SFTE European Chapter

We will be delighted to welcome you to the 2023 Annual Symposium of the Society of Flight Test Engineers-European Chapter.

Please find relevant information, meant to make your participation in our event a professional and personal experience, in the
Symposium Booklet

In memoriam David Eveleigh Gibbings (1932-2022)
MBE CEng FRAeS

We are saddened by the news of David Eveleigh Gibbings passing (1932-2022). All the SFTE-European Chapter members join me in paying respect to one of the most remarkable FTEs, with a long-standing career, a SFTE fellow and recipient of the Kelly Johnson Award.

Not long time ago, during our 2021 SFTE EC Symposium we decided to honour his experience by creating a special moment which we called the Campfire Session. David was the absolute protagonist of this moment and he enlightened us all with his charm and experience.

David was a modern pioneer. The Royal Aeronautical Society helped us to discover and remember details of his outstanding career. He tested the Fireflash air-to-air missile onboard the Meteor aircraft, developed and fly the Rotodyne tip jet. He was also one of the crew for the WG.13 Lynx first flight. David was to lead the early and formative development trials of electric rotor ice protection, Advanced Sea King trials (including experiencing the unplanned demonstration of the effectiveness of its flotation equipment off the coast of Marseilles), and the very successful flight test of the Westland composite main rotor blade for the US Navy SH-3 (aka Sea King) at Patuxent River, under the watchful gaze of NAVAIR.

He was awarded the ‘Kelly Johnson’ award for outstanding achievement in his field by the Society of Flight Test Engineers in 1993, the first recipient to receive the award outside the US and was later awarded Fellowship of the SFTE in 2011.

David presented the 43rd Cierva Lecture to the Royal Aeronautical Society in 2003, speaking on the topic of the Rotodyne and he was awarded the John J Schnieder Trophy for historical activity by the American Helicopter Society (now the Vertical Flight Society).

In his earlier years David was a keen sportsman, willing to have a go at any outdoor activity that did not involve deliberate swimming. He was a keen mountain climber and caver, an unusual combination of extreme opposites which captures his eclectic approach to sports of all kinds. His robust response to adverse conditions was the stuff of legends, shrugging off hot, cold and wet weather that sent lesser mortals searching for shelter. He was a ‘lover of the arts’, including all genres of music. He is perhaps best known for his own aviation- oriented paintings, of which over 200 were completed, and very many charcoal vignettes. David was a founding member of the Guild of Aviation Artists, later being granted Honorary Associate Membership of the Guild of Aviation Artists in April 2016.

He was a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society for more than 70 years, starting at Halton as the Secretary of the Branch formed there and he was still engaged with the Yeovil Branch committee right to the day of his passing. In 2021 he received the Society’s Long Service award in recognition of his long and meritorious support to local Branches at Halton, White Waltham and Yeovil. Dave was at the forefront of supporting apprentices and younger engineers in all they did; he was a regular invitee to their achievement ceremonies where none paid any attention to the age difference in the room. Having a lifelong interest in the historical achievement of the aeronautical industries of the world it was natural that in retirement he would take on the role of custodian of the Yeovil historic archive reaching back to 1915. His efforts have helped to protect and maintain this material for posterity and in 2014 he was recognised for his contribution to Aviation Heritage and Support to the Defence Industry by the award of the MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list. As a member of the Vertical Flight Society he was to contribute to their History Committee with great confidence and value, born of his extensive knowledge of UK and European rotary- wing achievements.

Join me in expressing our condolences, deep sympathy and thoughts to his family at this sad time.

Paul Koks
President SFTE EC

PDF version of this In Memoriam

THE FLIGHT TEST SAFETY COMMITTEE
invites all flight test professionals to join us in London for the 2022 Flight Test Safety Workshop at the Royal Air Force Club in London’s famous district of Mayfair. The Workshop’s theme will be:

IMPROVING FLIGHT TEST SAFETY THROUGH ENHANCED SAFETY RISK MANAGEMENT

Please read more in the
Invitation to FTSW 2022

Papers from the 33^th Annual SFTE EC Symposium are now available on the Papers section.

We are happy to invite you to the 33^rdAnnual Symposium of the SFTE European Chapter, 10 - 12 May 2022.

Registration is open!

Please find detailed information about available ticket options at https://lnkd.in/gGqVSmKC .
Find the ticket shop at https://lnkd.in/gveczgaq . There is an early-bird discount when booking before 10 April 2022, and as a student you get even better conditions!

To get to your full attendance you need to follow a build-up-approach:

1a) As a member of the Society of Flight Test Engineers, be sure to select 2 single tickets named "ettc2022 + SFTE 2022 Delegate 1-day EST/SFTE" from "shop group 3".
1b) If you are not a member of SFTE or EST, select 2 tickets named "ettc2022 + SFTE 2022 Delegate 1-day".
2) Select 2x "Lunch 1 day".

This is for the two days (10+11 May 2022) at Nuremberg.

3) Additionally, please indicate if you are interested in participating the technical tour on 12 May 2022 (subject to confirmation by host company and COVID restrictions).
4) The Bavarian Dinner on 11 May 2022 is a special event you definitely should not miss!

See you soon at Nuremberg!

The symposium schedule:

Open a PDF version of the Symposium Schedule

In memoriam Yves Saint Upéry
Secretary BoD SFTE EC

It is with unbelieve that we received the sad news that on January 4, 2022 our board member Yves Saint Upéry passed away losing the battle against illness. Yves was a respected, dedicated and motivated colleague and friend. He was the secretary of the SFTE European Chapter board since 2019 and a valued member of the society. After his early retirement from Airbus, on request of the board he continued in his position as secretary working for the society preparing for the next symposium.

During his professional career at Airbus he served in several roles in the company for more than 35 years. In his last active role as Senior Expert, he was leading the flight test expert community and supported many colleagues in their development.

We will keep in our memories the fact he was living flight test values day-by-day, always being positive and constructive with a smile on his face. Many colleagues remember how happy he was as the attached picture was taken. He will be missed.

Join me in expressing our condolences, deep sympathy and thoughts to his family at this sad time.

Best regards,
Paul Koks
President SFTE EC

PDF version of this In Memoriam

Dear Members of SFTE European Chapter,

Your Board Members have been working on and propose you a 33^rd symposium on May 10-12^th in Nürnberg, which will be an in-person event.

We will monitor the evolution of COVID-19 pandemic early 2022, and we might change the plan, as necessary.

Nevertheless, you can find more details in the Call for Papers for the symposium, whose theme will be:
How to prepare Flight Testing of New Technologies entering aircraft development

Call for Papers Flyer

The due date for the abstracts proposal is February 11^th (updated), and abstracts shall be submitted to 2022.symposium@sfte-ec.org

The SFTE EC symposium will be held in parallel of ettc 2022, and the 2 events will share some common sessions.

We hope you can propose papers for our 33^rd SFTE EC symposium, and we wish you a safe and nice end of year season.

With our best regards,
Yves Saint-Upery
Secretary of SFTE European Chapter