Robert L. Stewart

Summary

Mathematics can be an end in itself for some people, or it can open a multitude of other doors. The first part of my professional career did not rely heavily on a math background. I flew armed helicopters in Vietnam and was a flight instructor in primary helicopters. But soon the dividends were realized. I was sent to the Army's Guided Missile Systems Officer Course. The heart and soul of the course was applied mathematics, and I was well prepared. Laplace transforms became tools for stability and control analysis, not mathematical abstractions. Calculus of Variations became a means for computing optimum flight profiles. In short, the mathematics took on a concrete reality.

A Masters Degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington set the stage for my next step, the US Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS). USNTPS is an ideal mix of the theoretical and the practical. The fine nuances of the stability equations explored in the classroom in the morning, are graphically demonstrated in the air that afternoon, thus cementing the relationship between the mathematics and the real world.

As an experimental test pilot assigned to Edwards Air Force Base, CA, I was fortunate enough to test five prototype helicopters in four years. The highlight was being the project officer and chief test pilot on the Apache attack helicopter. The ultimate test of a mathematical analysis is to bet your life on it by flying an aircraft that isn't quite “house broken” yet.