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 and emails that led to this month’s column from Beaker himself.
There’s an analogy in there about random collisions…about how the collision of atoms can create an enormous amount of energy. I won’t belabor the point, but conversations and differing opinions and dialogue are exactly the outcomes that we intend to create by these short newsletters. One editorial reviewer said, “Now I want to find out more about STPA.” That’s exactly the kind of response for which I had hoped.
There are others letters coming in, and we will print them as soon as we can. This month features the memories of a pilot who watched the accidental first flight of the YF-16 as the Supervisor of Flying (SOF). He shares a story from an earlier time, when airplanes had variable sweep wings, and helmets had variable sweep visors.
Finally, you can find out about the FTSW dinner keynote speaker–register now and get the chance to hear a legend.
Download Flight Test Safety Fact, 19-03.
Previous: 19-02.