A400M Power Plant Flying Testbed Programme by Rob Boyle & Ian Young

A lecture by Rob Boyle, Head of Flight Test, and Ian Young, Chief Test Pilot, Marshall Aerospace – released September 7, 2010

Iain Young graduated with a degree in electronics in 1968 and joined the Royal Air Force in 1972. He trained as a test pilot in 1981 at the Empire Test Pilots’ School, Boscombe Down where he subsequently served as Principal Tutor.

He retired from the RAF in 1989 to join Pilatus Britten-Norman (PBN), manufacturers of the Islander series of aircraft, as Head of Flight Operations.

Following a period as an Inspector of Air Accidents with the UK Air Accident Investigation Branch, he joined Marshall Aerospace as a test pilot and was appointed Chief Test Pilot in August 1999. He holds full civil and military test flying approvals but also has a keen interest in Light Aviation and is a Flight Instructor and Examiner.

Iain is Managing Director of Marshall Executive Aviation and the Cambridge Aero Club, member and former Chair of the Royal Aeronautical Society Flight Test Group committee, Chair of the Aerospace, Defence and Security (formerly SBAC) Flight Operations Committee, and member of the Farnborough International Airshow Flying Control Committee. He was awarded the MBE in 2009 for services to aviation.

Robert Boyle studied for an Honours Mechanical Engineering degree at the University of Warwick, graduating in 1999.

Shortly after graduation he began working for DERA at Boscombe Down flight testing mechanical systems on Harrier and Jaguar and Typhoon aircraft.

In 2004 Rob graduated from the Empire Test Pilots’ School as a Flight Test Engineer and shortly after was assigned to the Fast Jet Test Squadron as the Typhoon Release to Service Technical Officer.

In 2005 Robert moved to Marshall Aerospace to become the A400M Flying Test Bed Project FTE where he remains today. Robert has been heavily involved in design of the A400M FTB pilot-in-the-loop simulator and the design of a number of systems onboard the FTB, as well the Lead FTE in planning and execution of the A400M FTB ground and flight test programme. He was promoted to Head of Flight Test in early 2010. He is a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society Flight Test Group committee.

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