Thanks for all the comments on the original attempt to define all of the areas dealt with by The Experimental Test Pilot.
This was all initiated by a resolution to collect Flight Test History conducted by Australians and a need to set down terms of reference for the task.
Following is a draft of what we have put together at this stage of the enterptise.
I trust we will be able to record your flight test memoirs some time Ghenghis.
More comments appreciated.
Flight Test Society of Australia
Flight Test History Sub Committee Terms of Reference
“ Flight Test by Australians”
There is no comprehensive chronicle of Flight Test Activities carried out by Australians, and the Flight Test Society has expressed concern that the experiences of aging test pilots and engineers may be lost forever unless an effort is made to capture these.
The involvement by Australians in Flight Test Activities extends from before World War 1 to the present. Flight Test Activities before World War 2 were generally limited to functional demonstrations and the proving of limited improvements of designs already established.
The upsurge of essential test flying during World War 2 identified the need for pilots and engineers qualified and competent in this role, and post graduate schools were established around the world to provide the specialised training required. This resulted in Australian flight test activities advancing rapidly in both scope and complexity following cessation of hostilities in 1945.
While historical details of activities before 1945 will, of necessity, need to be extracted from existing records in various forms, the Flight Test Society of Australia is acutely aware of the diminishing opportunities to capture and preserve the experiences of those survivors who operated in the field of Flight Test during the period following 1945.
These Terms of Reference have been drawn up to guide those involved in contributing to and retrieving these experiences as an important aspect of Australian aviation aerospace development
Responsibilities
The FTSA Flight Test Committee will be responsible for:
the gathering, long-term preservation and accessibility of data including records of oral interviews;
the progressive compilation of Flight Test History in a format suitable for viewing by members and others on the Society’s website;
seeking the assistance of members and from all sources having repositories of relevant history records.
Terms of Reference.
The History sought will include all aspects of Experimental Flight Testing and some aspects of Functional Flight Testing. Outline details of testing should be gathered, together with individual pilot qualifications, relevant career experience and the impact of individuals’ Experimental Flight Test experience on extended careers.
Experimental Flight Testing History will encompass:-
1. Investigation of flutter/aeroelasticity boundaries.
2. Determination and verification of flight envelope boundaries.
3. Verification or determination of performance and handling compliance with air vehicle design specifications..
4. The certification of aircraft types in accordance with airworthiness or certification requirements.
5. Handling assessment and suitability for type service.
6. Assessment of types for role suitability.
7. Compliance of stability, control and manoeuvreability with design specifications
8. Determination of detailed performance for operational manuals.
9. Evaluation or development of airborne systems.
10. Determination of weapons and stores carriage, release and separation parameters.
11. Evaluation of the effectiveness of weapons.
12. Determination of performance and handling incremental improvements.
14. Investigation of the suitability, adequacy and performance of aircraft systems, including aircrew and survival equipment.
15. Contribution to the development of airfield and aircraft support equipment
Breakdown of Historical Periods
The task will be planned to cover five broad periods, selected to cover periods of widely different technological development:
Dawn of aviation to 1918
Post First World War to the outbreak of the Second World War
Second World War 1939-1945
1945 to 1975
Post 1975
Initial priority is to be given to Period D, because many of its primary sources are still living and able to contribute directly. Effort will be made to contact older representatives as soon as possible for comprehensive oral history recording.