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BronzeLeVier_GentexSponsored by Gentex Corporation

General

The Tony LeVier Flight Test Safety Award was established by the Flight Test Safety Committee (FTSC) to formally recognize a single individual, or small group of individuals, who, recently, has made a significant flight test safety contribution to the flight test community as a whole, an organization, a specific program or even a singular event.  This award is specific to flight test safety achievements and contributions. This award is not meant for entire organizations or to recognize lifetime achievements more appropriately recognized by other organizational awards from SETP, SFTE, AIAA and EAA. The factual basis and appropriate time period validation of received nominations will be confirmed.  Nominations for the Tony LeVier Flight Test Safety Award are reviewed by the Flight Test Safety Committee and the most deserving nominee from the past year is selected. The decision of the Board of Directors is final. The recipient(s) is/are announced at the North American Flight Test Safety Workshop in the spring of each year. The distinctive flight helmet trophy (pictured above) is officially presented by the corporate sponsor of the award (The Gentex Corporation) at the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) Annual Awards Banquet in the fall.

Selection Criteria

  1. A qualified nomination will normally contain details of a notable contribution to a program, an organization or even the entire flight test community. However, it may also be a singular, exemplary, flight test safety achievement involving the saving of human life, flight test program, or test aircraft/asset. However, the nomination must document that preceding and during this type of event, the nominee(s) complied with the [applicable] customary flight test safety guidance and the generally agreed-upon industry best practices of test preparation and conduct. The nomination should also document how lessons learned from the event were shared within their organization and/or the broader flight test community. It must be emphasized that this is not meant to be a “lifetime achievement” award, but focused on a recent, singular event or project.  Some examples could be:

                 a. Development of a significant flight test safety related technology

                 b. Development of a new risk management process

                 c. A new flight test technique/methodology that improves flight test safety

  2. The award is preferably focused on an individual, however, it can be presented to a small group of individuals.

  3. The contribution should have occurred/complete within the last 3-5 years. The committee has discretion to accept older accomplishments due to extraordinary circumstances (e.g., declassification, public release, etc.).

 
Nomination Guidelines

  1. Nominations are solicited and accepted by the Flight Test Safety Committee at any time during the year.

  2. Nominations may be submitted by any individual having sufficient knowledge of the nominee to make the recommendation. Self-nominations are discouraged.

  3. The Nomination form must be presented in writing not later than 29 March 2024 for consideration within that calendar year. If not selected, re-submission of award nominations in the next year is appropriate and encouraged.

  4. The nomination must contain a compelling description and/or pertinent information concerning the candidate's overall contribution to flight test safety, or why an individual event was noteworthy enough to warrant this recognition.

  1. Nominations may be submitted in any of the following ways:

                a. Email your nomination form to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
                b. or FAX. 661-940-0398.

DOWNLOAD NOMINATION FORM HERE

 
 

Award Winners

*1999 – Eric E. Fiore, Bombardier Aerospace

2000 – Rodrigo J. Huete, FAA

*2001 – David Houle, Former President of SFTE

*2002 – Bruce A. Peterson

2003 – Auto ACAS Team

2004 – LCDR William Patton, Aviation Safety Officer and Program Manager; and
              Mr. Thomas Roberts, Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation Safety Manager, Navel Test Wing Atlantic
              (NTWL) Safety Office

2005 – Ralph Mohr

2006 – Terry Smith

2007 – John Cashman

2008 - Flight Test Safety Data Base Team (FTSDB) - Barton Henwood, NASA, Dryden Flight Research Center;
             Rodrigo Huete, FAA New York Aircraft Certification Office;
             John Hed FAA, Seattle Aircraft Certification Office; and
             Greg Lewis, National Test Pilot School


2009 - Jerry “Mac” McCawley

2010 – David Downey, Bell Helicopter

2011 – Thomas E. Roberts, NAVAIR

2012 – The Boeing Company 787 Flight Test Team – Michael Carriker, Randall Neville, Jennifer-Ellen Gessler
           The FAA 787 Flight Test Team – Eugene Arnold, John Hed

2013 - Art Tomassetti

2014 - Terry Lutz, Airbus

2015 - Larry Flynn, Gulfstream Aerospace (Award Citation)

2016 - Warren A. Hansen, Textron Aviation (Award Citation)

2017 - Mark Skoog, NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (Award Citation)

2018 - Terrance Pearce, Bombardier Aerospace (Award Citation)

2019 - Barbara Gordon, U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and LT Mark Hargrove, USN (Award Citation)

2020 - Darren McDonald, The Boeing Company (Award Citation)

2021 - Ben Luther, Nova Systems (Award Citation)

2022 - Giorgio Clementi, International Test Pilots School Canada (Award Citation)

2023 - Jonathan Lindsey, The Boeing Company & Michael Remaly, The Boeing Company (Award Citation)


* Deceased