Flight Simulation and Life-threatening Situations: Handling Software Quality Risks
When I was testing a new Boeing 777 simulator, I knew I would spend a month in “the box” with a couple of binders full of test procedures. This was an exhausting job due to irregular schedules, plus the concentration required to fly the plane.
How do you test several million lines of code, not to mention a cockpit made of kilometers of wires all connected to mechanical parts, motors, speakers, and projectors, enclosed in a moving platform with a 220-degree visual field on a laser-adjusted screen fed by a powerful image generator?
My life changed the day I swapped my outlook from “What do I have to test today?” to “Why do I have to test today?”
That simple change triggered a flow of questions about why I spent almost ten thousand hours of my life in a cockpit, testing and checking. Why do we do static code analysis on third-party software that has been used on actual airplanes for many years?
It turned out that we were so used to dashboards and numbers that we had forgotten the prime objective: to raise up issues that would prevent qualification of the device by aviation authorities. If autopilot fails, who has the skills to land that plane in such conditions? Similarly, if test automation fails, who knows how to execute your necessary tests?
Join Alexandre Bauduin to learn:
- How to take test reporting from doom-and-gloom defect lists and bug reports into the realm of critical management guidance
- How stakeholders can rebalance efforts and expend resources to successfully advance their projects
Panelist | Alexandre Bauduin | Automation Test Engineer | House of Test Consulting
Alexandre Bauduin is a world traveler. He worked in consulting firms gaining experience in several fields in different countries. His career started in the space industry where he discovered his passion for aerospace, working on both military and civilian projects. He was sometimes steered away from aerospace but his passion pushed him to become an airline pilot.