James S. McDonnell Award
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.
Submission Deadline: August 15, 2026
2025 Winner
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Boom Supersonic XB-1 Flight Test Team
The James S McDonnell award for outstanding team achievement in flight test was awarded to the Boom XB-1 Test Team for their outstanding achievements in expanding the flight envelope of the XB-1 demonstrator to sustained supersonic operations through a challenging 13-flight campaign.
Their accomplishments include the first flight of an independently developed civil supersonic jet, achieving Mach 1.18, six successful supersonic runs without sonic booms, validating critical flutter margins, demonstrating precise landing control with a novel Forward Looking Vision System (FLVS), and capturing the first airborne Schlieren image of a civilian supersonic aircraft in partnership with NASA.
These milestones, achieved through rapid innovation, technical excellence, and a disciplined, safety-focused approach, represent a significant leap forward in experimental flight test engineering and lay the groundwork for future commercial supersonic travel.
Award Criteria
"James S. McDonnell Award for Outstanding Team Achievement in the Field of Flight Test Engineering"
The nominated team do not all need to be SFTE members, but the nomination can only be submitted by a SFTE member. Nominations must be received by midnight Pacific Daylight Time (U.S.) on July 31st. Please submit only one written nomination per candidate team. The nomination submission should be of no more than 5 pages in length and should make a case for why the nominated team deserves to receive the society’s highest team award. This can include testimonials from others. The Board of Directors select the awardee. They would most like to learn about this team’s innovations in addition to its achievements.
Please minimize lists of statistics and specialized jargon in the nomination. Please do not include any proprietary or restricted-access information. Of particular interest will be vignettes, or short stories that could be shared when announcing the award recipient. The Board of Directors will be looking for accomplishments and qualities that encourage all of us within SFTE and industry at large to strive toward similar achievements.
Be advised, the Board of Directors will request a well-produced multimedia presentation highlighting the team and their test program. This presentation/video will accompany the award presentation which forms a centerpoint of the Annual Awards Banquet (live webcast) following the Symposium. These materials will be requested only after the nominated team has been chosen for the award. Assistance will also be requested from the individual making the nomination to coordinate the attendance by the winning team at the Awards Banquet if possible. Please be aware the Board wishes to keep the identity of the award recipient a surprise for the general audience when announced at the Awards Banquet.
Background - This award dates to 2006 and is recognized within the Society’s bylaws.
Previous Recipients
Year | Recipient | Photo |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HEAVEN Project Flight Test Team |  |
| 2023 | X-62A VISTA Flight Test Team |  |
| 2022 | Cessna SkyCourier Test Team |  |
| 2021 | V280 Valor Test Team | |
| 2020 | CH-53K Integrated Test Team | |
| 2019 | F-35 Integrated Test Force | |
| 2018 | Perlan II Project | |
| 2017 | F-35C ITF DT-III Team CNAF, NAVAIR, NAWCAD, VFA-101 USN - USS George Washington CVN-73 | |
| 2016 | F/A-18 Block H12 Pt. Mugu Detachment Flight Test Engineering Team ATAC Corp. (Hawker Hunter), Boeing F/A-18 & EA-18G Advanced Weapon Lab NAWCWD China Lake & Point Mugu VFA-15 Virginia Beach VX-9, VX-31 China Lake VX-20, VX-23 Patuxent River 82nd Aerial Targets Detachment NAWC Aircraft Division | |
| 2015 | F/A-18E/F Magic Carpet Test Team USN - USS Nimitz CVN77 NAWC Aircraft Division Boeing, Atlantic Test Ranges | |
| 2014 | TAI Flight Test Team Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TAI) | |
| 2013 | X-51A Scramjet Engine Test Team Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, Rocketdyne NAWC Point Mugu NAS NASA Dryden, DARPA, AFRL, AFTC Boeing, NASA, AFTC Northrop Grumman | |
| 2012 | Phantom Eye Test Team MAHLE Powertrain | |
| 2011 | NAVY UCAS Integrated Test Team USAF, NAVAIR Northrop Grumman |  |
| 2010 | X-51A Scramjet Engine Test Team Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, Rocketdyne NAWC Point Mugu NAS NASA Dryden, DARPA, AFRL, AFTC Boeing, NASA, AFTC Northrop Grumman | |
| 2009 | T-45 HSRIP Flight Test Team Boeing, United States Navy |  |
| 2008 | E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Test Team Northrop Grumman, United States Navy |  |
| 2007 | EA-18G 'Growler' Flight Test Team NAWC-WD China Lake Boeing, Northrop Grumman VX-9, VX-31 Advanced Weapons Lab VX-23 NAS Patuxent River VX-30 NAS Point Mugu |  |
| 2006 | X-43A Flight Test Team Orbital Sciences NASA Langley NASA Dryden |