Awards Overview
2023 Nominations for the Kelly Johnson and James McDonnell Awards are open!
Deadline August 31
Send your application to awards@sfte.org or use the forms in the links below.
Kelly Johnson Award
"The Kelly Johnson Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Flight Test Engineering"
This is an individual award that honors outstanding achievement in the field of Flight Test Engineering. The Kelly Johnson Award was first awarded in 1973 and is the society‘s oldest running award.
Kelly Johnson established the fabled Lockheed Skunk Works that was responsible for many designs and flight testing of aircraft such as the P-80, U-2, SR-71, F104, F-117, YF-22, and X-35.
2022 Award
Giorgio Clementi
James S. McDonnell Award
"The James S. McDonnell Award for Outstanding Team Achievement in the field of Flight Test Engineering"
The J.S. McDonnell award was established in 2016 and is a group award that honors outstanding achievement in the field of Flight Test Engineering.
James McDonnell was the founder of McDonnell Aircraft Company responsible for aircraft such as the F-2H, F-4D, F-4, and F-15 as well as many space vehicles such as the Apollo Command module.
2022 Award
Cessna SkyCourier
Jesualdo Martinez Award
The European Chapter established this award in 2019 as a memorial for Jesualdo and our colleagues who have sacrificed their lives while performing their job. Candidacies are received by the European Chapter Board and the award is delivered every two years.
Jesualdo Martinez was a Spanish FTE at Airbus Defense & Space and member of the SFTE European Chapter Board who demonstrated and promoted the Society values of education, participation, and professionalism in the field of Flight Test Engineering. Jesulado and 4 fellow crew members perished in the crash of an A400M during a test flight in May 2015 from Seville airport.
2021 Award
Andrew Nixon
Directors Award
The SFTE Directors Award was established in 1985 to recognize individuals who have contributed significant and lasting efforts towards the welfare, stature, leadership or membership of the society.
2022 Award
Ben Povall
Annual Patch Competition
Each year, The SFTE Board of Directors invites the membership to design an aviation patch that represents the achievements of the previous year, highlighting the themes and achievements that have characterized flight test engineering around the world. The winner gets featured on the SFTE website.
2022 Patch Competition Winner
Alberto Favier, European Chapter