Barbara Wood in memoriam

Barbara Wood in memoriam

In great sorrow, we have learnt about the passing of our dear colleague and friend Barbara Wood.
Barbara has been a fundamental pillar in the development and evolution of the Society of Flight Test Engineers and our profession in general, not only in Europe but at a global level as well.
Since the late 1980s she was involved in the Society, holding almost every possible position and making great contributions for the development and improvements of our community. She delivered great support and confidence to the common objectives, using her own time and more stolen from her family, always with a kind smile for everyone.
Amongst many activities, for the European Chapter she was Secretary from 1991 until 1995 and again from 2007 until 2009, Vice President from 1995 until 1999 and President from 1999 until 2003. In 2008 was elected to the main Board of Directors, serving until 2012. In 2008 she was elected as Fellow of the Society. She was also very active in the NATO STO Flight Test Technical Team, promoting several Agardographs and contributing to the dissemination of knowledge in Flight Testing across the community.
She retired some years ago from her work at Boscombe Down for Qinetiq. She is an example for everyone, because we could consider her as a real pioneer in this profession. She had to work harder than anyone and bear the load of being a female Flight Test Engineer at a time and in places when this was not as normal as today.
She was a highly considered professional and hard worker, no matter what task she was involved in. The European Chapter and the Society as a whole would not be the same without her support along all these years.
We would like to share our condolences with her husband, son, and siblings for their loss.
We will miss her a lot.

Jesús Javier Fernández Orio
Board of Directors - Fellow
Society of Flight Test Engineers

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