www.sfte.org

Membership Type

The Society of Flight Test Engineers offers the following types of membership:

• Student Member
• Affiliate Member
• Associate Member
• Member
• Senior Member
• Fellow
• Corporate Member

Details of each category of membership are given below:

Student Member

A candidate for approval as STUDENT MEMBER shall be a current college or university student enrolled in the sciences, mathematics or engineering.

Affiliate Member

A candidate for approval as an AFFILIATE MEMBER shall be engaged in an activity, possess scientific attainments or practical experience, which qualifies him to cooperate with engineers in the pursuit of flight test engineering activities or be the designated representative from a corporate member.

Associate Member

A candidate for approval as ASSOCIATE MEMBER, at the time of application, shall be engaged in flight test engineering. In addition, the candidate shall fulfill the requirements set forth in one of the following three paragraphs (1-3).

1. A candidate who holds the degree of Bachelor of Science or post-graduate degree in engineering or in a physical science, or an equivalent degree from a university, college or technical school approved by the Committee on Membership.
2. A candidate who holds the degree of Bachelor in a field other than engineering or physical science from a university or college approved by the Committee on Membership and has at least two years experience in engineering.
3. A candidate who holds no degree from a university, college or technical school approved by the Committee on Membership and has at least four years experience in an engineering job assignment in flight test engineering.

Member

A candidate for approval as a MEMBER, at the time of application, shall be primarily engaged in flight test engineering. The candidate shall be experienced in flight test engineering, defined as the application of the principles of the physical sciences together with the principles of economics and human relations, to fields that pertain directly to flight test techniques, procedures, associated instrumentation or data systems. In addition, the candidate shall fulfill the requirements set forth in one of the following paragraphs:

1. A candidate who holds a post-graduate degree in engineering or in a physical science, or an equivalent degree from a university, college or technical school approved by the Committee on Membership and has at least one year of experience in an engineering job assignment in flight test engineering.
2. A candidate who holds the degree of Bachelor of Science in engineering, or in a physical science, or an equivalent degree from a university, college or technical school approved by the on Membership and has at least two years of experience in an engineering job assignment in flight test engineering.
3. A candidate who holds the degree of Bachelor in a field other than engineering or a physical science from a university or college approved by the Committee on Membership and has at least four years experience in an engineering job assignment in flight test engineering.
4. A candidate who holds no degree from a university, college or technical school approved by the Committee on Membership but has been engaged at least seven years in an engineering job assignment in flight test engineering.
5. A candidate for approval as Student Member shall be a current college or university student enrolled in the sciences, mathematics or engineering.

Senior Member

This grade is reserved for those active members in good standing who actively participate and contribute toward the growth of the Society (local as well as international). An applicant for approval as SENIOR MEMBER shall be or have been primarily engaged in the field of flight testing. Additionally, the candidate shall have fulfilled one of the following two sets of criteria.

1. Active member in good standing for at least 5 consecutive years.
2. Held a position as a local or international Society officer or Technical Council Member (or combination thereof) for at least two terms.
3. Written and formally presented at least two formal technical papers at a Society symposium or workshop.

NOTE: If you feel you qualify and would like to apply for upgrade to Senior Member, you may download the Adobe Portable Document Format version of the Senior Membership Application (senr_app.pdf, 24Kb). Fill in the requested information and mail the form to the Society at the address on the application.

Fellow

This is the highest grade achievable in the Society, a FELLOW shall have been a Senior Member in good standing for at least two years and shall have attained a position of notable distinction in the field of flight testing. Fellows shall be elected by their peers (those Fellows in good standing) and shall be awarded automatic lifetime membership in the Society along with the distinction and responsibility associated with this honor.

Nomination of an eligible candidate for Fellow may be volunteered in writing to the Board of Directors by any member in good standing of the Society. Such a nomination shall be accompanied by appropriate information and documentation that will enable the Membership Chairman to verify the candidate's history and eligibility for the distinction of Fellow. Nominations shall be submitted no later than the date designated by the Board of Directors to coincide with the Annual Business Meeting and/or the convenience of the current Fellows.

The Board of Directors will select the first group of Fellows using the Kelly Johnson Award recipients as of 1992 for the notable distinction criteria.
Selection of a candidate to the grade of Fellow shall be by three-fourths or more affirmative votes of the active Fellows in good standing. Ballot and resum? packages shall be created and distributed to all Society Fellows by the Membership Chairman, allowing appropriate response time from the Fellows given the number of candidates, and will coincide with the Annual Business Meeting and/or the convenience of the current Fellows. The Fellows shall communicate their decisions to the Board of Directors prior to the Annual Banquet or other negotiated date for final authorization. No more than one Fellow shall be selected per 1000 members per year.

Corporate Member

A candidate for approval as CORPORATE MEMBER shall be a business enterprise engaged in an activity which aids or contributes to the state of the art in flight test engineering.