Flight Test Safety Fact, 25-10
Seventy-eight years ago today, on October 14, 1947, Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1, and so today felt like the right time to break the silence that had fallen on this newsletter for the past five
your words matter
Words have the power of life and death. With a single word, you can save the lives of the aircrew or prevent an airplane crash: “Abort!” A word like that…
Learn moreFlight Test Safety Fact, 25-05
Do you remember when your coaches or your parents told you to “focus on the fundamentals”? Where did that phrase come from? And is it true that Vince Lombardi said “brilliant at the basics” instead of referring to “the fundamentals”?
Flight Test Safety Fact, 25-03
Sometimes I ponder the “days of yore” and the way scientists of the time corresponded in writing, together with the ad hoc postal system of the day. Today, we correspond by email in near real time. I say “near real
Flight Test Safety Fact, 25-01
What does safety sound like? That’s the first question in the first edition of the Flight Test Safety Fact in the New Year, so Happy New Year and welcome back. You also get another reminder about the looming deadlines for
December 32, 1980
Photo credit: https://www.museumofflight.org/exhibits-and-events/aircraft/lear-fan-2100 The first flight of the Lear Fan 2100 was officially recorded by British officials as December 32, 1980.
Flight Test Safety Fact, 24-12
Sometimes it’s the sounds that remind us of some near-miss or safety lesson we’ve learned. Other times it’s a sensation, like a smell or the cold air, or both as the case may be in winter months. In both cases,
Flight Test Safety Fact, 24-10
October is my favorite month for publishing the FTSF, and though I don’t explicitly address all the reasons why in this edition, I do link to articles that attempt to explain it. The whimsical format of this month’s newsletter is
Flight Test Safety Fact, 24-07
Read now: the first ever Chia Chat column from the new FTSC Chairman. (Not to be confused with Chai, a drink that includes tea.) After this edition was put to bed, Turbo released another podcast (June edition) featuring an interview
Flight Test Safety Fact, 24-04
Like a flashing white alert message on your MFD, I hope this edition of the FTSF catches you by surprise…in a good way. This edition is a preview for next week’s Flight Test Safety Workshop in Seattle. Read inside to
Flight Test Safety Fact, 24-03
The Fairey Rotodyne is an incredible collection of complex systems and technology—thousands of pieces of aircraft all flying in formation together—and it’s old. It’s amazing how there is “nothing new under the sun with airplane tech.” If I was going