Flight test and certification engineering · Ottawa
Flight test and system safety for aircraft certification
I'm Louis-David Germain, P.Eng. I have over 20 years of aerospace engineering, flight test and system safety experience. Now I write the safety assessments and flight test plans your certification program needs.
What I do
| ID | Service | Deliverables |
|---|---|---|
| S-01 | System safetySystem safety assessments for aircraft systems and RPAS, from the functional hazard assessment and FMEA to the final report. I work to the SAE ARP4754 development and ARP4761 safety assessment processes. |
Functional hazard assessment, FMEA, safety assessment plan, system safety assessment report, safety requirements list |
| S-02 | Flight testI plan and report flight tests on fixed and rotary wing aircraft, from R&D through DT&E, ET&E and OT&E: performance, handling qualities, avionics, crew alerting, pitot-static and icing. Campaigns include Category A and B operations, height-velocity (H-V), icing, external modifications, firefighting and heli-skiing equipment, increased gross weight, glass cockpit and NVIS modifications. |
Test plan, test cards, data reduction scripts, flight test report |
| S-03 | Certification consultingI spent 10 years on the authority side, validating aircraft with the FAA and EASA. I know what an authority asks for, and I'll help you answer it before the issue paper lands. |
Certification plan, compliance checklist, means of compliance proposals, issue paper responses |
| S-04 | Engineering servicesAirworthiness reviews against MIL-HDBK-516C for military programs, plus avionics, PBN and TCAS work. I write in English or French, with a summary a non-specialist can act on. |
Airworthiness criteria assessments, avionics reviews, technical reports, plain-language summaries |
| S-05 | Government procurementSupport for government and defence acquisitions, from the operational need to the signed contract. I write the requirements and the statement of work, and I manage the project through delivery. |
Operational requirements, system requirements, statement of work, contract support, project management |
Who you're hiring
Louis-David Germain, P.Eng., flight test engineer
I've worked in aerospace engineering since 2005, on both sides of certification: as a military flight test engineer, and as a civil certification flight test engineer on the authority side. I've consulted by referral since 2017. Test Point Aero is that practice under its own name. LinkedIn profile
- Military and civil flight test, fixed and rotary wing
- Certification and validation with the FAA and EASA
- Avionics certification and integration
- System safety: FHA, FMEA, ARP4754 and ARP4761
- Military airworthiness (MIL-HDBK-516C)
- RPAS and Advanced Air Mobility certification
- Electronic warfare and aircraft self-protection systems
- Flight simulator evaluation
- Government procurement: requirements, statements of work, contracts
- Project management and engineering team leadership
- P.Eng. (APEGA)
- UAV pilot certificate, Transport Canada and FAA
- BSc Electrical Engineering, Royal Military College of Canada
- Rotary Wing Flight Test Engineer, US Naval Test Pilot School
- Master of Aviation Management, University of New South Wales
- MSc Flight Test Engineering, National Test Pilot School
- DO-178C and DO-254 course, University of Kansas
- SAE S-18 (writes ARP4754 and ARP4761), S-12 officer, AC-9C, E-39, E-40
- Society of Flight Test Engineers member since 2011
How I work
Scope
You send the aircraft, the modification, the certification basis and the schedule. I reply with the documents I'll produce, the gaps I see and an estimate.
Plan
I advise you on the best approach, agree it with the airworthiness authority and write the test plan. Every method gets its reference before work starts.
Execute
The tests are flown, the data reduced and the documents written. Raw data stays untouched, units and assumptions are written down, and every number traces to its input and method.
Report
Results stay provisional until the chain is closed and reviewed. The report opens with a plain-language summary of what was done and why.
What I've worked on
- MilitaryJets, helicopters and turboprops
- Military systemsElectronic warfare (ESM, ECM, chaff and flares), mission equipment and weapons
- Civil fixed wingNormal and transport category aeroplanes, freighter and glass cockpit conversions
- Civil rotary wingNormal and transport category rotorcraft
- Special missionsFirefighting modifications, heli-skiing equipment
- Powered liftTiltrotor
- UncrewedLarge, medium and small RPAS and UAV
- UncrewedGround control stations
- Ground systemsADS-B In monitoring, weather stations, C2
- TrainingFlight simulators
- Systems testingEmergency breathing devices, emergency flotation, parachutes, ditching and emergency egress, underwater egress
- New entrantsAAM, electrified propulsion, vertical lift
Contact me
Direct
engineering@testpointaero.ca
linkedin.com/in/germain1
Tell me the aircraft, the modification, the certification basis and your schedule. A page is enough. I'll reply with a scope and a start date.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO
ENGLISH, FRANÇAIS, ESPAÑOL (FUNCTIONAL)
TAKING ON NEW ENGAGEMENTS