2024 - Seattle, WA
This year's Symposium is proudly hosted by the Seattle Chapter of SFTE! Come visit us for several days of technical presentations from experts all around the flight test industry, plus: tutorials, dinners, mixers, flight test center tours, an awards banquet, and much more! A full agenda will be posted soon.
Join fellow flight testers from around the world at the premiere SFTE event of the year!
Registration is open!
Flexible Attendance Options
Options are available for virtual attendance, both for individuals or for companies hosting a watch party in a conference room. Single day registrations are also available for those who can't stay the whole week.
Sponsors and Exhibitors
Space is filling up fast, but there are still exhibitor tables and sponsorship opportunities available! Contact symposium2024@sfte.org if you are interested.
Self-Funded Discounts
Attendees who are self-funding their visit to the Symposium may be eligible for a significant discount on their registration--historically this has been known as "iPay." The SFTE Board of Directors has set aside some funds specifically for this purpose, and will be prioritizing SFTE members who are actively engaged in flight testing and must self-fund their travel to the Symposium. Contact symposium2024@sfte.org if you would like to be considered.
Student Sponsorship
The SFTE Seattle Chapter has invited high school and university students from local schools to attend the Symposium and interact with you, the flight test professionals. These students are all interested in aviation or flight testing as a career and are excited to be a part of this prestigious industry event.
Help the next generation of flight testers get excited about the industry by contributing funds toward student attendance!
Hotel Information
 |
 |
 |
Seattle Marriott Waterfront
2100 Alaskan Way
Seattle, WA 98121
+1 (206) 443-5000
Situated on Elliott Bay, across from the cruise terminals and a quick stroll from the world-famous Pike Place Market, the Seattle Marriott Waterfront is the only downtown Seattle hotel offering views of both the mountains and water from our guest rooms. Enjoy the proximity to the downtown business district and some of Seattle's most beloved attractions, including The Space Needle, Seattle Aquarium, Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Seattle Art Museum. Take advantage of the hotel's modern gym, then head outside for a run on the waterfront or enjoy delicious cuisines at a variety of local restaurants, all within easy reach. Retreat to your new nautical guest room to find the comforts of home and water views. Experience the Pacific Northwest at Seattle Marriott Waterfront.
The last day to book at the group rate is Monday, September 23, 2024.
The group rate is available between Sunday October 13 and Friday October 18.
Note: Marriott's booking system is currently adding a $25 per night "destination/resort fee" to all bookings. Our group rate is exempt from this fee, but Marriott is currently unable to update their booking system. This fee will not be present on the final bill.
Tutorials
The Seattle Chapter is proud to offer two excellent tutorials, both on Monday October 14:
CRM Escape Room
2 hours per session
Instructor: SFTE Seattle Chapter Members
Various sessions throughout the day
Can you escape?
This unique class on Crew Resource Management developed by the Seattle Chapter of SFTE puts your teamwork skills to the test! Participants are given classroom instruction on CRM principles and best practices, and then a team of 4-8 people are locked in a flight test-themed escape room and must use their wit, skill, and the principles of CRM to escape.
Each session will take 2 hours:
- Classroom instruction on CRM skills (30 minutes)
- Escape room scenario (60 minutes)
- Debrief and discussion (30 minutes)
There are 8 slots available for each session. Attendees are encouraged to sign up for a session without coordinating with other people attending the symposium; solving a room with people you don't know provides excellent CRM instruction.
Space is limited, so sign up early!
Statistics for FTEs
4 hours
Instructor: Panos Vitsas
8:00am - Noon
Statistics are a powerful tool which can be very useful in the hands of any Flight Test Engineer. However, while the value of statistics is well acknowledged, it has been observed that many engineers have been reluctant to use statistical techniques in their test programs for various reasons, including perceived complexity of the analyses, skepticism over the benefits of statistical analysis, and their limited backgrounds in statistics.
The proposed course will cover the application of statistics in common practical cases encountered in flight test engineering and provide the attendees with a clear set of guidelines and tools to be easily used along many different but common flight test cases.
Attendees are strongly recommended to bring their personal computers with a basic statistical analysis software of their choice. Microsoft Excel is enough and will be the tool used during the tutorial by the instructor.
Events
Monday Mixer Cocktail Reception
Monday Evening
FREE with registration!
Join us at the Seattle Aquarium (a short walk from the Marriott Waterfront) for an evening of cocktails and hors d'oeuvres! Registration comes with one adult ticket, and additional tickets are available for purchase.
Each ticket comes with 2 hours of hosted bar and hors d'oeuvres, and participation in a scavenger hunt! Cash bar will be available for the remainder of the evening. Child tickets (ages 6-21) are also available and include hors d'oeuvres and the scavenger hunt.
SFTE Annual Awards Banquet
Thursday Evening
The capstone event of the Symposium will celebrate the week and present awards to those who represent the best of the industry!
The SFTE Awards Banquet on features a menu of Pacific Northwest cuisine and a special keynote address. The awards portion of the evening will celebrate the Best Paper and Best Presentation award winners, induct new Fellows to the Society, announce our Barbara Wood Scholarship winners supported by the SFTE Foundation, and announce the winners of the annual SFTE Awards: The Kelly Johnson Award for outstanding individual achievement, the James S. McDonnell Award for outstanding team achievement, and the Director's Award for outstanding service to the Society.
Tickets must be purchased as part of registration, but this event is not to be missed. Spouses, partners, and kids are welcome to join us!
Boeing Flight Test Center Tour
Friday Morning
Get a hosted tour of the Boeing Northwest Flight Test Center! The tour will take attendees through facilities at North Boeing Field, where developmental flight test for commercial and commercial derivative programs is conducted.
More location and schedule details will be sent out closer to the event.
Any tour participant who is not a Boeing employee must provide the requested information for their visitor badge. Bus service between the hotel and the tour is available for an additional fee.
Resources for Paper Authors
The Tech Council provides the following resources:
- A Paper Template with formatting and layout guidelines
- A set of Presentation Slides Guidelines for formatting a presentation
- The Presentation Scoring Rubric (the 2023 version is available, but it may change slightly for 2024)
2024 Symposium Announcement Video
The 2024 SFTE Symposium is proudly hosted by the Seattle Chapter