2002 Charles E. Webb

Nomination of Mr. Charles "Chuck" Webb
for the
Kelly Johnson Outstanding Achievement Award

It is my privilege to nominate Mr. Charles "Chuck" Webb for the Society of Flight Test Engineers (SFTE) Kelly Johnson Outstanding Achievement Award. Mr. Webb's career as a flight test engineer with the U.S. Navy at the Naval Air Test Center and then the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division located in Patuxent River, Maryland, spanned 33 years. Mr. Webb's exceptional career was focused primarily on the flying qualities and performance aspects of flight test engineering. During his distinguished service as the Lead Project Engineer on complex tests and evaluations on a variety of aircraft and weapon systems, he also trained and mentored numerous flight-test engineers and test pilots.

Mr. Webb served as Project Engineer to determine the single-engine minimum control airspeed on the model C-2A aircraft. The handling qualities and minimum control airspeeds that were determined defined a limiting condition for carrier-based arrested landings. This time-sensitive flight test program was significant because it required the application and tailoring of two distinct flight test techniques to determine the limiting conditions that best represent what a pilot would experience following a sudden engine failure.

Mr. Webb served as the U.S. Navy's Test and Evaluation Team Leader for the Advanced Technology Outrider Tactical Unmanned Air Vehicle, for which the U.S. Army was the Executive Service. Mr. Webb was handpicked by the Program Manager to review the contractor's flight test operations because of the Program Manager's concern about the then current slow flight test progress.

Mr. Webb chaired his Flying Qualities and Performance Department's input to the Aeronautical Flight Measurements and Techniques brief by the Naval Air Test Center to government and industry representatives at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Dryden. Forty percent of the final score for this brief was the direct result of Mr. Webb's technical knowledge and leadership.

Mr. Webb served as Lead Project Engineer for assessment of the Fokker F28 aircraft as a foreign candidate to satisfy the carrier-based Airborne Early Warning, Anti-Submarine Warfare, and in-flight refueling (tanker) missions for the U.S. Navy. The Naval Air Systems Command's flag officer program lead required a rapid turn-on, which resulted in only a 20-day lead time before the U.S. Navy flight test team departed for Holland, then to the Naval Air Station, Sigonella, Sicily, to conduct flight tests. A rapid response was required of Mr. Webb to coordinate preparation of the test plan and test cards, as well as coordinate instrumentation and data support with a foreign contractor with whom he had no prior contact or experience.

Mr. Webb was the primary author of the final report, which merged flying qualities and performance results with a carrier suitability assessment into an overall evaluation of the Fokker F28 aircraft. Mr. Webb served as Project Engineer for the model A-7 Aircraft Wet Runway Characteristics Evaluation, which involved wet runway tests at Edwards Air Force Base and the use of the state-of-the-art James Brake Decelerometer for quantifying runway friction characteristics. The outcome of the project included recommended changes to the A-7E Naval Aviation Training and Operating Procedures Standardization (NATOPS) flight manual for aborted takeoff performance. In support of a joint U.S. Navy/NASA Langley T-34C Spin Avoidance Program that added drooped wing leading edges to the aircraft, Mr. Webb planned the flight test maneuvers and provided technical support and cost estimates. The cost estimates included options that would meet the NASA and U.S. Navy goals for the program. He also coordinated with the airframe manufacturer for a safety-of-flight spin recovery parachute system.

Mr Webb served as Lead Project Engineer and Flying Qualities Test Engineer for the Phase II Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) Trials of the model T-34C aircraft. Tasks in the flying qualities test discipline included formal witnessing of the contractor's T-34C Spin and High-Speed Roll Demonstration and assessing the modified trim control system. He monitored tests and test results to determine if changes in aircraft stability and control warranted installation of a spin recovery parachute system. As Lead Project Engineer, he coordinated the test flights conducted by other disciplines, including Reliability and Maintainability, Propulsion, Avionics, Human Factors, and Performance. The President of INSURV presented Mr. Webb with a Meritorious Civilian Service Award for his superior work on the T-34C aircraft.

As Project Engineer for the performance evaluation of the A-7E aircraft with the TF30-P-408 engine installed, Mr. Webb conducted air vehicle performance tests on the A-7E aircraft with the U.S. Navy-developed TF30-P-408 engine. The aircraft manufacturer normally conducts air vehicle performance testing when a new or modified engine is installed in their airframe. In this case, however, since the TF30-P-408 engine was developed and installed by the U.S. Navy, Mr. Webb was assigned the task of determining air vehicle performance. He successfully completed this assignment and, in addition, single-handedly created new performance figures for the A-7E's NATOPS Flight Manual. Creating new performance figures is a complex task and the successful completion of which demonstrated Mr. Webb's attention to detail and meticulous nature.

Additionally, Mr. Webb has conducted or assisted with numerous evaluations on aircraft models A-7E, C-2A, IE-2B/C, EC-130G/Q, P-3B/C, S-3A, T-2B/C, T-34C, T-44A, and UC-12; the NASA Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft (QSRA); Boeing 707 with CFM 56 engines; Fokker F28 aircraft; and C-2A, E-2C and T-34C Operational Flight Trainers (OFT). He has authored or co-authored 18 technical reports and made corresponding symposia presentations on the lessons learned during flight tests.

Mr. Webb has received 12 awards during his career at the Naval Air Test Center/Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. In addition to his Meritorious Civilian Service Award, he was selected as the Naval Air Test Center Outstanding Test Project Engineer of the Year (1979), Society of Engineers and Scientists John E. Burdette Award (1980), and Superior Accomplishment Award for 1980. He has been recognized with three Superior Accomplishment and Special Achievement awards throughout his distinguished career.

Mr. Webb was born on 17 January 1946 in Palmyra, Virginia, and graduated from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, Class 53. As one of this country's leading flight test engineers, Chuck Webb has made a significant impact on naval aviation. He has left a legacy of test plans and reports that document his many contributions. Most significantly, his work has helped shape the future of naval aviation and provided a clear path for others to follow. I consider it an honor to most strongly recommend Mr. Webb for this prestigious award.