When I joined the RAF, “quality” didn’t mean metrics, dashboards, or KPIs. It meant survival. It meant the aircraft I worked on had to take off and land safely every single time — because if something went wrong, people didn’t just lose data or money; they could lose their lives.

That experience shaped how I see quality in software testing. The stakes are different, but the principles are the same. Whether you’re maintaining a Tornado jet or deploying an AI product, the way you approach risk, discipline, and accountability determines the outcome.

This talk explores those parallels — not in a romanticised “military precision” way, but in a practical, lived sense. The RAF taught me that quality isn’t about perfection. It’s about control, traceability, and mindset. It’s about knowing why we follow procedures, not just that we do.