Risk takes many forms. Of course, this includes human injury and/or product/facility damage. It also includes financial, schedule, mission, compliance, organizational reputation, environmental, and many other areas of concern.
The fundamental perspective of professional flight test is risk management. Flight test is not a zero risk endeavor, nor should it be. The key is to target the right levels of risk, appropriate to answering the engineering questions. Although there will always be residual risk, the objective is to provide answers within a defined and accepted level of risk.
In this course, you will learn to identify test-specific hazards, with associated causes and effects. Through guided instruction and a student exercise, you will learn how to apply mitigations, reducing probabilities and severities for potential hazards.
This course teaches the concepts and practical application of Flight Test Risk Management as used by:
- Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Aircraft Certification Service
- US Air Force Test Center (including Edwards AFB)
- US Navy - Naval Air Systems Command
- National Air and Space Administration (NASA) Flight Research
The test safety planning process taught by this course is essential not just for risk control during flight test execution, but enables efficient and effective development. Flight Test Risk Management is an essential component of a Safety Management System.