Tiltrotor Flight Test Consulting LLC

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. 1979.

Masters of Science, Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA,1991.

Graduate, United States Naval Test Pilot School, Patuxent River NAS, MD,1992.

Consultant Work

Summary of Related work on Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) As of 14 Sept 2023.

I have worked extensively with the very bright group of engineers at Systems Technology Inc (STI) in supporting the evolving eVTOL industry. In this capacity I have done the following projects with them

1) Over last 2 years: Coauthored Draft FAA “HQ Test Guide for Powered Lift VTOL Capable Aircraft with Indirect Flight Controls and Operating in Day Time Visual Flight Rules”.

·  Guide is in FAA review.

·  Coordinating with USNTPS for review of draft test guide and specifically frequency response test technique section to support their rewrite of FTM.

2) Continuing 2 year work on Vertical Flight Society eVTOL HQ Advisory Committee on EASA and FAA harmonization: 

·  Forwarded recommendations to FAA and EASA for their February harmonization meeting. 

·  Recommendations incorporated into HQ test Guide draft.

·  Next focus is on use of HQTE in evaluating Envelope Protections

3) Supported Data Analysis for NASA/FAA National Campaign that used a surrogate aircraft to examine infrastructure requirements related to AAM. Specifically examined approach constraints based on vehicle characteristics.

4) Participated in Flight simulations for NAVAIR in Pax River CH-53K simulator to examine correlation of new metrics for workload assessment in HQ evaluations.

5) Participated in flight simulations at STI, Hawthorne CA.  and Auburn University toward developing improved pilot models. 

6) Currently flying new “Mcruer” portable Flight Test Display for UAM Means of Compliance Testing. This uses a virtual HQTE course and has been flown in an NRC Canada Helicopter. 

7) Currently conducting review of accident database for FAA toward better understanding of indirect flight controls issues.

8) Currently drafting “HQTE scorecard” to support implementation of FAA test Guide in aircraft certification. 

9) Currently advising 2 different eVTOL manufacturers, under NDA, on design and flight test of their concepts. 

Current Technical Committee Work:

Member of Board of Directors, Flight Test Safety Committee. 

Member of ASTM WK 78955. VTOL performance of Aircraft Capable of Vertical Takeoff and/or Landing (VTOL)

Member of ASTM WK 76067. Revision of F3173/F3173M-18 Standard Specification for Aircraft Handling Characteristics

Vertical Flight Society eVTOL Handling qualities 

Participation in Research Simulations on the AAM Subject:

NASA AMES: April 2021 

Vertical Motion Simulator: 26-30 Apr – NASA Ames HQ Evaluation of UAM eVTOL Disturbance Rejection and Control Response Criteria. 

NASA AMES: Feb 2022

ACELeRATE Simulator- familiarization with exposure to 3 command types using (2+2 Rate) Inceptors

Vertical Motion Simulator: Assess various draft HQTE using a lift+cruise model with control inceptors (2+2 Rate) for modified Unified and EZ-Fly concepts, and a Target semi-autopilot Command type. 

NASA Ames: Jun2022

ACELeRATE Simulator-Follow-on familiarization with new and modified HQTE on a lift+cruise model using (2+1+1) Inceptor using Unified control.

Vertical Motion Simulator: HQTE evaluation with lift+cruise model using (2+1+1) Inceptor using Unified Control.

NASA AMES: Nov 7-11 2022

Vertical Motion Simulator: Conduct VMS handling qualities evaluations of UAM eVTOL vehicles with high stability augmentation control in nominal, off-nominal, and failed states.  

PREVIOUS WORK EXPERIENCE

2010- 2019, Associate Technical Fellow and Test Pilot, Patuxent River, MD. As Senior V-22 Osprey Test Pilot of the combined government contractor test team continued full-time testing to include: envelope expansion, flight loads and structural demonstration, handling qualities, performance, propulsion, external loads, Aerial Refueling nd systems tests to include glass cockpit, avionics, fly-by-wire flight controls development. In this capacity drafted numerous flight test guides and lessons learned for the V-22 team in order effectively pass on my institutional knowledge on various flight test subjects involving tiltrotors. Mentored other test pilots on the V-22 team in tiltrotor test practices and advised V280 test team on flight testing during their critical demonstrator program from 2017-2019. 

1996-2010, MV-22B, Experimental Test Pilot, Bell Helicopter Textron. Patuxent River, MD. Tests Included: EMD envelope expansion, flight loads and structural demonstration, handling qualities, performance, propulsion, external loads, Natural Icing and systems to include glass cockpit, avionics, fly-by-wire flight controls development. Lead pilot on low speed aircraft handling qualities and fly-by-wire flight control development, external loads operations and development of Flight Director and Coupled Modes operations. 

1999-2005, CV-22B, Chief Experimental Test Pilot, CV-22 Integrated Test Team, Bell Helicopter Textron. Edwards, AFB, CA. Chief Test Pilot of EMD CV-22 aircraft Tests: Envelope expansion, structural demonstration, flight loads survey, handling qualities, performance, external stores safe separation, Fly-by-wire flight controls development and systems tests. Systems tests included avionics and flight director tests in addition to mission systems such as the Suite of Integrated RF Countermeasures (SIRFC), Directed IR Countermeasures (DIRCM), and Multi-mode Terrain-Following Radar tests. Lead pilot for Terrain-Following Radar Tests. Coordinated and directed the activities of the Flight Operations Department of the combined contractor and government flight test team in support of experimental test flights of three, 100 million dollar, EMD CV-22 aircraft. Developed flight operations procedures and training, and supervised standardization of the flight operations department. Coordinated aircrew assignments, flight test planning, and scheduling of both test and chase aircraft. 

1992-1996, Flight Test Division Chief and Experimental Test Pilot, U.S. Army, Airworthiness Qualification Test Directorate (AQTD). Managed over 15 separate tests of Special Operations aircraft, and light helicopters for the Army. In this capacity, coordinated rotorcraft flight test events, funding, and program and test reviews of each of the test programs. Government Flight Test Director for the MH-60K and MH-47E Terrain following Radar development and qualification. Directed combined team of Boeing, Sikorsky, and IBM Federal Systems (now Lockheed Martin) contractors and government and military testers, totaling 40 personnel, along with two 100 million dollar test aircraft. Finished 3 million dollar program on time and under budget. 

Test Pilot in MH-47E: Preliminary Airworthiness Evaluation, performance testing, Terrain-Following radar development and qualification in day, night/NVG, and IMC. 

Test Pilot in CH-47D: Development of proposed cargo helicopter Aeronautical Design Standards, ADS-33D, utilizing frequency response techniques; handling qualities tests of JCH-47D Helicopter Icing Spray System.

TECHNICAL PAPERS AND FORMAL PRESENTATIONS

Klyde, David H., P. Chase Schulze, David G. Mitchell, David Sizoo, Ross Schaller, and Robert McGuire, “Mission Task Element Development Process: An Approach to FAA Handling Qualities Certification,” presented at the AIAA Aviation Forum, June 2020.

Mitchell, David G., David H. Klyde, Martin W. Shubert, David Sizoo, and Ross Schaller, “Testing for Certification of Urban Air Mobility Vehicles,” presented at the AIAA SciTech Forum, San Diego, CA, Jan. 2022

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Klyde, David, Michael Jones, Martin Shubert, David Mitchell, David Sizoo, Ross Schaller, Johannes van Houdt, Michael Feary, David Weber, and Rick Simmons, “Towards Handling Qualities and Automation Assessment for Certification of eVTOL Aircraft,” presented at the Vertical Flight Society’s 78th Annual Forum & Technology Display, Ft. Worth, TX, May 2022.

Klyde, David, Michael Jones, Martin Shubert, David Mitchell, David Sizoo, Ross Schaller, Strand, T. “Flight Test Challenges Fof Certification of Urban Air Mobility Aircraft”, SFTE Annual International Symposium, London Ontario, Canada. Oct 2022. 

Shubert, M., Simmons, R. “Challenges in Flight Testing New eVTOL Designs”, Flight Test Safety Workshop, Wichita Kansas, May 2023.

Shubert, M., “Power Margin Considerations for Multi-propulsor Hybrid-lift aircraft based on the V-22 Experience”. Flight Test Safety Workshop, Wichita Kansas, May 2023.Risk Mitigation Strategies for Proof-of-concept Testing, Flight Test Safety Workshop, SETP, SFTE, AIAA, Arlington, TX, 2 May 2018. 

Tiltrotor Aeromechanics and Flight Controls, 4 Hour course given to U.S. Army Oct 2014, NASA Ames Research Center, May 2015 and at  Bell Textron 2018 and 2019.

V-22 Osprey– Uncharted Flight Test Territory. 23rd European Symposium, Society of Flight Test Engineers, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 11-13 June 2012. 

Pilot Interface and Flight Control Design Considerations for Tiltrotor Transition, , Society of Experimental Test Pilots East Coast Symposium, Patuxent River NAS, May 2013. Pilot Forum of VSTOL pilots, Aviation Technology Integration and Operations (ATIO) conference, AIAA, Va Beach, VA. 21 Sept 2011.

MV-22B Airplane Mode External Cargo Envelope Expansion and Simulation Correlations, Society of Experimental test pilots East Coast Symposium, 17 April 2009 and 41st Society of Flight Test Engineers International Symposium , September 2010.

Terrain Following Radar Flight Testing and Qualification of the CV-22 Osprey, Society of Experimental Test Pilots, 2008 European Symposium, Lucerne Switzerland and 2008 Annual Symposium Anaheim California.

Terrain Following Radar Development and Qualification in the CV-22 Osprey, American Helicopter Society 64thAnnual Symposium, 2008, Montreal, Canada.

V-22 Osprey Tiltrotor Flight Test Program Return to Flight, 35th European Society of Experimental Test Pilots Symposium, Lucerne Switzerland,23 May 2002.

Handling Qualities Specification Development for Cargo Helicopters, American Helicopter Society 52nd Annual Symposium, 1995

Multi-Mode Radar Development for the MH-47E and MH-60K Aircraft, American Helicopter Society Technical Symposium, Phoenix, AZ. May 1995. 

Development and Evaluation of ADS-33C Handling Qualities Flight Test Maneuvers for Cargo Helicopters, American Helicopter Society 51st Annual Symposium, 1994.

FLIGHT TEST AWARDS

Leroy Grumman Award, presented by the Society of Experimental Test Pilots for the best paper given at East Coast Symposium, 17 April 2009.

John. R. Alison Award, presented by the Air Force Association to the CV-22 Bell Boeing Team, 24th Annual Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition, 17 Sep 2008

Frederic Feinstein Award, Presented to the V-22 Pilot Staff at American Helicopter Society Symposium, Montreal, Canada, 1998

U. S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (TECOM) Tester of the Year, 1995

Commander’s Award for Exceptional Service for Efforts associated with flight testing of Special Operations aircraft, U. S. Army Airworthiness Qualification Test Directorate, Edwards AFB, CA. 1995

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Society of Experimental Test Pilots, Associate Fellow

Society of Flight Test Engineers, Member

Vertical Flight Society, Member

AIAA, Member

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