SFTE EC 2022 Symposium Report

After two years of virtual events due to COVID, the EC Board was at last able to propose a physical symposium to members in 2022. However, the effects of COVID could still be felt with some restrictions on travel leading to some presentations being delivered remotely, late cancellations and one of the members of the organising team testing positive in the days before the event, thus stopping him from attending.

The plans which had been laid for 2020 were revived and the Symposium was held in parallel with the ETTC conference, itself being held in rooms adjacent to the Sensor+Test exhibition in the Nuremberg Messe, allowing attendees to visit a wide range of exhibitors and take advantage of the networking opportunities. Conversely, ETTC members and exhibition visitors were able to join the SFTE presentations.

Across the first two days, a large number of subjects across a wide range of domains were presented by participants from industry, academia and research institutes. By common agreement from all the judges, the easy winner of the Best Paper Award were the team of Setareh Taheri and Alain Delavet from Airbus Helicopters who presented “Engine Back-up System in flight test campaigns: a new approach to the height-velocity diagram demonstration”.

In addition to the formal programme of presentations, the campfire session initiated in 2021 was retained. Participants were able to hear about the stories of two experienced test pilots@ Johnny Black, (British Aerospace and Airbus), and Gerard Temme (CAA NL, EASA) during an intimate meal in the cellars of the restaurant Alte Küch’n. There was also the possibility to join the traditional Bavarian meal organised by the ETTC at Bratwurst Röslein – no entry without Lederhosen or a Dirndl!

On the last day of the Symposium, a visit to the Airbus Defence and Space (ADS) site at Manching was arranged. After a briefing on flight test activities at the site, as well as on the technical background and the testing challenges of FCAS, attendees visited the Messerschmitt collection, where lunch was also served. Later in the day, there was a visit to the ADS Drone Center with a presentation of recent activities.