Coming unstuck: avoid it if you can, do it if you have to

Jim Fawcett, Flight Test Engineer, Airbus Development Flight Test Department, Toulouse, France

Abstract

The idiomatic English phrase “to come unstuck” can be defined in a number of ways, meaning to experience difficulties, to break down and fall apart, or even to suffer failure or disaster. Clearly, flight test engineers and flight test pilots have to work together to ensure that safety is always paramount and no test flight ever “comes unstuck”.

By examining the specific roles of each crew member on Airbus development and production flight tests, the test means available to them, and the crew scheduling process, this paper will explain what measures Airbus has put in place to avoid “coming unstuck”, whilst at the same time allowing operational flexibility in terms of planning, and in addition permitting efficiency gains though simultaneous testing of different subjects.

A detailed study of flight test crew cooperation during VMU testing on large fly-by-wire aircraft will be used to provide a practical example of the themes developed in this paper.