 32561. This year the workshop is being held in conjunction with the 100th Anniversary of Naval Aviation.
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. Rusty Lowry, USN Test Pilot School, is coordinating the event with the assistance of The Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) and the Society of Flight Test Engineers (SFTE).
The theme of the workshop is “Last Flights”. The committee is currently requesting papers and presentations highlighting unique flight test aspects associated with "last flights", both planned and unplanned. Unique challenges may include aircraft limitations, pilot proficiency, team continuity, media distractions, life-limited components, funding, or any number of other issues found with a final flight in a flight test program. Submittals are encouraged from all areas of flight testing including experimental, research flights, developmental test efforts, rotary wing or fixed wing flight testing, or space flight. Presentations should be limited to 25 minutes and every effort will be made to group similar test programs together in each session to maximize the lessons learned from "Last Flights" presentations. Please send paper/presentation proposals to the 2011 Flight Test Safety Workshop Chairman, Mr. Rusty Lowry at
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If you should have any questions regarding submitting an abstract please contact Rusty Lowry at 301-757-5052. The deadline for abstracts is 15 January 2011 to allow for appropriate consideration and inclusion in the program.
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hilton and has provided a special rate of $133.75 single/double per night + tax. YOUR RESERVATION MUST BE RECEIVED BY MONDAY, 11 APRIL 2011 TO GUARANTEE A ROOM AT THE SPECIAL RATE. Rates are subject to change after the cut-off date. Reservations can be made by calling 1-866-916-2999 and ask for group reservations or online at www.pensacolabeachgulffront.hilton.com. When making your reservation, please refer to group/convention code SEP.
43rd European Symposium
Venice, Italy
25 – 29 May 2011
The European Symposium will be held 25-29 May 2011 in Venice, Italy.
This is an official call for papers. Presentations should be limited to 30 minutes, including the discussion period. No proceedings are published for this Symposium therefore formal written papers are not required. Those interested in presenting should submit an abstract by 31 March 2011 to:
Marco Venanzetti, Symposium Chairman
Email:
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Central Section Symposium
Wichita, Kansas
6 June 2011
The Central Section Symposium will be held 6 June 2011 at Hotel at Old Town in Wichita, Kansas.
This is an official call for papers. Presentations should be limited to 30 minutes, including the discussion period. No proceedings are published for this Symposium therefore formal written papers are not required. Those interested in presenting should submit an abstract by 4 February 2011 to:
Dale Bleakney, Symposium Chairman
C/O SETP Headquarters
Post Office Box 986
Lancaster , California 93584-0986
Email:
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MEMBERSHIP NEWS AND UPDATES
SETP Member Ronald G. Puckett received the Kansas Governors Aviation Honor Award for 2010 on 6 November 2010.
Mr. Puckett’s long aviation career began in the U.S. Navy, flying fighters off aircraft carriers in the Pacific during WWII. After the war he worked as a test pilot at Chance Vought, testing the F-7 Cutlass. Ron later joined the FAA as a test pilot, where he took part in testing many of the aircraft built in Kansas. In 1972 he was relocated to the FAA Aircraft Certification Office in Wichita, where he became Chief of the Flight Test Section and remained in that position until his retirement in 1980. After he retired he continued test flying as a FAA DER until 2000.
Ron Puckett spent almost his entire life in aviation, where his accomplishments are too numerous to mention. He is truly deserving of a place in the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Ron!
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 From 41 years ago, Edwards ARPS Class 68-B, five class members are pictured here:
From left to right: Leo Janssens (F); Bob Ettinger (F); Yasuo Oda (F); Jim Martin (F); Lonny McClung (M)
Also at the 54th Symposium was classmate Keith Glenn (M) who was not available for the picture. Class 68-B claims six members present to be a record for Edwards' classes graduating more than 20 years ago.
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 The sterling group of Test Pilots that gathered for our monthly luncheon at the Suntree Country Club in Melbourne, Florida
Next month the meeting will be held on an earlier date due to conflict with Thanksgiving. The new date is set for Noon on Thursday 18 November at the Suntree Country Club.
Seated L. to R.: Bob Mosley, Al Crews, Paul Deehan
Standing L to R.: Paul Chell, Bob Hood, Ray Roberts, Bud O’Connor, Bud Evans
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KENTUCKY AVIATION HALL OF FAME
HONORED TEST PILOT AND ENGINEER
CHARLES COLLINS
 LEXINGTON, KY, OCTOBER 7, 2010: Charles "Chip" Collins, Colonel, USAF (Ret.), World War II veteran and former manager of the premier aeronautical engineering laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was inducted into the Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame on November 6, 2010 in Lexington.
From his wartime service as a B-29 bomber commander in the Pacific, Chip Collins entered the challenging field of aeronautical systems' development. He oversaw the MIT Flight Facility and served as its senior engineering test pilot for 32 years. Collins was pilot-in-command of the first coast-to-coast, non-stop, pure inertial navigation flight in 1953. His flying career covers 15,000 pilot hours in 60 different types of aircraft. Joining Collins in the induction to the Hall of Fame are: Col. David Fleming, US Army aviator who led the Kentucky Army National Guard; James Graybill, accomplished commercial and executive pilot; and Gene Soucy, air show performer and three-time national aerobatic champion.
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If you have any membership news such as upcoming events, the death of a Member, scheduled burials at Arlington Cemetery or special awards or recognitions, please notify SETP.
SETP FOUNDATION NEWS
The SETP Foundation invited the winner of the 2010 Intel International Science & Engineering Fair, Joseph Gerner to attend the 2010 Symposium & Banquet to display his project. Below is a letter from Joseph to past President, Terry Tomeny.
Dear Mr. Tomeny,
Thank you for the invitation to attend the 2010 SETP Symposium. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the many interesting presentations as well as having the privilege to interact with so many talented members of the flight test community. I am especially grateful for the opportunity to have exhibited my science fair project and discuss my research with such a knowledgeable body of aerospace professionals. The many insightful questions and sage advice has left me with several new ideas for future research.
On the other end of the spectrum, I really appreciated the opportunity to interact with other invited students of like mind and to share in their enthusiasm for aerospace. Attending this event has definitely left an impact on me and further reinforced my desire to one day become a test pilot myself.
Thank you once again for the incredible opportunity to attend the SETP Symposium and especially for your Society’s committed outreach to inspire the next generation of aerospace professionals.
Sincerely,
Joseph Gerner
Freshman, Aeronautical Engineering, Class 2014
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, AZ
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The following letter was sent to Bill Connor (AF), Chairman of the SETP Academic Bridge to the Aerospace Industry:
Hi Bill,
First of all, thank you for inviting me to the annual SETP symposium. The whole experience was very enlightening and I especially enjoyed the company of the Northrop Grumman test pilots.
I am quite humbled by your efforts as well as the efforts of Bob Hood and the SETP to reach out and encourage aviation as a professional career. As you know the profession has come under much scrutiny after Colgan 3407. I've noticed that this has created an uneasy feeling for those about to enter the industry such as myself. It's very encouraging however when organizations such as SETP take notice and make an effort to further the profession and industry.
I remember you had asked for suggestions or ideas. I think SETP has taken a good first step in getting involved with NIFA. I know a lot of those involved with NIFA and its competition wonder if their efforts ever get noticed by others in the industry and I'm sure the more involved SETP becomes, the more motivated its contestants and teams will become. Expanding your involvement beyond just the flight departments is also an excellent idea. The engineers that are on the flight team have wished that there were more competitions specific for engineers.
The only thing that I would add is to try and reach out to those in high school. My counselors and teachers in high school were not very helpful in guiding me for a career in aviation (they had no clue). Much of my life planning was done by speaking to my grandfather and searching the internet.
Thank you again for your involvement and inviting me. Please feel free to contact for any more ideas and comments.
Regards,
Sherman Carll
EUROPEAN FLIGHT TEST SAFETY WORKSHOP HIGHLIGHTS
The Flight Test Safety Committee sponsored a Flight Test Safety Workshop 28-29 September 2010 at the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS), London. 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. Moe Girard, Senior Engineering Test Pilot, Cessna Aircraft Company, Thomas E. Roberts, RDT&E Safety Manager, Naval Test Wing Atlantic, Dennis Morley, Chief Flight Test Engineer, BAE Systems, the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, The Society of Flight Test Engineers and the RAeS coordinated the event.
The theme of the workshop was “Fight Test Professionals – skill sets, knowledge and experience critical to successful and safe test programs”. The workshop's theme was an attempt to focus discussion on flight tests where the participants’ skill sets, knowledge, and experience levels proved critical to safe and successful program completion. Preference was given to presentations that highlighted test programs where the linkage between participants’ backgrounds and the test outcome could be established and critical skills identified for the test professionals involved including test pilots, test engineers, or test technicians.
The technical program started with opening remarks by Tom Roberts, Moe Girard, Dennis Morley and AVM David Couzens (President, RAeS). 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.
Moe Girard did a fantastic job of preparing and conducting the technical sessions. The workshop had 65 attendees. When the committee planned the workshop it set a goal of 50 attendees, it was gratifying to exceed that goal. Thanks to all SETP and SFTE members who solicited attendance for the workshop - it paid off.
We were very fortunate in having Dennis Morley, CDR Eric Mitchell, Barbara Gordon and Rod Job as our session chairs. The session chairs were instrumental in getting maximum participation from the audience during the panel discussions.
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.
All was not hard work; Moe Girard put together a pub crawl for Tuesday night. The crawl included 4 pubs within walking distance of the hotel. To say the least, we all had a great time!
The event ended with the Flight Test Safety Dinner and the Gerard Guillaumaud Flight Test Safety Award Ceremony. The dinner was well attended and the food and atmosphere made it an especially entertaining night. The committee thanks Karen Lowry for her thoughtful and spirited invocation.
The evening ended with the presentation of the European Flight Test Safety Award. The award was sponsored by the Flight Test Safety Committee and presented by Heidi Biermeier. The purpose of the European Flight Test Safety Award is to enhance flight test safety in the European flight test community. The award shall serve as a motivation and recognition of an accomplishment in the interest of flight test safety. The accomplishment may either be an exceptional act which contributed to avoiding a test accident, or a presentation within the framework of the European Flight Test Safety Workshop which contributed most to improving flight test safety. The award is based on the following philosophy as its guiding principle: Gerard Guillaumaud lost his life in execution of his profession, but his spirit will still be alive, Gerard's passion for flying and aircraft should be a legacy for us for achieving one aim: improving flight test safety. The selection committee had a very difficult time as there were a number of worthy presentations in the end they were able to make an outstanding choice for the first recipient of this award. Heidi announced the 2010 Award recipient as Billie Flynn and Mark Skoog for their excellent presentation on “Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System Flight Test Results”. Congratulations!
Special thanks to AgustaWestland, BAE Systems, University of the West of England and Wyle for providing sponsorship for the event. I would be remise if I did not recognize Paula Smith (SETP), Gemma Crabb (RAeS) and the entire RAeS for the work they did to make the workshop a great event.
The next three European Flight Test Safety Workshops will be as follows:
2011 – Salzburg, Austria, hosted by Dr. Dieter Reisinger, Austrian Airlines.
2012 – Linköping, Sweden, hosted by Mats Lundberg, SAAB
2013 - Amsterdam, Netherlands, hosted by Arun Karwal, Research Test Pilot, National Aerospace Laboratory NLR
We hope to see you there!
SECTION NEWS
GREAT LAKES
The Great Lakes Section recently held an election with the following results:
Chairman – Robbie Robinson (AF), ATK
Vice Chairman – Dave Glade (AF), USAF (Ret)
Secretary – Eric Fitz (M), USAF, AFRL
Treasurer – Sam Ryals (M), USAF
********************
CENTRAL
The Central Section recently held an election with the following results:
Chairman – Dan Hinson (M), Hawkerbeechcraft
Vice Chairman – Don Parker (M), DCMA
Secretary – Scott Whitley (M), Bombardier Flight Test Center
Treasurer – Jeff Karnes (AF), Bombardier Aerospace
SETP ELECTED OFFICERS FOR 2010/2011
President: William A. Flynn (F), Lockheed Martin
President-Elect: Steve Rainey (AF), Boeing
Vice President: David Nils Larson (AF), NASA/DFRC
Secretary: Doug Benjamin (F), Boeing
Treasurer: Maurice Girard (AF), Cessna
Legal Officer: Kevin Prosser (AF), Calspan
LAST FLIGHTS
The Society sadly announces the passing of the following members:
Nello Infanti (F) – 19 July 2010
Gay E. Jones (AF) – 22 July 2010
Charles Plummer (F) – 28 September 2010
SETP SECTION CHAIRMEN
CANADA
Rob Erdos
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CENTRAL
Dan Hinson
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EAST COAST
John Tougas
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EUROPEAN
Marco Venanzetti
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GREAT LAKES
Robbie Robinson
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NORTHWEST
Leon Robert
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SOUTHEAST
Gary Plumb
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SOUTHWEST
Alan Norman
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WEST COAST
Eddie Cabrera
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 2010 19:44
|
2010 May
Friday, 28 May 2010 11:05
Laurie Simmons
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Greetings from sunny and humid Pax River. I’m looking forward to my new assignment with Boeing here with the P-8A program and also looking forward to getting involved with our East Coast members. Well 2010 continues to fly by with outstanding symposia in San Diego, at Pax River, Wright Patt and another very successful Flight Test Safety Workshop in San Jose. Many thanks to all of you who organized and ran those events as well as those of you who supported them. All top quality venues. Upcoming shortly are section symposia at Wichita and the Annual European Symposium in Cambridge just over a month away. I hope many of you take the opportunity to attend these events. Since the last newsletter the balloting on the two Constitutional changes has been counted and both changes were passed. So now it will only take a two thirds vote of an investigating committee to expel a member where it used to require a unanimous vote – and you have already been asked if you’d like to vote electronically instead of by snail mail. Another important upcoming event will be the Special Business Meeting on June 11th at National Test Pilot School where the new slate of officers will be nominated. Immediately following that event you’ll get to vote your new Board of Directors in. And not very far down the road now is the Annual Symposium. Eel Morey and his committee have been working hard to make this another incredible event. Be sure to mark it on your calendar and make your reservations.
See you there.
Terry E. Tomeny (F)
Boeing
SYMPOSIUM/MEETING INFORMATION
THE SOCIETY OF EXPERIMENTAL TEST PILOTS
SPECIAL BUSINESS MEETING
DATE:
Friday, 11 June 2010
PLACE:
National Test Pilot School
1030 Flightline Road, Mojave, CA 93501
661.824.2977
TIME:
6:00pm - Social Hour, 7:00pm - Business Meeting, 7:30pm – Dinner
TAB:
$20.00 (Includes dinner, wine and beer).
The SETP Nominating Committee has prepared a slate of officers for 2010/2011 from SETP members who have expressed an interest in the position and has called a special meeting to afford the membership an opportunity to make nominations from the floor. Those nominated from the floor must have been contacted in advance to determine that they would be willing and able to serve if elected. Below is the proposed slate of officers.
For President-Elect:
Steve Rainey (AF), Boeing
Jeremy P. Tracy (F), AgustaWestland
For Vice President:
David Nils Larson (AF), NASA/DFRC
Timothy J. Morey (AF), CAPT, USN
For Secretary:
Doug Benjamin (F), Boeing
Robert B. Stoney (AF), FAA
For Treasurer:
Troy Fontaine (M), Department of Homeland Security
Maurice Girard (AF), Cessna
For Legal Officer:
Kevin E. Prosser (AF), USAF
Mike Wallace (AF), Boeing
The business portion of the meeting is open to Membership only (SETP Membership and Corporate Representatives). In order to establish a quorum, your support is essential. The remainder of the program will be open to spouses and guests.
Click here to register on-line. For catering purposes, we ask that reservations be made by 8 June 2010. We hope to see you in Mojave!
The Society of Experimental Test Pilots
Central Section Symposium
18 June 2010
Wichita, Kansas
This is a reminder that the Central Section Symposium will be held on Friday, 18 June 2010 at the Old Town Conference Center across the street from The Hotel at Old Town, 830 E 1st Street North, Wichita, Kansas. The Symposium will include all day sessions and a luncheon with a keynote speaker. Marc Mannella (AF) of Bombardier is the Chairman for this event.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS: A small block of rooms has been reserved at The Hotel at Old Town at $109.00 per night without breakfast or $119.00 with a full hot breakfast. Parking and in-room internet are included in the room rate. Reservations may be made by calling 1-877-265-3869. When calling, please mention that you are attending the Society of Experimental Test Pilots Symposium to receive the negotiated rate.
TECHNICAL SESSION: Continental breakfast will be served at 7:00am in the Keen Kutter A Room of the Old Town Conference Center across the street from The Hotel at Old Town. The Symposium will be held in Keen Kutter B beginning at 8:00am. Click here for more information and to register for this event.
SYMPOSIUM AGENDA
Registration / Pastries / Coffee
Welcome / Administrative
Marc Mannella (AF), Bombardier
Symposium Chairman
Opening Remarks
Moe Girard (AF), Cessna
Central Section Chairman
Flight Control / Fly-By-Wire Design Consideration
Tony Lambregts, FAA CSTA for Advanced Control Systems
An Overview of How Part 23/25 Type Certification Requirements Relate to Training and Operational Requirements
Gerry Baker (AF), FAA Wichita ACO Flight Test Branch Manager
Morning Break
Recovery at Stall Warning: “Just Add Power”?
Dave Lewandowski (AF) and Aaron Tobias (AM), Cessna
Operational Credit for EVS, SVS and CVS
Mark Schlegel (F), Bombardier
Luncheon and Keynote Speaker
Leading GA Through Turbulence
Dave Brant, SETP Member and Sr. Vice-President of Product Engineering, Cessna
AT-6 Development Program - First Flight to Combat Systems Demonstration
Dan Hinson (M), Hawker Beechcraft and LtCol Keith Colmer, USAF (M)
SkyCatcher Flight Test Program and Lessons Learned During Spin Testing
Dale Bleakney (M), Cessna
Afternoon Break
December 32nd, 1980 (Lear Fan First Flight)
Dennis Newton (AF), Consultant DER and Former Chief Test Pilot for Lear Fan Corporation
Presentation of the Lloyd C. Stearman Award
Best Paper Selection Committee
Happy Hour
The Society of Experimental Test Pilots
European Symposium
13 – 16 July 2010
Cambridge, UK
This is a reminder that the European Symposium is being held from 13 to 16 July in and around the historic university town of Cambridge. The Symposium itself, including all technical sessions will take place at the impressive Imperial War Museum at Duxford, just outside the city centre.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, plans for the Technical Tour have had to be changed. The tour will now visit the historic Shuttleworth Collection. The tour will be preceded by a briefing from the collection's Chief Test Pilot, Trevor Roche before coach transport (30 mins) to Old Warden aerodrome where we will spend a couple of hours engrossed in this historic and unique collection of Edwardian aircraft and the extensive preservation activities that surround them. Coaches will return us to Cambridge in good time to prepare for the evening social reception in King's College. For a taste of Shuttleworth please follow this link: http://www.shuttleworth.org/shuttleworth-collection/shuttleworth-collection.asp.
Themed in the “40s” to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, the culminating event of the 2010 European Symposium is to be a Gala Dinner to be held seated in amongst the aircraft in the atmospheric American Air Museum display hangar on Friday 16th July. Transport will be provided from the preferred hotels at 7pm and returning after the event. The dinner will be preceded with a reception and an opportunity to wander among the historic aircraft on display in the venue. There will be music of the era throughout the evening, with dancing to a Big Band after the presentation of symposium prizes. After the dinner, the guest speaker will be the renowned spitfire test pilot, Mr Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown. Registrations should be made in advance with your on-line registration. Dress will be military Mess Dress for serving personnel, Black tie / Dinner Jacket preferred for non-serving and retired, and appropriate formal wear for ladies.
Click here for complete details and to register for the events. Please note that early registration will end on 1 June 2010. After this date the registration fee will increase by $100.
The committee is still accepting abstracts. Those interested in presenting should submit an abstract, no later than, 31 May 2010 to:
Rhys Williams
Empire Test Pilots’ School
MoD Boscombe Down
Salisbury SP4 0JF
United Kingdom
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HOTEL ACCOMMODATION: Rooms have been reserved at a range of hotels - Click here for hotel information and to book your hotel on-line.
54th Symposium & Banquet
Disneyland Grand Californian Hotel
Anaheim, CA
22-25 September 2010
Call for Papers:
The symposium committee is still accepting abstracts. Abstracts should be a 50-word or more outline of the specific scope and highlight of your chosen topic. If you are interested in presenting a paper, please submit and abstract ASAP.
PLEASE NOTE: PAPERS MUST BE TECHNICALLY-ORIENTED RATHER THAN SALES-ORIENTED. PAPERS CONCERNING FLIGHT TEST SAFETY ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED.
Email or mail all abstracts to:
Attn: Mr. Kevin ProsserSymposium Chairman
SETP Headquarters
P.O. Box 986
Lancaster, California 93584-0986
Email:
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New Venue for Friday Night Reception!
The S&B committee is off the ground planning all of the details behind the 54th Annual Symposium and Banquet to be held at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim, CA 22-25 September 2010. The committee is changing the venue for the Friday night reception to Festival Arena located within Disneyland Park. As a result, those attending this popular Friday night social gathering will have full access to the entire park and all of it's attractions from 5PM until the park closes at 12 PM, with a two hour dinner planned (exact times to be determined). Although we have all enjoyed Soaring Over California over the last several years, feedback from attendees has indicated that it might be time for a change. The new outdoor venue is considerably farther away from the Grand Californian, and the committee wants to ensure that transportation is available to those members who may need assistance to and from the new venue. Transportation will not be provided for all attendees of the Friday night reception, only those who require it. There will be provisions during the registration process to identify those members and their guests who desire to take advantage of this Disney provided service. You're not going to want to miss this year's Annual Symposium and Banquet. See you in Anaheim!
The Royal Aeronautical Society is pleased to announce a
"Call for Papers” for the
4th SETP/SFTE Flight Test Safety Workshop
“Flight Test Professionals – skill sets, knowledge and experience critical
to successful and safe test programs”
Tuesday 28 – Wednesday 29 September 2010
The history of flight testing is full of examples of both "professional" and "amateur" approaches to the subject. What makes the difference? This workshop's theme is an attempt to focus discussion on flight tests where the participants' skill sets, knowledge, and experience levels proved critical to safe and successful program completion.
The scope of this annual conference is such that it will seek contributions that cover all current research, preference will be given to presentations that highlight test programs where the linkage between participants' backgrounds and the test outcome can be established and critical skills identified for the test professionals involved including test pilots, test engineers, or test technicians.
Call for Papers Deadline: Monday 24 May 2010
The Organizing Committee invites prospective authors to submit abstracts of original work for presentation at the Conference.
Full details can be found here.
Corporate Profiling Opportunities & Exhibition Space - For more information and details of sponsorship and exhibition opportunities please call Gemma Crabb on +44 (0)20 7670 4345 or email
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.
SETP FOUNDATION NEWS
The SETP Foundation has been providing sponsorship to high school students to attend SETP Symposia. This year the Foundation sponsored two students to attend the San Diego Symposium. Below is a letter we received from one student expressing his gratitude:
Dear SETP Foundation,
I wanted to thank you once again for giving me the opportunity to attend the symposium. I truly enjoyed the event, and was given a whole new perspective on the Aviation Industry. The variety of professionals there and the high ranking Navy and Air Force officials was impressive. The symposium was incredible and I walked away with a greater knowledge of the tasks and challenges faced by test pilots everyday.
Again, I cannot express my gratitude for being able to attend, and I look forward to staying in contact with you and the rest of the organization.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Hilliard
SYMPOSIUM HIGHLIGHTS
East Coast Symposium
16 April 2010
Naval Air Station Patuxent River
The East Coast Section sponsored the 26th East Coast Symposium on April 16, 2010 on board Patuxent River Naval Air Station. As in past years, the symposium was a one-day event that was conducted in coordination with USN Test Pilot School Alumni Association Reunion, so that members may easily attend both functions. The symposium was well attended, with 144 SETP members, USNTPS students and flight test professionals taking part in the event.
Under incredibly sunny skies, the morning kicked off at the wonderful U. S. Naval Test Pilot School facility with a delicious continental breakfast. After this chance to meet up with old friends and socialize, the morning technical session began in the USNTPS Auditorium. It included excellent briefings from government, industry, and academia. Papers detailed the rapid prototyping and flight testing of the Calspan Airborne Systems Laboratory, flight testing of the Thrush S2R-T34 AG Aircraft, and Norway’s infrared seeker captive carriage flight test program. Presentations covered the test team’s results and lessons learned.
Following the morning presentations, the participants stepped outside onto the flight line to get a close look at the cockpits of aircraft new to USNTPS on static display. These included the UH-72 Lakota utility helicopter, the Super Hornet, the “Strike Saab” flying Systems Lab, and the T-6B Texan. Also on hand was a brand new Cirrus SR-22 that was flown in by Mr. Gary Black (M).
The venue for the luncheon and the afternoon session was the brand new Pax River “River’s Edge” Conference Center overlooking the Marina and Patuxent River. The guest speaker at the luncheon was Rear Admiral David “Decoy” Dunaway, USN, Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force. RDML Dunaway provided an excellent speech on the continued need for both operational and development testing, and how communication and coordination is essential to ensure capable and effective future weapons systems arrive in the fleet as quickly as possible.
The afternoon technical session consisted of more outstanding presentations. Flight test results of a synthetic vision system to combat brownout for tactical helicopters as well as synthetic “Green” fuels testing in the T-6 were presented. Also, an insightful brief on collation of natural and man-made disasters with flight test mishaps and near mishaps was provided, as was a general overview of the developmental Cirrus “Vision” personal jet. The afternoon papers concluded with a presentation from SETP’s National President Terry Tomeny (F) on “The State of the Society.”
The final event of the symposium was the cocktail reception, which was hosted by the USNTPS Alumni Association and supported by our corporate sponsors. The highlight of the reception was Mr. Les Ryan (Northrop Grumman Test Pilot) presenting the annual Leroy Grumman Award to LCDR Cliff Camamile, USN (VX-20) and Ms. Erin Mrozowski (NAVAIR) for their paper titled “T-6A Synthetic Fuels Evaluation.” The Leroy Grumman award was sponsored by the Northrop Grumman Corporation to honor the speakers that present the best technical paper at the East Coast Symposium.
I would like to express my sincere personal thanks to all the symposium speakers, the SETP National Officers, the SETP East Coast Section Officers, the SETP headquarters staff, the USNTPS and the TPS Alumni Association, as well as our sponsoring corporate members for their support in making the 2010 Symposium a success.
CDR Eric Mitchell (M), USN, East Coast Symposium Chairman
Great Lakes Symposium
27 May 2010
Wright - Patterson Air Force Base
The Great Lakes Section held its annual Symposium on 27 May 2010 at the Wright Patterson AFB Club. There were four outstanding papers presented including; an update on the Navy UCAS-D program given by RAdm (ret) Tim Beard, B-2 Radar Modernization Program by Don Weiss (M), MC-12W Program by Major Chris Robinson and Major Dick Waggoner and “Flight Test of the Boeing 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control Countermeasures Dispense Envelope” presented by Mark Mitchell (M) and Norm Howell (AF) of Boeing. There was also a panel discussion on Test Planning that featured Lt Gen (ret) Dick Reynolds (F), Mr. Bob Eslinger of the F-22 Test Shop and Col (ret) Robbie Robinson (AF). The Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, sponsored this year by Northrop Grumman, for the best paper was awarded to Mark and Norm for their outstanding paper on the 737 Counter Measures Dispense Envelope testing.
Our luncheon speaker was Brig Gen (sel) Arnie Bunch (M), past Commander of the 412th Test Wing at Edwards. Arnie has just returned to Wright Patterson AFB as the Program Executive Officer.
Participants included local SETP members, Society of Flight Test Engineers members and interested USAF test planners and program mangers. The day was capped off with a joint dinner between SETP and SFTE members at the Engineers Club in Dayton Ohio. At the dinner SFTE founding member Jim Papa spoke about the founding of the SFTE. The SFTE local President is Sam Carbaugh.
SECTION NEWS
WEST COAST
The West Coast Section of SETP held another meeting this past Fri 30 April at Edwards AFB. The evening started off with a tour of the NASA Dryden facilities. Many thanks to Lawrence Davis, Director of Flight Test Operations, and the NASA team for pulling together a great visit with such short notice. The tour showed members some of the historic past of Dryden, including a chance to see one of the original Lunar Lander Training Vehicles (LLTV). A visit to the hanger showed the many support aircraft NASA operates and this was followed by an opportunity to watch an actual SOFIA mission being conducted in the Edwards airspace. SOFIA is a 747 modified with a telescope to act as an airborne observatory and is currently undergoing testing here at Edwards. Everyone was very impressed with the tour and was appreciative for the opportunity to see some of the work NASA does in Aeronautics. After the tour was complete, a burger burn and beer call was held at USAF TPS, which provided a great opportunity for members from China Lake and Edwards to interact and share stories of their flight test experiences with some of the students from USAF TPS and NTPS. Thanks to USAF TPS for providing their facilities to host this event. Looking forward to the next West Coast event and a chance to get together again and swap war stories!
MEMBERSHIP NEWS AND UPDATES
2010 SETP Constitutional Change Results
On 14 April 2010 the ballots from the proposed Amendment C, Article V - Termination and reinstatement of active membership, Section 6 (Expulsion), Proposal to change the requirement for a unanimous vote of the investigating board to a two-thirds vote in order to expel a Member of the Society and Amendment CI, Article VII – Officers, Section 2 (How Elected) and Article XII – Amendments, Section 2 (Voting), Proposal to change the requirement for a letter ballot to allowing for electronic balloting via the internet, for those who explicitly agree to that option, were tallied. Both amendments passed.
SETP Electronic Voting
Ballots for SETP Officer Elections will be mailed in June. With the recent change to the Constitution, those members willing to vote electronically may vote via the internet. The default is paper ballots. If you wish receive an electronic vote invitation for the June 2010 ballot please respond affirmatively to Shawna Mullen at
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by 21 June. Members who do not explicitly opt in to the electronic vote will be mailed a paper ballot.
Member Request
If anyone is attending the European Symposium and is interested in sharing a room with Leo Janssens, SETP Fellow, he has reserved a double room at the Hilton Doubletree Garden House for the nights of 13 to 16 July ( departing on 17 July). Those interested can contact him at 772-979-1080 or
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.
WHO…WHAT…WHERE…
Richard W. Taylor (center) Editor-in-Chief Anthony L. Velocci, Jr. (left) and Aviation Week President Tom Henricks (right)
On 29 March 2010, Richard W. Taylor (F) received the Lifetime Achievement award from Aviation Week & Space Technology. Small wonder that when Aviation Week invited industry and government to designate individuals who may be worth considering for Laureate awards in various categories, nine luminaries of the aerospace industry—from the U.S. and Europe—submitted a joint nomination of Taylor. They cited his seminal contributions to aviation spanning a career dating back to 1946, when he joined Boeing after serving as a pilot for the U.S. Army in the European theater during World War II.
LAST FLIGHTS
The Society sadly announces the passing of the following members:
Ascani, Fred J. (F) – 28 March 2010
Laidlaw, William (F) – 2 April 2010
Lentz, Fred (AF) – November 2009 (the Soeciety was recently notified of his passing)
Okawa, Goro (M) – March 2005 (the Society was recently notified of his passing)
Opitz, Paul Rudolf (HF) – 1 May 2010
Stock, David (M) – 14 November 2009
Thayer, Paul (F) – 6 May 2010
Tucker, Charles (F) – 26 April 2010
FUNERAL SERVICES
Maj Gen Fred J. Ascani, USAF (Ret)
Thursday, 3 June 2010 at 3:00pm
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, Virginia 22211
(Attendees must meet in the Administration Building
30 minutes prior to the services, as you will be escorted to the site)
Maj Gen Robert M. White, USAF (Ret)
Thursday, 24 June 2010 at 9:00am
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, Virginia 22211
(Attendees must meet in the Administration Building
30 minutes prior to the services, as you will be escorted to the site)
SETP NEW MEMBERS AND UPGRADES
The Society would like to welcome the following new Members:
Carter, Patrick (AM), Cessna
Castilho, Diogo (PAM), Capt, Brazilian AF
Lee, Terrance (AM), Cessna
Lundy, Chad (AM), Boeing
Machado, Fabian (PAM), Capt, USAF
Pinto, Bettega (PAM), Capt, Brazilian AF
Silder, Stephen (M), Sikorsky
Sizoo, David (M), Boeing
Souza, Ricardo (AM), Maj, Brazilian AF
Tinney, William (AM), Cessna
Congratulations to those members who have upgraded their membership!
Baase, Solomon (M), Maj, USAF
Bratt, Richard (M),Maj, USA
Filbey, Joshua (M), LCDR, USN
Ling, Richard (M), Flt Lt, RAF
Quintal, Peter (M), Northrop Grumman
Welcome Back! The following member has re-instated his membership:
Donald Underwood (AF), L-3 Communications
The Society would like to welcome the following new Corporate Member:
Advanced Training Systems International, Inc.
SETP SECTION CHAIRMEN
CANADA
Rob Erdos
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CENTRAL
Maurice Girard
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EAST COAST
John Tougas
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EUROPEAN
Craig Penrice
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GREAT LAKES
Jay Jabour
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NORTHWEST
Leon Robert
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SOUTHEAST
Gary Plumb
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SOUTHWEST
Alan Norman
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WEST COAST
Eddie Cabrera
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2010 – 2011 Calendar of Events
(Click here to view complete details of each event)
Special Business Meeting
11 June 2010
National Test Pilot School Mojave, CA
Central Section Symposium
18 June 2010
Old Town Conference Center
Wichita, KS
42nd European Symposium
13-16 July 2010
Cambridge, England
54th Symposium & Banquet
22-25 September 2010
Grand Californian Hotel Anaheim, CA
European Flight Test Safety Workshop
28-29 September 2010
Royal Aeronautical Society London, UK
41st San Diego Symposium
25-26 March 2011
Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa
San Diego, CA
Flight Test Safety Workshop
3-6 May 2011
Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front Hotel
Pensacola, FL
Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 2010 19:23
2010 March
Monday, 29 March 2010 04:23
March 2010
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Terry E. Tomeny (F)
Boeing
 As we all get ready to head to San Diego, it's amazing how fast this year is going and we're now in the thick of the "symposia season". I had the honor in February to attend an incredible Southeast Symposia with excellent attendance and some outstanding technical papers. Well done guys. And now that I'm a proud Boeing employee and up in the Northwest, I recently had the opportunity to join the Northwest Section for a "beer call" and meet several folks I've never had the pleasure to meet before. There seems to be lots of interest, wherever I go, in the Flight Test Wiki Site described below, which is very encouraging. I encourage you all to look into this and get involved with Dan Canin. I'm excited to head to San Diego next week and hope to see many of you there. Tim McDonald has put together an outstanding event. Who could pass up meeting Jim Lovell?
Keep up the enthusiasm.
TT
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 chair a committee 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
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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.
SYMPOSIUM INFORMATION
40th San Diego Symposium
Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa
San Diego, CA
26-27 March 2010
The Society of Experimental Test Pilots 40th San Diego Symposium and Banquet will be held 26-27 March 2010 at The Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa, 3999 Mission Boulevard, San Diego, California 92109. Tim McDonald (AF) of the USAF Test Pilot School, is the General Chairman of this event and Kevin Prosser (AF) of USAF is the Technical Session Chairman. Session I of the symposium will begin at 1:00pm on Friday followed by an evening reception. Session II will convene at 8:30am Saturday and adjourn at 12:00pm with a buffet luncheon on the beach. The Banquet will be held later that evening. With the symposium occurring only a few weeks before the 40th anniversary of the lift-off of Apollo13, we are very pleased to announce that this year's Keynote Speaker will be the Mission Commander, Captain James A. Lovell, USN (Ret) (F).
The Society wishes to express its deepest gratitude to the following Corporate Sponsors for this year's San Diego event: Northrop Grumman Corporation, Aerospace Services International, Scaled Composites, Mojave Airport, JT3, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, and the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. Thanks to their generosity, the Society has been able to significantly reduce both registration and banquet ticket prices. To register for the events and for additional information please visit http://www.setp.org/table/san-diego/. Please note the deadline for on-line registration is 22 March 2010.
Last Updated on Monday, 29 March 2010 14:46
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