Hurry, Worry and What-not: Minimising the Risks

Jim Fawcett, Flight Test Engineer, Airbus Flight Test Department, Toulouse, France

Abstract

The origins of Murphy ’s Law are lost in the mists of the time and the interpretations which can be made of it are multiple. However, all the definitions appear to agree on at least one point: you should always expect to encounter some kind of problem during your work!

In the testing of large civil aircraft, that work is almost always undertaken at the boundaries of the envelope where, by definition, the margin for error is small and the potential consequences of a problem are large. It’s therefore vital to plan ahead to reduce the risk and of course, to learn from significant events to better prepare for future trials.

By examining a number of different definitions of Murphy’s Law, this paper will identify some of the factors common to most significant events and assess what could be done to prevent the situation from arising again. A number of case studies drawn from Airbus production and development flight testing will be used as illustrations.