2015 Alan R. Lawless

Al Lawless has been active in the SFTE since 1987, serving as Antelope Valley Chapter Vice President, President, Board Director, and Technical Council Chairman since 2004. His specialized in performance and flying qualities, first as a USAF blue-suit FTE then as instructor and Chief of Academics at the National Test Pilot School. Al transitioned into civil certification as Lead FTE at Cessna, moved to international certification as Head of Flight Test for Grob Aerospace in Germany, and is presently the Chief FTE for Honda Aircraft.

Any attempt to list Al’s accomplishments and contributions to the profession of flight test and the Society of Flight Test Engineers will fall short. Al has flown and tested for thousands of hours including the highest risk testing on the most modern advanced light jet to reach the marketplace. He has also personally instructed hundreds of students, extending a truly global influence and standard of excellence. And his dedication to the Society can only be measured in thousands of hours of volunteer time, hundreds of informal publications and memos, and the universally recognized SFTE Technical Reference Handbook. A brief excerpt of his professional background, awards, publications and community service appear below. One can only hope that those who read it understand that each line is the proverbial tip of the iceberg, and his influence extends far below the surface.

Awards

SFTE Director’s Award, 2000

Selected as Fellow, Society of Flight Test Engineers, 2009

Publications and Presentations

Aerodynamics for Flight Test, NTPS Professional Course Handbook Vol II, 1999, editor & author

FW Performance Flight Testing, NTPS Professional Textbook Series, Volume III, 1999, editor & author

FW Performance Flight Testing, NTPS Professional Textbook Series, Volume IV, 1999, editor & author

Introduction to Aircraft Performance Testing for Homebuilders, editor & author

Aircraft Performance Flight Testing, AFFTC TIH-99-01, 2000, contributor and technical review

Agility Flight Test Results, SFTE Annual Symposium, AFFTC, 1991

SFTE Annual Business Meeting, Technical Council Report

FTE Education and Experience Matrix, SFTE Tech Council, 2011

Professional Experience

Chief FTE, Honda Aircraft Company, 2008 – present.

FAA Designated Engineering Representative, Flight Analyst, 2012 – present

Head of Flight Test, Grob Aerospace, 2007-2008.

Head of G180 Flight Test Engineering, Grob Aerospace, 2005-2008

Lead Citation Sovereign FTE, Cessna, 2002-2005

European Liaison, NTPS, 1999-2001

Chief of Academics, Instructor, National Test Pilot School, 1993-1999

Space Experiments Planner, Kirtland AFB, NM, 1992-1993

Climatic Test Engineer, McKinley Climatic Lab, Eglin AFB, FL, 1991-1992

Flight Test Engineer, Edwards AFB, CA, 1984-1991

Community Involvement

Al’s passion for flight test and aviation extends well beyond the workplace. Currently he is an active member and officer of the Piedmont Aero Club, a joint effort between Honda Aircraft Company employees and the greater Greensboro community. In addition, he uses his personal time and partnership in an airplane to introduce each and every intern and new FTE to stick and rudder flying.