Roger C Crane (1994 Fellow and 1990 KJ Award)

Roger C Crane was the winner of the 1990 Kelly Johnson Award, and was one of the inaugural Fellow class of 1994.

Roger began his career in 1964 at the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC), Edwards AFB. From 1965 through 1969, he was the lead Air Force performance and flying qualities engineer on such successful test projects as the C-141 Starlifter, the F-4 Phantom II, and the F-111.

In 1973, Roger was promoted to Chief of the Fighters Section of the Performance and Flying Qualities Flight Test Engineering Branch. Here, Roger was responsible for a wide variety of flight testing, including such critical projects as the Air Combat Fighter Fly-off (which led to the highly successful F-16), the A-10, the Transonic Aircraft Technology (TACT)/F-111, the F-15, and many others. As a supervisor, Roger was not content to
concentrate strictly on management concerns but instead became intimately involved in the test programs. He became an expert on the performance and flying quality characteristics of the F-15 Eagle, so much so that he was selected to be the lead engineer
for the "Streak Eagle" project which had the goal of setting several time-to-climb world records. Utilizing Roger's engineering expertise, the "Streak Eagle" team captured eight time-to-climb records for the F-15, three of which had previously been held by the Soviet Union.

In 1979 Roger was again promoted, this time to Assistant Chief of the Performance and Flying Qualities Branch. He had responsibility for all performance and flying qualities Air Force evaluations conducted at Edwards AFB, including such programs as the F-16, F-15, and KC-10. Roger continued to apply his philosophy of providing a high level of leadership and guidance in the training and professional development of younger flight
test engineers, thus ensuring the continued excellence of the flight testing done at. Edwards AFS.

Seeking a new area in which to apply his experience and expertise, Roger was appointed in 1980 to be Deputy Chief of the Avionics and Armament Division. In this position he had responsibility for flight testing systems such as the F-15 and F-16 Radars, B-lA Offensive and Defensive Avionics, LANTIRN (Low Altitude Navigating Terrain-following Infrared at Night) and AFTI (Advanced Fighter Technology Integration)/F-16.
In 1984, Roger was honored as the Air Force Association's AFFTC Civilian of the Year in recognition of his many contributions to the field of flight test and the Air Force
mission.

In 1984, Roger was appointed Deputy Chief of the Flight Dynamics Division which had responsibility for all Performance, Flying Qualities, Flight Controls and Propulsion testing at Edwards AFB. In 1987, he was promoted to chief of the division and had direct responsibility for testing on many of the Air Force programs already mentioned, as well as planning for such future programs as the B-2, the Advanced Tactical Fighter, and
the C-17. Here, again, he placed prime emphasis on working closely with the more junior engineers, constantly striving to maintain and develop the flight test engineering expertise necessary to conduct the highest quality tests and evaluations.

In recognition of Roger's wide range of experience and capabilities, in 1989 he was promoted to Chief of the Engineering Division under the 6510 Test Wing, which is responsible for all Air Force test programs conducted at Edwards AFB. Roger is
therefore responsible for a wide variety of flight test engineering disciplines, including flight dynamics, avionics, structures, airframe subsystems, human factors, reliability and maintainability, and aerial delivery. Even though this Engineering Division was a new office at the Flight Test Center, with all the teething problems this implies, Roger has built it into a smoothly running division with a well defined mission and goals
and high morale in only fourteen months.

During this period, Roger has had responsibility for the engineering aspects of a number of important test programs, including the B-2, F-16 Advanced Radar, F-15 and F-16 Improved Performance Engines, B-lB/SRAM II, F-15 STOL Maneuver Technology Demonstrator, the YA-7F, and many others. Specific responsibilities on these and other programs include reviewing the detailed test plans for technical adequacy and recommending changes, maintaining technical cognizance during test conduct and data
analysis phases, and ensuring the final product, usually an Air Force Technical Report, meets the highest standards possible.

Roger has met these responsibilities in an exemplary manner in the last fourteen months, even managing to improve the quality of the evaluations and reports produced. Also during this period, Roger has served as Lead Engineer for Executive Review Groups for the B-2 and Advanced Tactical Fighter Programs.

In addition to his on-the-job responsibilities, Roger has demonstrated his dedication to the flight test profession by his continuing involvement with the SFTE. He was a charter member of the Society, served two terms as Vice-President and one term as President of the Antelope Valley Chapter, served on the Society Board of Directors, and was Editor of the SFTE Newsletter. In addition, Roger teaches a class in Management at Antelope Valley Junior College as he has done since 1982.

Throughout his 26-year career in flight test, Roger has amply demonstrated his capabilities as an engineer, manager, communicator, and teacher. Largely under his guidance and influence, the AFFTC has developed into one of the foremost if not the foremost flight test organization in the world.