In what we can only describe as “serendipity”, Flight Test Safety Committee chairman Tom Huff ran into Col Doug “Beaker” Wickert at a safety workshop in California, hosted by Northrop Grumman Corporation. That meeting set off a series of conversations
In a research study to examine cockpit communication, psychologists found this surprising result: “No differences were found between the severity of the errors made by effective and ineffective crews, rather, it was the ability of the effective crews to communicate
January 20th was the 45th anniversary of the accidental first flight of the YF-16. This phenomenon is not new, but it seems like “some of us” have not learned our lesson yet, with accidental first flights recurring in the closing
How do we disagree, and do so professionally and constructively, with our colleagues? That is the question I pose as you read the following feedback from a reader. “I will say that I much prefer people make any attempts at
Words should be scalpels not spears. I want us–the people in this community, the readers of these articles and newsletters–to disagree. In fact, this is one of my core values, one of the things I want to spread. Conflict can
Troy Soileau, an AFIT student, wrote to say this: “I personally don’t know how to get involved with the Flight Test Safety Committee, but I am eager to hear about possibilities.” I proposed three concrete actions as the next steps
In February 2016, Daniel “Mirf” Montes published his doctoral dissertation, “Using STPA to Inform Developmental Product Testing.” In it, he explains that STPA is “an engineering approach that identifies explicit causal scenarios for accidents.” In particular: “I developed a method
“I love it. It inspired me. “This feels like something I’d like to engage in. I’d like to try to attend the Charleston Flight Test Safety Worship in May 2019. I’m thinking whether there’s a recent topic I could propose
“Ten seconds,” I said. “Nine.” “…eight.” “…seven.” The silence pounded in my ears. “Six…five…four…” I could think of nothing else but the digital ticking of the clock in the heads up display (HUD), right in front of me. I don’t
Someone asked this question: “what problem are you trying to solve?” That’s not an easy question to answer without the appropriate context. The list of notes and references below all contain “pain points” or examples of organizations doing it better,