Flight Test Safety Committee

The Flight Test Safety Committee (FTSC) was formed jointly in November 1994 by members of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP), the Society of Flight Test Engineers (SFTE) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). These and numerous additional organizations presently comprise the FTSC. The purpose of the FTSC is to initiate and sustain a flight test related safety organization intended to promote flight safety, reduce the risk of mishap, promote risk reduction management and continually improve the profession's communication and coordination.
About FTSC

Ben Luther Award Citation

Ben Luther Award Citation

BronzeLeVier_Gentex

 

Ben Luther is a very recognizable name with the flight test profession.  He has authored numerous papers and presented at many forums.  At Gulfstream, Ben was the principal author of tailored standards and auditing protocols unique to flight test organizations working synergistically with the FTSC. He was integral in developing a flight test operational guidance document and personally briefed NTSB investigators on the distinctive aspects of elevated flight test risk and appropriate mitigations.  Ben was relentless in safety promotion, as he understood how critical this was to the success of the SMS. As example, he researched hypoxia training and established a cooperative program with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to provide hypoxia awareness training to all FTEs in their normobaric chamber.  Ben transitioned to flight test engineering and test aircraft manager and continued to provide safety oversight while authoring safety-related papers, presenting informative flight test safety content at symposia, and continuing to explore complex safety science.  His contributions reflect leadership and a total commitment to preventing the escalation of a hazardous conditions by robust safety risk management processes and test execution discipline.  The safety improvements at Gulfstream and those shared with the flight test community could simply have not been realized without Ben’s direct participation and unwavering dedication.