Society of Experimental Test Pilots
![]() Logo, Society of Experimental Test Pilots | |
Abbreviation | SETP |
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Formation | September 14, 1955 |
Purpose | Flight test safety and education |
Location |
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Region served | Worldwide |
President | Michael Wallace |
Website | SETP |
The Society of Experimental Test Pilots is an international organization that seeks to promote air safety and contributes to aeronautical advancement by promoting sound aeronautical design and development; interchanging ideas, thoughts and suggestions of the members, assisting in the professional development of experimental pilots, and providing scholarships and aid to members and the families of deceased members.[1]
History[]
Seventeen pilots attended the first organized meeting of the "Testy Test Pilots Society" on 29 September 1955. This name was to be short-lived, however, as it was changed to The Society of Experimental Test Pilots at the second meeting on 13 October 1955.[2][3]
The first officers of the society were instated on October 25, 1955, and consisted of Ray Tenhoff, President; Scott Crossfield, Executive Adviser; Dick Johnson, Vice-President; Joe Ozier, Secretary; Lou Everett, Treasurer; and Al Blackburn, Legal Officer.[2] Once the organization and bylaws were established, the society incorporated in the state of California on April 12, 1956.[4]
The first Awards Banquet was held on October 4, 1957, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. It was at the second such banquet, however, that the tradition of the Iven C. Kincheloe Award began. This annual award honors the member who has done the most proficient test work during the previous year. James Gannett of Boeing and Joseph John "Tym" Tymczyszyn of the Civil Aeronautics Administration won the first Kincheloe Award for their work toward certification of America's first turbojet airliner' the Boeing 707. They have been followed each year by the most notable contributors to aviation history.[2]
As of December 31, 2019, the Society had 2,449 members[5] from various countries.[6]
Publications[]
The society publishes a quarterly known as Cockpit that contains technical articles on flight testing.[2] In addition to Cockpit, the society publishes the proceedings of the annual symposium in Los Angeles to provide a permanent record of flight test progress reports.[2] A periodic newsletter is also provided to members.[7]
Conferences[]
The Society holds a number of conferences annually:[8]
- Los Angeles Symposium and Banquet
- San Diego Symposium
- East Coast Symposium
- Northwest Symposium
- European Symposium
- Southeast Symposium
- Central Symposium
- Great Lakes Symposium
- Southwest Symposium
- Flight Test Safety Workshop
Awards[]
The Society annually presents a number of awards to recognize notable members of the flight test community. These are:
- Iven C. Kincheloe Award—Outstanding professional accomplishment in the conduct of flight testing[9]
- James H. Doolittle Award—Outstanding accomplishment in technical management or engineering[10]
- Tony LeVier Flight Test Safety Award—Significant achievement in flight test safety[11]
- Herman R. Salmon Technical Publications Award—Outstanding technical paper published in Cockpit magazine[12]
- Ray E. Tenhoff Award—Outstanding technical paper presented at the annual SETP symposium[13]
- Jack Northrop Award—Outstanding technical paper presented at the annual SETP San Diego symposium[14]
- Leroy Grumman Award—Outstanding technical paper presented at the annual SETP East Coast symposium[15]
- Friend of the Society—Exceptional and notable contribution to the operation and the objectives of the Society[16]
- Spirit of Flight—Significant contribution to the spirit, technology, manufacture, safety and flight test of home-built/sport/classic aircraft[17]
Scholarship foundation[]
In 1967, the Society created a foundation to provide for scholarships and other forms of educational assistance to children of deceased or disabled Society members.[18] As of 2020, the scholarship foundation has granted over 3.5 million dollars in educational assistance to more than 178 students.[18] Approximately 12 students per year attend school with Society assistance.[18]
Membership and member grades[]
Membership in the Society is divided into six grades:
- Honorary Fellow (HF)—Distinction in the aerospace field and an experimental test pilot at some time during their career[4]
- Fellow (F)—Distinction in experimental flight testing and an Associate Fellow for at least one year[4]
- Associate Fellow (AF)—Association with experimental flight testing for ten years, experimental test pilot for five years, Member for at least two years[19]
- Member (M)—Experimental test pilot not less than one year or manned space vehicle pilot[19]
- Associate Member (AM)—Experimental test pilot or co-pilot from between six months to two years depending on the type of testing[19]
- Corporate Member—Organization that has a common interest with the Society in the advancement of manned aerospace[19]
Notable members[]
The following is an incomplete list of notable individuals who are or were members of the society:[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]
- Chuck Aaron (M)
- Michael James Adams (M)
- Buzz Aldrin (F)
- Andrew M. Allen (M)
- William Anders (M)
- Bud Anderson (F)
- Joseph T. Anderson (M)
- Neil Armstrong (F)
- Fred Ascani (HF)
- Michael A. Baker (M)
- Alan Bean (M)
- John E. Blaha (M)
- Brian Binnie (AF)
- Eric A. Boe (M)
- Albert Boyd (HF)
- Vance D. Brand (F)
- Daniel Brandenstein (M)
- Bill Bridgeman (M)
- James E. Brown III (F)
- John S. Bull (M)
- Robert D. Cabana (F)
- Robert Cardenas (M)
- Marion Eugene Carl (F)
- Scott Carpenter (M)
- Gerald P. Carr (M)
- Sonny Carter (M)
- John Casper (M)
- Eugene Cernan (F)
- Jean-Loup Chrétien (HF)
- Michael Coats (M)
- Jacqueline Cochran (HF)
- Kenneth Cockrell (M)
- Pete Conrad (F)
- Chuck Coleman (AF)
- Michael Collins (M)
- Gordon Cooper (AF)
- Richard O. Covey (F)
- Laurence Cardee Craigie (HF)
- Robert Crippen (F)
- Albert Scott Crossfield (F)
- Walter Cunningham (M)
- William H. Dana (F)
- Eugene Peyton Deatrick (M)
- Jimmy Doolittle (HF)
- B. Alvin Drew (M)
- Charles Duke (M)
- Neville Duke (HF)
- James Dutton (M)
- Ira C. Eaker (HF)
- Joe F. Edwards, Jr. (M)
- Joe Engle (F)
- Frank Kendall Everest, Jr. (F)
- Lou Everett (M)
- Edward L. Feightner (HF)
- Jack D. Fischer (M)
- Patrick G. Forrester (M)
- Steve Fossett (M)
- Benjamin Delahauf Foulois (HF)
- Theodore Freeman (M)
- Stephen Frick (M)
- C. Gordon Fullerton (F)
- Fitzhugh L. Fulton (F)
- Ronald J. Garan, Jr. (M)
- Jerauld R. Gentry (F)
- John Glenn (F)
- Chalmers Goodlin (HF)
- Richard F. Gordon, Jr. (AF)
- Frederick D. Gregory (M)
- S. David Griggs (M)
- Gus Grissom (M)
- Sidney M. Gutierrez (M)
- Chris Hadfield (M)
- Fred Haise (F)
- Kenneth Ham (M)
- Frederick Hauck (F)
- Bob Hoover (F)
- Walter Horten (HF)
- Ben O. Howard (HF)
- Howard Hughes (HF)
- Rick Husband (M)
- James Irwin (M)
- Brent W. Jett, Jr. (M)
- Dick Johnson (F)
- Gregory C. Johnson (M)
- Scott J. Kelly (AF)
- Iven Carl Kincheloe, Jr. (M)
- William J. Knight (F)
- Timothy L. Kopra (M)
- Richard E. Lawyer (F)
- Tony LeVier (F)
- Charles Lindbergh (HF)
- Steven W. Lindsey (M)
- Paul Lockhart (M)
- Donald S. Lopez, Sr. (HF)
- Christopher Loria (M)
- Jim Lovell (F)
- George J. Marrett (F)
- Ken Mattingly (M)
- Jon McBride (M)
- Michael J. McCulley (M)
- James McDivitt (F)
- John B. McKay (M)
- Donald R. McMonagle (M)
- Carl J. Meade (M)
- Pamela Melroy (M)
- Mike Melvill (F)
- Johnny Miller (HF)
- Edgar Mitchell (M)
- Arthur K. Murray (F)
- Art Nalls (M)
- Lew A. Nelson (HF)
- Stephen S. Oswald (M)
- Robert F. Overmyer (M)
- Bruce A. Peterson (F)
- Frank Piasecki (M)
- William R. Pogue (M)
- Alan G. Poindexter (M)
- Mark L. Polansky (M)
- Charles J. Precourt (AF)
- Steve Rainey (F)
- Günther Rall (HF)
- William F. Readdy (F)
- Kenneth S. Reightler, Jr. (M)
- Hanna Reitsch (HF)
- Richard N. Richards (M)
- Kent Rominger (M)
- Stuart Roosa (M)
- Yves Rossy (M)
- Robert A. Rushworth (F)
- Burt Rutan (F)
- Dick Rutan (M)
- Herman Salmon (F)
- Wally Schirra (F)
- Rusty Schweickart (M)
- Dick Scobee (M)
- David Scott (M)
- Richard A. Searfoss (M)
- Elliot See (M)
- Alexander P. de Seversky (HF)
- Doug Shane (F)
- Alan Shepard (F)
- Peter Siebold (M)
- Igor Sikorsky (HF)
- Deke Slayton (F)
- Thomas Sopwith (HF)
- Sherwood C. Spring (M)
- Robert C. Springer (M)
- Thomas Patten Stafford (F)
- Robert Stanley (HF)
- Moye W. Stephens (HF)
- Robert L. Stephens (F)
- Robert L. Stewart (M)
- James Stockdale (HF)
- Jack Swigert (AF)
- Richard G. Thomas (F)
- Milton Orville Thompson (M)
- Scott D. Tingle (M)
- Art Tomassetti (F)
- Brian Trubshaw (F)
- Guy M. Townsend (F)
- Roscoe Turner (HF)
- Richard H. Truly (M)
- Peter Twiss (HF)
- Joseph John "Tym" Tymczyszyn (F)
- Alfred V. Verville (HF)
- David M. Walker (AF)
- Joseph Albert Walker (F)
- Jim Wetherbee (M)
- Douglas H. Wheelock (M)
- Alvin S. White (F)
- Robert Michael White (M)
- Frank Whittle (HF)
- Terrence W. Wilcutt (M)
- Clifton Williams (AM)
- Donald E. Williams (M)
- Jeffrey Williams (M)
- Sunita Williams (M)
- Steve Wittman (HF)
- Alfred Worden (M)
- Chuck Yeager (F)
- John Young (F)
- Henri Ziegler (HF)
- Janusz Żurakowski (HF)
- John Christiansen (F)
References[]
- ^ "Welcome to SETP". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "SETP History". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ "Astronaut Armstrong Recalls the Origins of Test Pilot Society". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Scientific, technical, and related societies of the United States (9th ed.). Washington D.C.: National Academy of Sciences. 1971. p. 165. ISBN 0-309-01860-9.
- ^ "SETP Membership". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ "SETP Vision". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "SETP Newsletters". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "SETP Symposia". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Archived from the original on December 28, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "Iven C. Kincheloe Award". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "James H. Doolittle Award". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "Tony LeVier Flight Test Safety Award". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "Herman R. Salmon Technical Publications Award". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "Ray E. Tenhoff Award". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "Jack Northrop Award". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "Leroy Grumman Award". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "Friend of the Society". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "Spirit of Flight Award". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Scholarship Foundation". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Join SETP". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ Caruso, Hank; Capt. Stu Fitrell (2008). X-Traordinary Planes, X-Traordinary Pilots: Historic Adventures in Flight Testing. Society of Experimental Test Pilots Foundation. ISBN 978-1-60702-764-5.
- ^ SETP 50th Anniversary Symposium & Banquet. Society of Experimental Test Pilots. 2006.
- ^ "SETP Honorary Fellows". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "2009 Los Angeles Symposium Program". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
- ^ SETP 53rd Awards Banquet. Society of Experimental Test Pilots. September 26, 2009.
- ^ "NASA Astronaut Biographies". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. May 6, 2009. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
- ^ "2010 Los Angeles Symposium Program". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. 2010. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
- ^ "Fellow Classes". Society of Experimental Test Pilots. 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
External links[]
- Aviation-related professional associations
- Organizations established in 1955
- Test pilots
- 1955 establishments in California