Welcome to SETP
October 2019, President's Message
To the Society,
I am honored to serve this amazing society and its diverse members.
I have spent a lot of time thinking about—and discussing with many of you—how to use my short year in this office. I’ll quickly address three things I often find myself returning to.
First, I intend to address the concept of “Lessons Learned” to encourage our members to go beyond just sharing their lessons with conference audiences. I believe that lessons are only truly learned when the learner changes the processes that left the lesson unlearned. When I’m at a conference, I want to hear about—and reward—the concrete actions presenters took to ensure that their lessons would stay learned.
Second, the loss of Julian Nott—a good friend and SETP member—has kept me thinking: What is a “Test Pilot?” You see, Julian was solely a balloon pilot, yet he was clearly a test pilot. What is it that makes a test pilot when it apparently isn’t a particular set of motor skills? It feels like the answer is, “I know it when I see it,” but this is not a basis for rational decision-making. I would like to find a durable definition of “test pilot.” One that can survive in our rapidly-changing aerospace industry.
Finally, one of the most important characteristics of a test pilot is a strong sense of ethics. I would like to explore creating an SETP Code of Ethics to capture and share the ethical lessons that our members have learned.
Each of these areas will be addressed by a separate working group. If you are interested in being involved, please let me know by emailing me at “This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..”
To all of you, thank you so much for your mentorship, your fellowship, and your trust. I am committed to making the most of this year by making our society better in substantive ways, but the Society of Experimental Test Pilots is what it is because of the membership and what we all do! Please stay active and involved and help us grow into the future.
“Evil” Bill Gray (F)
SETP President
Air Chief Marshal Sir Philip Joubert de La Ferte / Air Marshal Sir Victor Goddard / Sir Geoffrey de Havilland (National Aerospace Library Sound Archive)
For your information historic sound recordings of a 1963 lecture by Air Chief Marshal Sir Philip Joubert de La Ferte recollecting the airmen of the Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Flying Corps during the First World War, of a 1964 lecture by Air Marshal Sir Victor Goddard providing his personal insights into the first 50 years of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force and a recording of Sir Geoffrey de Havilland recalling how he designed the D.H 1, D.H.2 and the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.1 aircraft have just been added to the National Aerospace Library Sound Archive - a real 'Who's Who' of aviation personalities and historical subjects based on original recordings held in the Library's archives - and are now available to listen to via the Royal Aeronautical Society's SoundCloud web-site :-
The specific links to the recordings are (just click on the arrow button to 'Play'):-
A quick link to the historic lectures and speeches available so far (including Sir Frederick Handley Page, Igor Sikorsky, Jeffrey Quill, Peter Twiss, Charles H. Gibbs-Smith, Andrew Brookes, Silvius Dornier, Sir Richard Glazebrook, Commander Graeme Rowan-Thomson, Keith Hayward, Sir Dermot Boyle, Philip Wills, Chris Yeo, Captain John Cecil Kelly-Rogers, Col. Al Worden, Peter Hearne, Sir George Edwards, Captain John Cecil Kelly-Rogers, John Farley, A. W. 'Bill' Bedford, H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh, Christopher Bartlett, Andy Sephton, Dr. Ron Smith, A. R. Collar, Sir Vernon Brown, Air Commodore F. R. 'Rod' Banks, L. S. Snaith and Mike Hirst) is:-
https://soundcloud.com/aerosociety-podcast/sets/classic-lecture-series
Flight Test Safety Database Update
The Flight Test Safety Database is once again available to everyone (registered and non-registered users alike) at http://ftsdb.grc.nasa.gov/. If you have any difficulties with any database function do not hesitate to send Bart Henwood an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call at (661) 276-5746.
Please pass this info on to your colleagues and friends within the flight test community. In the months to come the database will be relocating to a different server and may have a new URL. Bart Henwood and SETP will update Members before that transition occurs.
Thank you all for your patience and support for the Flight Test Safety Database.
63rd Annual S&B Award Winners and 2019 Fellow Class
The Society of Experimental Test Pilots is proud to announce the
Herman R. Salmon Technical Publications Award
(Sponsored by Symbolic Displays)
For the Best Technical Paper published in Cockpit during the Past Year
“Pilot Closed Loop Dynamic Instability Testing For Transport Aircraft Certification ”
Dr. Brian P. Lee, The Boeing Company
Dr. Kirk A. Vining (AF), The Boeing Company
Read more: 63rd Annual S&B Award Winners and 2019 Fellow Class
Arrested Landing – Light Combat Aircraft (Navy)
"Today is a golden letter day in the history of true "Indian" Naval Aviation. The First ever arrested landing by LCA (Navy) at the anvil of shore based test facility, INS Hansa Goa has been conducted, this will give this Indigenous platform the set and temper needed to emerge victorious as a rugged Deck landing aircraft, ready to demonstrate Aircraft Carrier Compatibility Testing on board the Indian Naval Aircraft Carrier, Vikramaditya"
After several years of flight testing and four campaigns of dedicated testing at Shore Based Test facility, today the LCA (Navy) Flight Test Team led by Commodore J A Maolankar (M) (Chief Test Pilot & LSO), Captain Shivnath Dahiya (M) (Test Pilot & LSO) & Commander J D Raturi (Test Director & Flight Test Engineer) successfully executed a text book arrested landing at the Shore Based Test Facility, INS Hansa, GOA. This arrested landing heralds the arrival of true indigenous capability and displays the professional prowess of our scientific community (Aeronautical Development Agency) embedded with design plus build capability of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (ARDC) involved in executing this land mark event.
Today’s event has put India on the world map as a nation with the capability to address a deck landing aircraft need. This is the first dot on the roadmap to an actual arrested landing onboard the INS Vikramaditya, whilst a much more rigorous and battering test program is run ashore to ensure that the aircraft is ready for the aircraft carrier, the final proof of having mastered the technology would be with an arrested landing demonstration onboard INS Vikramaditya in the near future.
Test Pilot Instructor Earns Navy’s First Army Broken Wing Award
Congratulations to Barbara Gordon (M) on receiving this prestigious award!
Read the full article HERE
Air Cdre 'Rod' Banks / Schneider Trophy / Miles M.52 Supersonic Aircraft (National Aerospace Library Sound Archive)
For your information a historic sound recording of Air Commodore Francis Rodwell 'Rod' Banks in which he describes in detail his long career in aviation and in particular his long involvement with the development of aero engines and his key role in the Schneider Trophy contests has just been added to the National Aerospace Library Sound Archive - a real 'Who's Who' of aviation personalities and historical subjects based on original recordings held in the Library's archives - and is now available to listen to via the Royal Aeronautical Society's SoundCloud web-site :-
The specific link to the recording is (just click on the arrow button to 'Play'):-
Air Cdre Banks' 1967 lecture has been released alongside recordings of lectures by Schneider Trophy pilot Gp. L. S. Snaith and a 2004 lecture by Mike Hirst on the history of the Miles M.52 supersonic aircraft project.
A quick link to the historic lectures and speeches available so far (including Sir Frederick Handley Page, Igor Sikorsky, Jeffrey Quill, Peter Twiss, Charles H. Gibbs-Smith, Andrew Brookes, Silvius Dornier, Sir Richard Glazebrook, Commander Graeme Rowan-Thomson, Keith Hayward, Sir Dermot Boyle, Philip Wills, Chris Yeo, Captain John Cecil Kelly-Rogers, Col. Al Worden, Peter Hearne, Sir George Edwards, Captain John Cecil Kelly-Rogers, John Farley, A. W. 'Bill' Bedford, H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh, Christopher Bartlett, Andy Sephton, Dr. Ron Smith, A. R. Collar and Sir Vernon Brown) is:-
https://soundcloud.com/aerosociety-podcast/sets/classic-lecture-series
A quick link to the extended interviews available so far (including interviews with Captain Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown, Chuck Yeager, Scott Crossfield, Handel Davies, Al White, Bill Humble, Pete Knight, Dick Johnson, Philip Lucas, Peter Bugge, Col. Emil ‘Ted’ Sturmthal, Harald Penrose, John Morton, D. P. Davies, Jeffrey Quill, John Cunningham, Sir Barnes Wallis, R. A. C. Brie, Sir Harry Ricardo, Clayton Knight, Henry Knowler, Mike Savage and Hugh Dibley) is :-
https://soundcloud.com/aerosociety-podcast/sets/an-interview-with