Fellow Flight Testers and Members of the Society of Flight Test Engineers:
The 2010 Symposium is Around the Corner!
The registration web site is now active! The Symposium will be held September 13-17 at the Gaylord Convention Center, in the National Harbor just south of Washington, DC.
http://symposium.paxriversfte.org
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.
There…now that I’ve justified the business case for attending the Symposium, I’ll confess: the Symposium is 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 register online by following this link:
https://www.sfte.org/index.php?page=html/symposia/41st/registration
For quick reference to workshops, training and symposia relating to flight
test, see the SFTE home page and the Calendar of Events: http://www.sfte.org/index.php?page=html/information/events
Strong SFTE Membership
I recently traveled to Seattle to assist my fellow Flight Test Engineers working to test, prove and certify the newest version of the 747; even with the experiences I’ve had as an FTE, I was extraordinarily impressed with the professionalism, dedication and inventiveness of the FTE’s working on the 747 and 787 programs. Many of these FTE’s are members of SFTE. And those of you that know the history of SFTE recall that SFTE originated in Seattle back in 1968, with the founding members being employees engaged in Flight Test Engineering at Boeing. In all the hustle and bustle and excitement of a flight test program (never mind two!), 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.
Election Year!
As I reported to you before, your Board of Directors and SFTE Officers are rounding out the second year of their two-year term. That means we shall have an election within the next few months, and install officers and directors at the 2010 Symposium. Following the SFTE Constitution, the Board has established an election committee, headed by SFTE Fellow Harold Weaver, to establish a ballot of candidates to serve on the Board from 2010 to 2012. If your membership is current, you should be receiving a ballot soon!
I have enjoyed the pleasure of serving as President of SFTE since 2008, and prior to that served on the Board of Directors as a Director from 2006 to 2008. Serving SFTE and its members has been a very rewarding experience, and I recommend it highly to those who are interested in advancing the art and science of Flight Test Engineering, SFTE and their careers. It offers the opportunity to meet dedicated Flight Test Professionals, learn about the needs of our industry and help make positive changes for the future of Flight Testing.
Award and Fellow Nominations Due by 15 July
Along with their election ballots, 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 and Scholarship applications are due by 15 July.
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!
