On 21st October 2020, we the students of Mushtifund Aryaan Higher Secondary School were bestowed upon the fantabulous opportunity of interacting with Mr. Jitendra Singh a passionate aerospace flight test engineer and a member of Society of Flight Test Engineers, who began his career as a scientist at the prestigious DRDO. Mr. Singh has worked on variety of projects over a span of years at DRDO including military aircraft engines, the Kaveri engine, the Hansas, and the Saaras project among many others. Mr. Singh is one of the few persons to have served as  flight test engineer for the marvellous A320 Airbus Neo.

Mr. Jitendra Singh completed his schooling at Kendriya Vidalaya from where he went to the PEC(Punjab Engineering College) to accomplish his B.E. in aeronautical engineering. In order to pursue his further studies Mr Singh advanced towards the Delft University in Netherlands and worked on his thesis at ETH Switzerland. He also attended the Indian Air Force Tests Pilots School and the ISAE Toulouse France. Mr Singh is also an invited speaker at the IIT Bombay, DRDO, Aeronautical society of India and has been awarded several laurels. Mr Singh also has a number of publications to his credit and has made a truly remarkable contribution in projects related to his field.

Mr Singh began his presentation on flight test engineering with a brief overview of the process of flight test, which includes test operations, instrumentations, analysis of flight test data and telemetry. Mr. Jitendra Singh first introduced us to flight test operations and illustrated the three stages of a typical test operation i.e. stall, spin and inverted, with the help of a short video. Mr. Singh provided us with a detailed idea of the flight test process that comprises of a large number of phases beginning with estimation of configuration of the aircraft, followed by a development flight test. After a success in the developmental test the configuration of the plane is finalised and it enters the stage of certification flight test involving important aspects such as flight briefing, engine start, atmospheric survey, landing, test data analysis and finally concluded with the flight test report. The aircraft is eventually certified for commercial use once it receives the approval from Aircrafts limits, Procedures and Manuals.

Furthermore, Mr. Jitendra Singh introduced us to A320 Airbus Neo and it its certification process. He explained us about the key attributes of flight test process which could be hazardous and hence,there has to be proper assessment of all safety measures and the preparedness of the crew to instinctively overcome the difficulties. Mr Singh also said that the process of flight test is highly expensive as it demands a lot instrumentation, crew and telemetry equipment.

In addition, Mr Singh used graphical data such as velocity-time-altitude graphs and angle-time graphs to enhance our understanding about the processes of spin, stall and inverted. He shared with us some pictures of stall test. Mr Singh, also threw some light on the security of flight test crew, he explained to us how an individual undergoes various physiological tests with the assistance of a wide range of devices, before participating in flight test program as well as during the process.

Mr Singh then exclusively explicated the details of fight engine tests especially for commercial aircraft engine. The typical phases of above process are VMCG validation, water ingestion, fire extinguishing & fire protection, function and reliability test campaign, steady state performance, minimising hazards in case of engine failures and a lot more. Additionally, Mr Singh guided us about elements of VMCG validation and water ingestion tests. The factors like temperature, air density, thrust output and altitude affect VMCG .In a typical water ingestion test, the flight is made to land on an artificially flooded runway. Mr. Singh described the various climatic zones where the flight is tested before being certified with the support of video.

Later, Mr. Singh elucidated us about one of the most paramount elements of flight test i.e. A FTE station, wherein the crew with assistance of the FTE screens is informed regarding the variations in temperature, pressure, engine, fuel and all other elements of an aircraft with respect to time. The FTE also consists of telemetry which evaluates the incoming data and advises the flight test crew in real time.

Finally, Mr. Singh cleared doubts of students regarding the flight test process. A student of the XI regular batch proposed the vote of thanks.This interactive session gave us a deep insight into various aspects of the process of flight test and helped us develop respect and honour for the courageous flight test engineers who risk themselves to ensure a safe flight for the passengers and also the occupants of fighter jets.

Mr. Jitendra Singh’s immense knowledge and experience is indeed commendable and his work in the field of flight tests is truly significant. On the behalf of students and the management of Aryaan Study Circle , I would like to thank Mr. Jitendra Singh for enlightening us with his vast proficiency in his chosen field and spending his valuable time with us ,as well as our mentor and director Mr Vyankatesh Prabhudesai Sir for giving us this opportunity to interact with the most brilliant minds of India.

Neha R Naik
XI Regular
M.A.H.S.S