Genghis the Engineer

I've been trying to indoctrinate a couple of young engineers in the arcane arts of flight testing, and not all that unusually, have been using 7 part paragraph as part of their educational process in writing flying qualities flight test reports.

I have various course notes, and some material of my own, but can anybody point me at anything (book, paper, web based material...) in the public domain on the use of 7 part paragrah that I can use without having to re-invent the wheel?

G

FTE Pruner

Seeing as it is an ETPS writing style the only place I know if it being documented is with the ETPS Report-Writing Guide.

If you know any ETPS graduates they may be able to help you out, but it might be that the document is QinetiQ copyright so you might not be able to copy it.

Have you thought of approaching the school to see if they will sell you some copies? I have no idea if they would, but you can only try.

Pruner.

safetypee

G, the only reference that I can find with a slight resemblance to the required para style is in:- http://ftp.rta.nato.int/public//PubF...//33chap29.pdf

I was brought up on the East Coast version:-

• Present the data
• Discuss
• Relate
• Conclude
• Recommend

Something like para 23.3.6.

Edit; have a delve around in:- ftp://ftp.rta.nato.int//PubFullText/...ARD-AG-300-14/

Genghis the Engineer

Thanks chaps.

I do have an ETPS style guide from the 1990s, but believe that the US military schools (and NTPS?) also use 7 part paragraph? The ERG, unsurprisingly, is very specific to ETPS' needs and I was after something slightly more general.

Looks like I need to be a little less lazy and write my own training material!

G

FTE Pruner

It isn't exactly rocket science, so I am sure it wouldn't take long to put something meaningful together.

You could invent the 8-part-paragraph!

Shawn Coyle

Unless they've changed since I left in 2005, NTPS in Mojave didn't use the 6 (or 7) part paragraph with any seriousness.

Tester78

Well that can't be right; the use of humour in technical writing should be discouraged...

Here at ETPS, we teach the 7-part format as an aide memoir rather than a straightjacket. It mirrors the flow of effective human communications: set the scene, present information, and then make your point. The result is a logically built argument that's more likely to achieve the desired effect. So the format is not an ETPS invention; the means of describing it as a ready 'checklist' may be.

It's certainly not rocket science - that's ground school!

Two_Squirrels

With regard to Tester78's post, you will note he says 'format', not 'paragraph'. I would emphasis this.

Shawn Coyle

Update on National Test Pilot School report writing-
They now use the 6 (or 7) part paragraph for the majority of their performance and handling qualities training.