Experimental Flight Testing
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Experimental Flight Testing
Flight Testing by Experimental Test Pilots.
The Flight Test Society of Australia is in the process of trying to summarise the responsibilities of the Experimental Test Pilot and would appreciate comments on the following draft.
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1. Determination and verification of flight characteristics and the envelope boundaries of aircraft and their occupants..
2. Investigation of flutter/aeroelasticity boundaries.
3. Verification and determination of performance and handling compliance with air vehicle and power plant design specifications..
4. The certification of aircraft types in accordance with airworthiness or certification requirements.
5. The investigation and determination of the interaction of marginal atmospheric conditions on aircraft and aircrew.
6. Handling assessment and suitability for type service.
7. Assessment of types for role suitability.
8. Compliance of stability, control and manoeuvreability with design specifications
9. Determination of detailed performance for compliance with design requirements and the compilation of operational manuals.
10. Evaluation or development of airborne systems and special test instrumentation.
11. Determination of weapons and stores carriage, release and separation parameters.
12. Evaluation of the effectiveness of weapons.
13. Determination of performance and handling incremental improvements.
14. Investigation of the suitability, adequacy and performance of aircraft systems, including the interfaces between aircrew and their survival equipment.
15. Contribution to the development of airfield and aircraft support equipment
16. The dissemination of the results of Experimental Flight Testing as a contribution to the continuing development of aircraft design and the safety margins for employment.
Contributions will be appreciated
The Flight Test Society of Australia is in the process of trying to summarise the responsibilities of the Experimental Test Pilot and would appreciate comments on the following draft.
-
1. Determination and verification of flight characteristics and the envelope boundaries of aircraft and their occupants..
2. Investigation of flutter/aeroelasticity boundaries.
3. Verification and determination of performance and handling compliance with air vehicle and power plant design specifications..
4. The certification of aircraft types in accordance with airworthiness or certification requirements.
5. The investigation and determination of the interaction of marginal atmospheric conditions on aircraft and aircrew.
6. Handling assessment and suitability for type service.
7. Assessment of types for role suitability.
8. Compliance of stability, control and manoeuvreability with design specifications
9. Determination of detailed performance for compliance with design requirements and the compilation of operational manuals.
10. Evaluation or development of airborne systems and special test instrumentation.
11. Determination of weapons and stores carriage, release and separation parameters.
12. Evaluation of the effectiveness of weapons.
13. Determination of performance and handling incremental improvements.
14. Investigation of the suitability, adequacy and performance of aircraft systems, including the interfaces between aircrew and their survival equipment.
15. Contribution to the development of airfield and aircraft support equipment
16. The dissemination of the results of Experimental Flight Testing as a contribution to the continuing development of aircraft design and the safety margins for employment.
Contributions will be appreciated
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On a first, quick, pass, I would suggest the folowing:
1. Bring 'engines' into the equation on most headings.
2. Add the words: '...and report on...', again, to most headings.
3. Weapons should include 'ballistics of' and 'aiming of'.
4 Verification of manuals and checklists applies to most headings.
I'll have a think and get back to you with a few more in a couple of days or so.
Good luck with the project.
1. Bring 'engines' into the equation on most headings.
2. Add the words: '...and report on...', again, to most headings.
3. Weapons should include 'ballistics of' and 'aiming of'.
4 Verification of manuals and checklists applies to most headings.
I'll have a think and get back to you with a few more in a couple of days or so.
Good luck with the project.
Like Airbedane (with whom I agree), my own first pass.
(15) I'd be careful of, there are pilots playing an active role in such things, and pilots who are simply putting an aeroplane consistently in the right place at the right time for Engineers on the ground to do all the work. The former may well be doing test flying, but I'd argue that the latter isn't.
(16) is an interesting one. It's a function carried out by TPs, FTEs and a few other aviation professionals - but I'm not sure I'd actually qualify it as "Experimental Test Flying".
I'd suggest adding in...
- Development of techniques for the evaluation of aircraft, equipment, systems, powerplant.
- Flying for the purposes of expanding understanding of the aerial environment.
And I'd suggest excluding (as SETP do) production and periodic testing, where the standard of an aircraft is known and it's behaviour is only being confirmed. SETP also exclude flying an aircraft purely for the purpose of testing equipment which is not being operated or evaluated directly by the pilot.
Also something to mull on (Lomcevak's opinion might be worth hearing on this) would be whether the training of test aircrew in flight test practice and techniques should be included or not? It can clearly only be done by a TP or FTE, but is it flight testing?
G
(15) I'd be careful of, there are pilots playing an active role in such things, and pilots who are simply putting an aeroplane consistently in the right place at the right time for Engineers on the ground to do all the work. The former may well be doing test flying, but I'd argue that the latter isn't.
(16) is an interesting one. It's a function carried out by TPs, FTEs and a few other aviation professionals - but I'm not sure I'd actually qualify it as "Experimental Test Flying".
I'd suggest adding in...
- Development of techniques for the evaluation of aircraft, equipment, systems, powerplant.
- Flying for the purposes of expanding understanding of the aerial environment.
And I'd suggest excluding (as SETP do) production and periodic testing, where the standard of an aircraft is known and it's behaviour is only being confirmed. SETP also exclude flying an aircraft purely for the purpose of testing equipment which is not being operated or evaluated directly by the pilot.
Also something to mull on (Lomcevak's opinion might be worth hearing on this) would be whether the training of test aircrew in flight test practice and techniques should be included or not? It can clearly only be done by a TP or FTE, but is it flight testing?
G
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Genghis you appear to have read this as 'define experimental test flying', as opposed to an attempt to define the responsibilities of an experimental test pilot, which, as I read it, is what is being done here.
I agree that this first stab misses out the significant amount of work required with respect to documentation, i.e. the development of normal and emergency checklists, aircraft manuals, minimum equipment lists, performance manuals, etc. It certainly took up a hell of a lot of my time! I would also include something along the lines of providing advice to front line operators regarding standard operating procedures (some would say this is OT&E, but it is nonetheless inevitably part of an experimental test pilot's job)
I agree that this first stab misses out the significant amount of work required with respect to documentation, i.e. the development of normal and emergency checklists, aircraft manuals, minimum equipment lists, performance manuals, etc. It certainly took up a hell of a lot of my time! I would also include something along the lines of providing advice to front line operators regarding standard operating procedures (some would say this is OT&E, but it is nonetheless inevitably part of an experimental test pilot's job)
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I'd suggest something for a few of those - certainly the ones with "determination" in the text - to indicate that it may not be a sole responsibility. In many cases it is simply impossible for flight crew alone to determine compliance with specifications, for example. A system may be working per design, despite appearance to the contrary; it may also be operating outwith the spec but appear to be acceptable.
In many cases the role is rather an evaluation of whether the engineering determination is adequate for the role/mission, rather than determination of the parameters.
Something you could also add would be "evaluation of aircrew manuals etc. for suitability for use with the type, both from a point of view of accurately describing the vehicle operation and ease of use". Often the manuals are an overlooked portion of the task.
In many cases the role is rather an evaluation of whether the engineering determination is adequate for the role/mission, rather than determination of the parameters.
Something you could also add would be "evaluation of aircrew manuals etc. for suitability for use with the type, both from a point of view of accurately describing the vehicle operation and ease of use". Often the manuals are an overlooked portion of the task.
Tester07
Fair point, well made.
The text and title suggest slightly different things.
Perhaps Milt you could clarify - is the issue in your eyes "experimental test flying", or "duties of a TP" ?
G
Genghis you appear to have read this as 'define experimental test flying', as opposed to an attempt to define the responsibilities of an experimental test pilot, which, as I read it, is what is being done here.
The text and title suggest slightly different things.
Perhaps Milt you could clarify - is the issue in your eyes "experimental test flying", or "duties of a TP" ?
G
Genghis,
If we consider this list to be covering the scope of the responsibilities that an experimental test pilot may have within positions that require experimental flight test experience then flight test training could certainly be added to the list.
If we consider this list to be covering the scope of the responsibilities that an experimental test pilot may have within positions that require experimental flight test experience then flight test training could certainly be added to the list.
Probably covered by the individual listings and should go without saying, the exp tp has final responsibility for the risk assessment of the flight test. This should include safety precautions, go / no go criteria, emergency equipment, etc.
As a part of risk assessment there is the judgment that the test is necessary; not just a good thing to do for marketing, demo to the visitors, score points against the opposition, for the sake of science, …
As a part of risk assessment there is the judgment that the test is necessary; not just a good thing to do for marketing, demo to the visitors, score points against the opposition, for the sake of science, …
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safetypee:
Probably covered by the individual listings and should go without saying, the exp tp has final responsibility for the risk assessment of the flight test. This should include safety precautions, go / no go criteria, emergency equipment, etc.
Probably covered by the individual listings and should go without saying, the exp tp has final responsibility for the risk assessment of the flight test. This should include safety precautions, go / no go criteria, emergency equipment, etc.
In our organisation, while the PIC signs the Test Card for all testing, for testing identified as "high risk" an additional signature must be obtained, from a senior management member (with flight test experience and a safety bias) who participates in the briefing.
Similarly, test planning documents require increasing levels of management approval in addition to the pilot/crew.
Therefore, the test pilot can at any stage call a halt to testing on grounds of safety, but additional checks and balances are in place as well.
For particularly high risk items I have seen VP or higher involvement directing that a test may not be conducted without certain pre-requisites.
This upwards cascade of the risk responsibility removes some of the programme pressure from the shoulders of the test pilot when the inevitable crunch between timescales and the practical is reached.
Do a Hover - it avoids G
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After it goes pear shaped funny how the team thing vanishes. If you are not prepared for it to be a total solo sport then you need to cross more than your fingers. (Usual thing of 100% responsibility but close to zero authority - at least on the ground)
I exaggerate of course but....
I exaggerate of course but....
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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.
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.
Very worthwhile if I may say so - and in that context I think we are talking about "experimental test flying", rather than necessarily the activities of a TP per-ce, or for that matter an FTE per-ce.
Do include the experiences of Flight Test Engineers in your studies, they may not be quite as exciting from a "tales around the campfire" viewpoint, but potentially as important or sometimes more so from the "lessons to be learned" viewpoint. For example, Dick Stratton who was FTE on the Saunders Roe Princess and the rocket-fighter thingy is very willing to share his flight-test experiences (and I should say his strong views on the CAA, but he may often have a point), but I'm even sure who the pilots were or if they're still around?
Might I suggest that you start with C and D by the way, there are a few WW2 vintage TPs floating around, for example Eric Brown or Neville Duke - and although we know about those who have written about it, there must be others with a lot we can learn and who may not even realise that the FT world is still interested in them.
G
P.S. My experiences?, well apart from the fact that I've never yet got that far South, you'll have to wait - there are a many regulars around here with a lot more worth saying than I have - I'm just loud and opinionated. For example, we are still all waiting with baited chequebooks to buy JF's autobiography when he gets around to writing it. Hint Hint.
Do include the experiences of Flight Test Engineers in your studies, they may not be quite as exciting from a "tales around the campfire" viewpoint, but potentially as important or sometimes more so from the "lessons to be learned" viewpoint. For example, Dick Stratton who was FTE on the Saunders Roe Princess and the rocket-fighter thingy is very willing to share his flight-test experiences (and I should say his strong views on the CAA, but he may often have a point), but I'm even sure who the pilots were or if they're still around?
Might I suggest that you start with C and D by the way, there are a few WW2 vintage TPs floating around, for example Eric Brown or Neville Duke - and although we know about those who have written about it, there must be others with a lot we can learn and who may not even realise that the FT world is still interested in them.
G
P.S. My experiences?, well apart from the fact that I've never yet got that far South, you'll have to wait - there are a many regulars around here with a lot more worth saying than I have - I'm just loud and opinionated. For example, we are still all waiting with baited chequebooks to buy JF's autobiography when he gets around to writing it. Hint Hint.
