Don’t need direct support just yet? We’ve curated a list of really useful resources to help get you on your way. These are our go-to references and include everything from textbooks, advisory circulars, websites, blogs and everything in between.
Looking for something and can’t see it in our list?
We have a much broader range of resources that didn’t quite make the cut, but may still suit your specific needs.
Flight Dynamics Principles is our number one textbook recommendation for aircraft developers. It provides a well-paced introduction to flight dynamics, stability and control; with worked examples and derivations enabling easy transfer to MATLAB. It does use the British axis convention rather than the more common US convention, but details how to transfer between the two. That aside, what makes this text unique is that it teaches stability and control from a math rather than a physics perspective. This sounds daunting, but is exactly what makes this text incredibly valuable and is must have for digital flight control system development.
This is one of very few publicly available resources that include the flight test techniques themselves. It is a very old text (Jan 1953), and was difficult to attain until 2008 until it went into a brief period of reprint. It provides test techniques (ie. the specific manoeuvres to fly), data requirements and data reduction process for a range of core flight test competencies. These include instrument calibration, reciprocating and turbojet engine performance, level flight performance, climb and descent performance, take-off and landing performance and helicopter flight test performance. For these topics, the test techniques remain largely valid (the physics hasn’t changed!) and therefore represents a useful resource.
Operations Research Analysis in Test and Evaluation is one of the few good textbooks that addresses Critical Operational Issues and the breakdown to Measures of Effectiveness, Suitability and Performance. COI-MOE-MOS breakdown is a soft skill that takes practice which no text can truly replace, but this book goes a lot of the way and is a great text to refer back to.
Design and Analysis of Experiments addresses factorial test design. It’s math heavy, and you’ll want to have a good understanding of statistics for this text, but is extremely useful for test programs where a large number of variables are at play.
Test and Evaluation of Aircraft Avionics and Weapon Systems is the reference text for systems testing. Filled with decades of test experience across communication systems, navigation systems, civil avionics certification, electro-optics, radar, electronic warfare, air-to-ground and air-to-air weapons integration, as well as general flight test planning and conduct considerations. This is a book written by a flight tester, for flight testers.
Price Disclaimer: Please note that the prices listed are accurate as of 7 Jan 25 and may change. Please follow the link for the most up-to-date price.
NASA, in collaboration with the FAA and NAVAIR, maintain a library of flight test hazards and common mitigation strategies compiled through decades of corporate experience. The database is searchable by topic (eg. spinning) or by FAA regulation clauses (eg. 25.177). It’s broad level of content, and mitigations based on learned-experiences across the flight test industry make it a valuable resource for flight test leads and safety officers.
The Flight Test Safety Committee run a (mostly) open website with a plethora of excellent safety-focused resources, including a flight test podcast, resource library, flight test accident summaries, safety management and human factors material. This site is especially relevant for those in flight test lead and safety officer roles.
Australia’s own flight test society for qualified test pilots and flight test engineers. This organisation is a great point of contact for flight test expertise within Australia and regardless of the scope of your program, it’s highly likely they’ll have someone with relevant experience.
SETP is the the pre-eminent international organisation for test pilots and provides a forum for the exchange of ideas, promotes safety and excellence in flight testing, and fosters camaraderie among its members. The organisation hosts symposiums, conferences, and publishes technical papers and publications to share knowledge and best practices in flight testing. The benchmark for pilots to gain membership is relatively high; but for those that can meet it, it’s highly encouraged to do so.
SFTE is the sister organisation to SETP, but welcomes anyone working in the field of flight test and is not restricted to engineers. It is Like SETP, they host an annual symposium and have a range of educational and technical resources catered to the international flight test community. Some of their resources are also freely available (check out the Seattle Chapter’s Flight Test Academy!). The wealth of knowledge available in the society’s resource section make SFTE membership highly worthwhile.
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