The Society periodically presents awards for recognition of excellence in flight test engineering and significant contributions to the Society. The award for excellence in flight test engineering is a single annual award known as the Kelly Johnson Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Flight Test Engineering, with the initial award having been presented to Clarence J. ‘Kelly’ Johnson at the 1973 Symposium.

1973	Clarence L. 'Kelly' Johnson	Lockheed Skunk Works
1974	Ronald A. Magnuson	Bell Helicopter
1975	Jack Strier	US Air Force
1976	Harold Cheney	McDonnell Douglas
1977	Richard Abrams	Rockwell
1978	Robert D. Samuelson	McDonnell Douglas
1979	Spirit 'TM' Flight Test Team	Sikorsky
1980	Donald D. Archer	Boeing
1981	XV-15 Flight Test Team	Bell Helicopter
1982	Frederick W. Schaefer	Grumman
1983	Frederick N. Stoliker	US Air Force Flight Test Center
1984	James H. Lincoln	Boeing
1985	Chester B. Payne	Lockheed
1986	Charles E. 'Pete' Adolph	US Air Force Flight Test Center
1987	William E. Jennings	Bell Helicopter
1988	Eugene J. Zehr	McDonnel Douglas
1989	Kenneth W. Iliff	NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
1990	Roger C. Crane	US Air Force Flight Test Center
1991	Joint STARS Test Team	Grumman Melbourne Systems, USAF, US Army
1992	Donald R. 'Sam' Wyrick	Lockheed
1993	David E. Gibbings (Eur.Chapter)	Westland Helicopters
1994	F-16 Multi-Axis Thrust Vectoring Test Team	General Electric, Lockheed, US Air Force
1995	Joseper L. Dunn	Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division
1996	Charles V. Van Norman	US Air Force Flight Test Center
1997	Richard R. Hildebrand	US Air Force Flight Test Center
1998	Anatoly G. Kruglov	Aviation Register, Russia
1999	R. Dale Reed	NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
2000	Frank W. Burcham	NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
2001	Col. George Ka’iliwai III	USAF Test Pilot School
2002	Charles E. ‘Chuck’ Webb	Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft division
2003	X-31 Vector Flight Test Team	US Navy, Boeing, EADS, DLR, BWB, RJK Tech.
2004	Burt Rutan	Scaled Composites
2005	Johnny Armstrong	US Air Force Flight Test Center
2006	Gary L. Aldrich	USAF Test Pilot School
2007	Robert G. ""Bob" Hoey	US Air Force Flight Test Center

Mr. Anatoly G. Kruglov is Chairman of the Aviation Register of the Interstate Aviation Committee, located in Moscow, Russia. In this position, Mr. Kruglov is chief of the agency that handles all civil certification issues for the Confederation of Independent States.

In 1960, Mr. Kruglov began working as an aeronautical engineer at the State Scientific Research Institute of the former aircraft, and he advanced within this organisation to Chief of the Flight Test Branch. Since the first days of the foundation of the State Aviation Register of the USSR (analogous to the FAA in the USA) in 1974, Mr Kruglov worked in this body as Chief of the Aircraft Certification Branch, then as department chief, and then as Chairman of the Aviation Register. In spite of his many duties in this position, he continues to participate directly in flight tests of the latest aircraft, often serving as a flight crew member and flight test engineer.

Throughout his outstanding 38-year career in flight test engineering, Mr. Kruglov has been directly involved in testing 97 types of civil airplanes and helicopters manufactured in Russia, the Ukraine and several other countries. He has participated in the flight tests of 47 aircraft types as flight crew member and flight test engineer.

During his career, Mr. Kruglov has specialised in many of the more critical test phases, such as airspeed and g-load envelop expansion, high angle-of-attack tests, engine and critical system failure testing, and flights in severe ambient conditions. Among the programs he has conducted are the Tu-104 and Tu-154 flight tests including full-scale simulation of critical flight modes, conducted to discover causes of aircraft crashes; tests of the Tu-114 under excessive take-off gross weights and with two engines failed and tests of the supersonic Tu-144.

In addition to Mr. Kruglov’s contributions in numerous flight test programs, he has facilitated the development of new flight test methods and aircraft certification processes, and significantly furthered the harmonisation of these processes between the FAR (Federal Regulations) and JAR (Joint European Regulation). For his contribution to aviation, he was awarded with governmental orders, as well as the Yury Gagarin and Andrey Tupolev medals. He has helped develop a generation of Russian and Ukrainian flight test engineers.

The James S. McDonnell award was created to honor Flight Test Teams. The new Award has been named the “James S. McDonnell Award For Outstanding Team Achievement In The Field Of Flight Test Engineering” and will be awarded each year.

2006	X-43A Flight Test Team	NASA Dryden NASA Langley Orbital Sciences
2007	EA-18G “Growler” Flight Test Team	Northrop Grumman Bethpage Northrop Grumman (ES) Baltimore VX-23 NAS Patuxent River VX-31, VX-9, Advanced Weapons Lab NAWC-WD China Lake VX-30 NAS Pt Mugu

Recognition for significant and lasting contributions toward the welfare, stature, leadership, or membership of the Society is an award known as the Directors Award for Exceptional Dedication and Service to the Society of Flight Test Engineers. This award is given to a deserving individual(s) by the Society Officers and is presented to the recipient at the Annual Business Meeting or Symposium.

1985	Robert D. 'Bob' Johnstone Roger H. Jones	US Air Force Flight Test Center (Retired) Boeing
1986	Jack Strier	US Air Force Flight Test Center (Deceased)
1987	George P. Gayest Ronald E. Hart	Grumman US Air Force Flight Test Center
1988	Clayton E. Houston	Lockheed
1991	Wim Dijkshoorn	Fokker (Deceased)
1992	John A. Taylor	Veda
1993	J. Roy Combley	Boeing (Retired)
1994	Gösta Niss	Saab-Scania (retired)
1995	William Cutler	Northrop Grumman (Retired)
1996	Roger L. Counts	TYBRIN Corporation
1997	Clifford E. Moore	Boeing
1998	Harold E. Weaver	Boeing
1999	Franz J. Enzinger	Daimler Chrysler Aerospace, Germany
2000	Alan R. Lawless	National Test Pilot School
2001	Allan T. Webb	US Air Force Flight Test Center
2002	Lee S. Gardner Darcy S. Painter	Air Force Flight Test Center Air Force Flight Test Center
2003	Dean Carico	Naval Air Warfare Center - Aircraft Division
2004	Joseph G. Turner Barbara A. Wood	Boeing QinetiQ
2005	Tom Briggs	Naval Air Warfare Center - Aircraft Division
2006	James Sergeant	Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
2007	John L. Minor	US Air Force Test Pilot School

Four European Chapters members have been awarded the Director’s Award so far. In 1991 Wim Dijkshoorn, first European Chapter President was awarded.

In 1994 the Society awarded the Directors' Award to Gösta Niss. Gösta has been a member of the Saab-Scania Company since 1953 and holds a master's degree in aeronautical engineering. He joined the Flight Test Department at Saab-Scania AB in Linköping, Sweden, as a flight test engineer in flight dynamics and has devoted his entire professional life to the flight testing and evaluation of all aircraft developed by Saab-Scania, from Saab 29, "The Flying Barrel", to the current ongoing projects the JAS39 "Gripen" and the Saab 2000. Worthy of special mention is his involvement with and important work on spin testing of both the Saab 35 "Draken" and the Saab 37 "Viggen".

As test manager, Gösta Niss was responsible for the development of test methods as well as for test instrumentation and data reduction. Another area in which he has been deeply involved is the testing of advanced escape systems for the Saab developed and produced military aircraft. In 1990 he was appointed member of the "JAS Envelope Expansion Group". Proof of his expertise is the fact that, at the time of retirement, he was requested to still remain with Saab flight test for leading the group and carrying out the high incidence trials of the JAS "Gripen".

Gösta Niss holds a pilot's license for single engine aircraft as well as for sailplanes, and he has won several national and local awards in sport flying competitions. Through his enthusiastic and professional approach to problems in many areas of flight testing, especially flight dynamics and methods to describe and evaluate aircraft behaviour, he has been a very important cog in the successful development of aircraft in Sweden which have been in the forefront of technology. This has made him a very good "teacher" for the new generations of flight test engineers. He joined SFTE in 1971 as the first Swedish member (membership No. 500). The results of his work through the years have been also given in three papers at SFTE symposia in 1974, 1975, and 1978. Gösta was an eager promoter for the creation of a European chapter in 1990 and was subsequently re-elected for another biennium.

In 1999 Franz Enzinger's commitment to helping lead the growth of the European Chapter earned him the Directors' Award for exceptional dedication and service to the Society of Flight Test Engineers. Franz is a Senior Member of the European Chapter. He joined SFTE in 1987 and soon after became the Chapter representative on the Technical Council, a position he held until June 1999. In 1993 he was elected Vice President of the Chapter. From 1995 to 1999 he served two terms as President. He was Chairman and led the organising committee for the 1992 European Chapter Symposium in Munich, Germany and the 1995 26th Annual International Symposium in Berlin, Germany.

Since its foundation in 1987 Franz had played an active part in the growth of the European Chapter and contributed significantly to what it represents today, some 200 members in 13 different countries.
Franz is also a graduate of the German Airforce/USAF Pilot Training and Fighter Weapons School. As an operational pilot he flew more than 1000 hours in the Lockheed F-104 G Starfighter. In 1976 he joined Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm (now Daimler Chrysler Aerospace) as a flight test engineer on the Tornado programme. During his 17 years in flight test he held the positions of head of Avionics/Armament, Flight Test Engineering, Flight Test Operations, Flight Test Manager Eurofighter and Deputy Director Flight Test. In addition to his experience and involvement in all major flight test programmes, between 1982 and 1986 he led the Avionics/Armament design team for the future German/European fighter. Franz currently is the Director Marketing/Programmes at the company's Manching plant.

In addition to his membership of SFTE, Franz is a member of AIAA, where he worked for 10 years on the Flight Test Technical Committee, a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society and has published papers for SFTE Symposia, AIAA Flight Test Conferences, ITEA and AGARD.

The highest grade achievable in the Society is a Society of Flight Test Engineers Fellow. A Fellow has been a Senior Member in good standing for at least two years and has attained a position of notable distinction in the field of flight testing. Fellows are elected by their peers (those Fellows in good standing) and are awarded automatic lifetime membership in the Society along with the distinction and responsibility associated with this honor.

1994	Richard Abrams	Los Angeles, California (Deceased)
1994	Charles E. Adolph	Albuquerque, New Mexico
1994	Roger C. Crane	Lancaster, California (Deceased)
1994	Jack Strier	Lancaster, California (Deceased)
1994	Eugene J. Zehr	Manchester, Missouri (Deceased)
1995	Donald D. Archer	Clinton, Washington
1996	Clayton E. Houston	Marietta, Georgia
1997	Charles V. Van Norman	Wellington, Nevada
1998	John W. Beckett	Irving, Texas
1999	Allan T. Webb	Lancaster, California
2000	Dave J. Houle	Laguna Beach, California
2001	James V. Upton	Canyon Country, California
2002	Randall C. Smith	Arligton, Texas
2003	William J. Norton	California City, California
2004	Franz-Josef Enzinger	Lenting, Bavaria, Germany
2005	Roger L. Counts	Lancaster, California
2006	Harold E. Weaver	Ballwin, Missouri.
2006	Ronald E. Hart	Keizer Oregon
2007	John L. Minor	California City, California
2007	James L. Seargeant	Keller, Texas