Presidents Message - January 2011
Fellow Flight Testers and Members of the Society of Flight Test Engineers:
Congratulations to New Chapter Officers!
The Antelope Valley and Emerald Coast Chapters recently held elections and installed new officers – congratulations to both the incoming officers and to those who have passed the torch to them. I thank the former officers for their service and look forward to working with the new officers. I am thankful for the opportunities I have had at the local and international level to serve SFTE – I can honestly say it has helped my career: I have benefitted from both being a member and an officer of SFTE. I will not lie: sometimes it is not easy, but it is always worth it! Those of you that have met me know that I always find a way to make it fun and enjoyable, and I hope I’m helping make SFTE fun for you, too. Start with your local chapter or contact us at the international office if you’d like to experience the fun and benefits of contributing to SFTE. You’ll be glad you did!
Quick, start getting ready for the 2011 Symposium!
It seems as if it will be another austere year, so I recommend we all start planning for the Symposium – even I have to request support (time, money, travel, resources to write papers, etc.) from my employer…with strained budgets, I’m requesting funds early. The 2011 Symposium will be held August 8-12 in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Chapter has a Symposium Committee that is busy assembling plans for a great symposium…even though they are in the middle of three (or is it four?) major flight test programs.
The Symposium is a great opportunity to network with fellow Flight Test Professionals, gather papers and information on the latest test programs and test techniques, and benefit from shared lessons learned. It is our explicit mission to advance the state of the art of flight test engineering through technical fraternization.
Those of you who have met me at previous symposia know it is also a fun way to advance our capabilities, become more effective in our profession and improve the product of our labors. Short courses will be offered to hone old skills, add new skills and gather useful information pertinent to flight testing. There will be day trips for family members who accompany us to the Symposium and evening gatherings for all to join. While we represent a professional fraternity, we are sociable about it!
I’m looking forward to another fun filled Symposium, and hope to see you there. You can find details online by following this link.
SFTE Scholarship Donations Welcome
Yes, as I ask my masters for budget to attend the Symposium, I need to ask you and other donors to contribute to the SFTE Scholarship Fund. Last year there were concerns regarding why the SFTE Board of Directors did not award all of the funds from our SFTE Scholarship fund – a fund kept separate from the SFTE Budget. For two reasons, the Board decided to hold funds for future scholarships. First, with the economic downturn, we have been running SFTE and the Scholarship fund in an austere fashion, and were expecting a reduction in contributions from individual, chapter and corporate donors. Second, there were very few applicants for SFTE Scholarships. The bylaws and policies of SFTE dictate that the scholarship awards be distributed based principally on academic performance of the applicant and the degree of intent the applicant has to pursue a Flight Test (or related) career – the 2010 applicants were provided funds deemed appropriate by the Board when considering their academic performance and stated career intentions.
For more information, the SFTE Scholarship Committee Chair and Board of Directors Member Ron Harney provided me with some interesting facts about the SFTE Scholarship Fund.
SFTE awards scholarships to the sons and daughters of Society members and Society student members. In this way, we hope to support and encourage students to strive for excellence, bolster the desire to pursue engineering, mathematics, and science degrees, and support or membership by providing financial assistance. Since 1984, SFTE has given out 110 scholarships to students worldwide with a total value of $103,253.00. In 2010, SFTE awarded 2 students scholarships totaling $2,500.00.
To qualify for a scholarship, the applicant shall be the son or daughter of a Society member in good standing or a student member in good standing and shall have completed his or her college freshman year in pursuit of an undergraduate degree majoring in engineering, computer sciences, mathematics, physics or other technical discipline. The award will be for one year. Previous recipients, as well as those who applied in previous years, are eligible to compete. Selection will be based on Academic Achievement, Career Goals, Extracurricular Activities, and Applicant Impression. The SFTE website has more detailed information at the Scholarship Information and Scholarship Application pages.
The 2011 Scholarships will be awarded at the annual SFTE Symposium in August. Applications and transcripts must be received at the Society Headquarters Office on or before 13 May, 2011. If you have questions, please contact Mr. Ron Harney, the Scholarship Chairman, at (301) 342-4619 or Ms. Margaret Drury, SFTE Executive Director, at the International Society Headquarters office (661) 949-2095.
I would like to emphasize that our scholarship program is open to students who choose to be members. At an Antelope Valley Chapter Meeting I attended, it was pointed out to interns working at NASA Dryden that as a student members, they are eligible to apply for funds to assist with their education.
Award and Fellow Nominations Due by 15 May
Because the Symposium is in August this year, nominations and contributions are being collected earlier in the year. The Fellows of SFTE, those with the highest grade of membership in SFTE, will be receiving ballots for them to elect new Fellows. Any member may nominate a Senior Member for consideration by the Fellows. With our membership above 500, the Fellows can elect two new members into the Fellowship. We’re very close to having our membership again above 1,000 members – that would allow the Fellows to induct three new members! Keeping your membership current also gives the Fellows more nominees to contemplate!
Nominations for the Kelly Johnson Award and the James S. McDonnell Team Award can be made by any member. Nominations for the Directors Award can be made by a chapter or board member. Winners are selected by the SFTE Board of Directors, according to our By-Laws. All nominations for Awards are due by 15 May, 2011.
Strong SFTE Membership
It’s a new year, and that means membership fees are due. In all the hustle and bustle and excitement of a flight test program, I can see where renewing membership can slip through the cracks.
The number of SFTE members is still admirable, and helps us support you with the benefits of membership. If you haven’t already, please renew your membership – it’s easy to do online…in fact here’s the link: https://www.sfte.org/amember/signup.php.
By keeping your membership up to date, we are able to keep you posted with the latest information. Keeping your membership current also helps you advance in SFTE, should you consider upgrading from Associate to Full or from Full to Senior member.
SFTE continues to be a well run, not-for-profit organization with a primary mission of serving its members. The contributions of SFTE and the benefits offered by SFTE are possible thanks to the predominantly volunteer efforts such as those of your Board of Directors, Chapter Officers and members of the annual Symposium Committees.
Through strong membership levels, we are able to provide services to you and help our employers, customers and regulators recognize the voice of Flight Test Engineers around the world. Thank you all for helping us make this a fine society that serves one of the finest professions in the world: Flight Test Engineering!
Wishing you safe, successful and enjoyable testing,
Pete Donath
SFTE President
