Chapter 3 - Background Considerations

Before describing (in Sections 4 to 10) the many preparatory activities involved in flight testing, it is appropriate to introduce here some general background considerations which bear on the Flight Test Engineer's (FTE's) task. Clearly, most of the FTE's concern is with technical matters and, if the trials are to be conducted in a safe, efficient and economic manner, he must obtain (and consider carefully) the types of technical data discussed in paragraph 3.3 below. However, there are also wider issues of which he must be aware. All flight testing is instigated at the request of some form of "sponsor" or "customer", whose stated requirements, priorities and timescales the FTE must always endeavour to satisfy. Yet the FTE's freedom of action to formulate and conduct a successful test programme will depend on such factors as his relationship with that customer, the customer's overall programme, the resources available for the tests and the "rules" of the FTE's organisation. In keeping with the aims of this volume, this Section offers an outline of some of these wider organisational and programme issues which may affect the FTE's freedom to define and control the flight test programme.