Thomas E Twiggs 1934-2012

 

Thomas E Twiggs was born June 12. 1934,Twiggs was a graduate of Crossnore High School in June 1952. He was a graduate of Lees McRae College in Banner Elk, 1954 with an AA degree.

Twiggs attended North Carolina State University, Raleigh and received his Bachelor degree in Aerospace Engineering. He later received a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Seattle University in Seattle, Wash.

He served 23 years of Active and reserve duty as a commissioned Naval Aviator and continued his flying with the Boeing Company in Seattle, Wash., retiring as a Flight Test Pilot in 1999.

 

Type rated in Boeing Transports from the 707 thru the 777 and the T-33, helicopter commercial privileges.

Transport Experimental and Certification Testing
Testing in Boeing transports includes Defining the airplane envelope, Flutter, Stall speeds and characteristics at forward and aft C. G., Stability and control, Engine-operating characteristics, Natural and simulated ice handling qualities. Takeoff and landing distances, Structural loads, Air and ground minimum control speeds, and Autopilot control law development including Cat IIIc auto-lands including GPS guided auto-lands.
767 testing outside the normal envelope involved handling qualities with relaxed static stability, flight characteristics at the service ceiling near 50,000 feet and in-flight reverser deployment.
Developmental Testing in various airplanes
727 wings fitted with a fixed leading edge to investigate stalls and handling qualities at high alpha.
The TCV was a joint Boeing/NASA program, using a 737, to explore the employment of electronic displays and advanced navigation computers. The program developed precise 3D and 4D fuel efficient, reduced noise terminal procedures.
Leading edge contamination on the 737 to simulate extreme icing. This testing was done to investigate the stall characteristics at forward and aft CG.
The QSRA, a modified DeHavilland “Buffalo”, with swept wings and 4 high mounted jet engines to provide an externally blown wing upper surface and leading edge. This airplane was designed to be a quiet, STOL, “Coanda Effect”, research airplane for NASA. The Boeing testing included flutter, defining the basic airplane envelope, engine operating characteristics and verifying the SAS control laws.
Tested and developed an advanced target acquisition system was done using the company owned light airplanes and T-33s.
Developed and certified the FMS and advanced displays for the 757/767 two-crew fleets. This carried forward to the 747-400 with the Future Air Navigation System (FANS-1), enabling it to be the first transport to navigate the Pacific using GPS.
ETOPS Certification of the 777 to achieve 180 minutes over water

Upon retirement, he established Alpha Test Inc. and continued flight testing as a Consultant Designated Engineering Representative (DER) for the Federal Aviation Administration appointed to approve or recommend approval of technical data to the FAA.