Sojourner - Traveling with the “Canman”

  In July, I was invited to speak at the AIAA AVIATION Symposium, in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The Aviation Symposium is a gathering of more than 2,500 professionals shaping the future of aerospace. A major theme was navigating the future, with a spotlight on sustainability and AI—two forces that will profoundly affect not only air vehicles, but also fuels, propulsion, training, and air traffic management.  AIAA does it right.  Lots of resources.  I shared my perspective on the FTE challenges (complexity, AI, and lack of professional standards) in a 45-minute talk, which really gave me a chance to flesh out the topics.  I also joined a panel on sustainability. While not my area of expertise, my key message resonated: every model, roadmap, and visionary design must eventually be tested to prove its viability. Bringing flight testers into the process early is critical to making sound decisions that will propel our organizations toward more effective, safe, and effi...

  Back to Mendocino I’m back in Northern California, staying in Mendocino for my Uncle Bobby’s memorial near Little River, a few miles inland from the coast. He passed at 93 in the home he built from redwood trees on the same land where he, my dad, and their two siblings were born in the 1920s. The old farmhouse where my grandparents lived is long gone, but his house stands just a hundred yards from where it was. Uncle Bob was the youngest of the four and the last to pass. The memorial was casual and comfortable—a picnic under old apple trees my grandparents planted and tall sequoias that began as Christmas tree seedlings I planted with my dad fifty years ago. Uncle Bob had left the area for a time, going to junior college, serving in the Army, and working in city politics in the East Bay before coming back to the family farm. He spent his later years organizing veteran events and enjoying life on the coast. His three daughters and their families eventually followed him back, all...

A whirlwind trip across countries and continents.  New adventures, friends, and technologies, juxtaposed with glimpses of the 1930s, offer a cautionary tale about Europe’s future.   And through it all, I am pondering the questions: Who am I? What is my deepest desire?  Heading to Europe to attend the SFTE symposium in Prague, I visited Italy first.  My plan was to stay again in Venegono at La ManSardina with the hope of recreating my November experiences.  But as it was a long weekend to celebrate Italy’s Independence, I learned too late that my friends had made other plans.  I was disappointed. But recognized this as an opportunity to exercise Anthony Dello’s non-attachment and Eckhart Tolle’s “living in the now” philosophies.   So the first night in Italy, I went out with Leonardo flight test colleagues for a fun dinner event.   One of them (Simone) invited me to go sailplaning , which turned out to be an  incredible exp...

  Longest solo road trip of my life, tooling around the southeastern United States in my CR-V. A a combo of SFTE and family engagements.   First stop, Nashville, to celebrate my grandson’s birthday,        And my trusty Taylor!      Rocket City SFTE Chapter Then, Huntsville, Alabama, to meet with the SFTE Rocket City Chapter.  Then on to Greensboro, NC for the Flight Test Safety Workshop, where I gave my stump speech on the impact of technology and AI in flight testing, especially in risk management. Again heard more validation of MIT's STPA. Flight Test Safety Workshop North Carolina SFTE Chapter at FTSW Then up to Blacksburg, Virginia, to visit the Virginia Tech SFTE chapter.  The graduating engineers are so well trained with impressive internships and experiences that are quite impressive.  Yet some struggle to find a job?  A little puzzling?   Virginia Tech University On the spur of the moment, I decided...