AeroSociety Podcast

The interwar period revolutionised all aspects of aeronautics in the UK. In his lecture to the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust Association, historian Peter Reese brings out some of the stories and characters that shaped the period. In this lecture he describes the excitement of Alcock and Brown’s non-stop flight across the Atlantic, the Smith brothers’ flight to Australia and Alan Cobham travelling circus that bringing aviation to the British people and the mushrooming air transport industry. He then explores Britain’s triumphs in the he Schneider Trophy contests and how that technology prepared for the emergence of powerful fighter aircraft; with war clouds gathering strategic restructuring takes place and new leaders emerge to meet the German challenge. This guest podcast is from the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust Association. More information about the lectures organised by FASTA, together with Farnborough Air Sciences Trust Museum can be found at https://www.airsciences.org.uk. It was recorded and edited by Paul Collins.

Hawker Siddeley test pilot A. W. “Bill” Bedford gives his audience an insight into the challenges facing test pilots in the 1960s and the years ahead. He also highlights the role and key qualities required of a test pilot, together with an appeal for the pilots and scientist to work closer together. The recording includes a fascinating discussion from the floor, with points raised by the leading test pilots of the day, including Brian Trubshaw, D. P. Davies and Capt. Eric “Winkle” Brown. There are also tributes from, amongst others, Sir Sydney Camm and Sir Morien Morgan. Bill Bedford gave the inaugural Royal Aeronautical Society Test Pilots Group Lecture on 16 April 1964 and the lecture was chaired by the President of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Professor A. R. Collar. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

World War I pilot Clayton Knight reminisces about his training and hair-raising service on the Western Front in 1917 and 1918. Knight was one of the first 150 American aviators who were sent to Europe in the summer of 1917. In this recording he discusses his training, including staying in digs at a number of Oxford Colleges, before recounting a number of hair-rising stories about his service with the Royal Flying Corps on the Western Front, being shot down by Oberleutnant Harald Auffahrt on 5 October 1918 and finishing the war as prisoner of war in a German hospital. Knight later went onto be a noted aeronautical illustrator, including providing the drawings for the comic strip Ace Drummond. Please note, due to the age of this recording, there are issues with the sound quality of this recording. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

The Rotorcraft Group's annual Cierva Named Lecture is presented by Igor Cherepinsky, Director of Autonomy Programs, Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin Company. The presentation will discuss the use of autonomy in current and future aircraft in concert with an onboard or offboard pilot/operator to greatly improve the safety and effectiveness of missions. Several use cases will be presented, where the use of autonomy greatly improves positive outcomes for a given mission. The presentation will also discuss challenges in certification as well as general approaches to certification.

The presentation will cover the brief history of Application of Air Power for Counter Insurgency (COIN) Operations and will discuss in detail the Pakistan Air Force Counter Terrorism Operations Model. Moreover, detailed experience of Multi-Prong strategies employed by Pakistan Air Force during the Counter Terrorism and Insurgency Operations would also be discussed along with the challenges faced and how they were overcome. The talk will also enlighten the audience with a valuable experience gained by Pakistan Air Force during its tireless efforts to eradicate the menace of terrorism through application of Air Power over the decades.

Til the late 60s, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was dependent on foreign aircraft manufacturers for maintaining its fleet and a sizeable amount of foreign exchange was being spent for ensuring operational readiness. To achieve self-reliance in the shape of maintenance, repair and overhaul, generally known as Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO), of PAF’s fighter aircraft foundation stone of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) was laid back in 1970s. Later on aircraft manufacturing capability was also added to broaden PAC’s role and task. The complex comprises four factories broadly involved in aircraft manufacturing, MRO of existing aircraft, MRO of avionics systems, MRO of jet engines, harness manufacturing and similar other aviation related tasks. Recently a new setup named Aviation Research Innovation and Development (AvRID) has also been established. This setup is responsible to undertake research in key areas to provide technological prowess to Pakistan’s Aviation Industry by preparing technically capable human resource.

The existing National Aerospace hub at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) Kamra has come a long way in aggregating the experience in highly specialized part manufacturing, special process / coatings, maintenance, repair & overhaul (MRO) of military aircraft & turbojet / turboprop engines (over 1000 aircraft & 1000 engines overhauled at PAC since 1974), to manufacturing of Super Mushshak aircraft, co-production of Falco UAVs, co-development and manufacture with China of JF-17 Thunder Aircraft. Building on the enormous existing capability, a state of the art Aviation City Pakistan is being established in Kamra with the National Aerospace Science & Technology Park (NASTP) as a cluster of Design and R&D setups, universities, vocational training institutes, private aerospace industry (R&D, manufacturing, warehousing, MRO), National Incubation Center (NIC) and Certification Authority, among others. One Window Operation & world class housing, and other amenities will also be part of the smart Aviation City along with the authorization of facilities and amenities of Special Economic Zones (SEZ). The presentation will cover this in greater detail and how the eco-system of NASTP will be leveraged for academia-industry linkages to drive innovation in aerospace industry and make Pakistan future hub of aviation in South East Asia.

Captain of one of the first transatlantic flying-boats, J. C. Kelly-Rogers takes his audience through the challenges and romance of setting up and flying the transatlantic passenger route. Starting with the agreements between the UK, Canada, Ireland and the USA to set up schemes in the late 1930s, he gives insights on how he and others helped Imperial Airways and then BOAC to overcome the challenges of establishing the first scheduled service, including surveying the route and establishing the best methods to carry-out flight-refuelling, before talking of his experiences of operating the service during the Second World War. The lecture was originally entitled “Atlantic Flying Twenty-Five Years Ago” and was the 5th Short Brothers Memorial Lecture to the presented to the Belfast Branch of the Royal Aeronautical on 1 December 1964. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

The Hawker Harrier test pilot John Farley, gives his views on each of the 45 V/STOL aircraft projects before 2006. Farley based his survey on the work “The V/STOL Wheel of Misfortune” which was put together by Mike Hirschberg of The American Helicopter Society. John Farley was one of the country’s foremost experimental test pilots. After time in the RAF and Royal Aircraft Establishment Aerodynamic test flight, he joined Hawkers and became heavily involved in the development of V/STOL aircraft such as the P1127, the Harrier and the Sea Harrier. The podcast also contains a fascinating Question and Answer sessions where Farley gives further insights into the MiG 29, safety in V/STOL aircraft and the use of fly-by-wire in modern aircraft. The Lecture was presented to the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 23 November 2006. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

One of the towering figures in post-war aeronautics, Sir George gives his views on the challenges and opportunities facing the British aerospace industry in the early 1970s, from his seat at the head of British Aircraft Corporation’s board. Starting off with a look at the growth of aviation and the state of British exports, Sir George turns to the advantages and disadvantages of international projects such as the SEPECAT Jaguar and Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde, discusses the BAC Intelsat IV satellite and concludes by giving his frank views on the impact that politicians played in the post-war aerospace industry. Sir George started off his career under Barnes Wallis at Vickers, before moving through the company. Amongst his roles at Vickers was to head aircraft projects including the design of the Vickers Viscount and Valiant. His last roles were to mould BAC, first as Managing Director and then as Chairman. The Lecture was the Sixth Tizard Memorial Lecture to the RAeS Boscombe Down Branch and was delivered on 29 February 1972. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

Tupolev Post World War II Airliner Projects by AeroSociety Podcast

There has been an airfield in the vicinity of Marham, Norfolk since 1916. Marham’s history reflects an Air Force which has evolved over a 100 year period enabling the Station to provide world class Combat Air Power, using the most modern technology available, as and when it is required. 2018 sees a pivotal year in Marham’s already considerable history. The transition from Tornado GR4, the workhorse of RAF Combat Air Power for over 3 decades, to F35B Lightning, a truly Next Generation capability, has challenged all areas of the Station. These changes and the transition to Lightning, epitomise the change being seen across the whole of the RAF as we step into our next 100 years. The lecture will provide the audience with an insight into current Tornado GR4 operations before looking at how Marham is being transformed to operate F35B Lightning. The lecture will focus on how this transition to F35B Lightning is changing ‘business as usual’; the security challenge, the requirement to better understand digital communications and logistics and our relationship with the Royal Navy as we look ahead to operations from land and sea.

“It seems to me that....we frequently shot ourselves in the foot by making aircraft, engines or organisations either too large or too small. The right size really does matter.” In his lecture, Peter Hearne uses cases from his long career in aviation to illustrate his theme, and shows where he believed the British aviation industry went right and wrong after the Second World War. After looking at the merits of Flying Boats using his experiences working on the Saunders Roe SR 45 Princess, Hearne turns to the advantages and disadvantages of the de Havilland Comet, Vickers 1000 and Boeing 707s and their consideration by his then employer, British Overseas Airways Corporation. Hearne started the second stage of his career in 1959 when he moved to Elliott Brothers to head up one of its first groups involved in the development of electronic systems for military projects. Over the next thirty years he climbed the ranks of what became GEC Marconi and became involved with a diverse range of major projects and uses his knowledge of the BAC TSR2, SEPECAT Jaguar, Tornado and F16 to illustrate his theme. Peter Herne retired as Chairman of Marconi’s Avionics Group in 1984 and served as President of the Royal Aeronautical Society between 1980 and 1981. The Lecture was dedicated to the memory of Alan Purnell and was presented to the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 28 April 2004. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

The Apollo 15 Command Module Pilot, Lt. Col. A. M. ‘Al’ Worden, takes a group of his fellow test pilots through the Apollo 15 voyage to the moon, as observed from the pilots’ seat. After a break to see the NASA film Apollo 15: in the mountains of the moon, Worden discusses the aftermath of the flight and NASA’s future programme. The Lecture was presented to the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Test Pilots Group on 3 May 1972. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

The Royal Aeronautical Society opened its first purpose-built lecture theatre in style, when it asked the holder the Royal Aero Club’s Pilot Licence number 1, Lord Branbazon, to cut the ribbon. The recording was made at an event to mark the opening of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Lecture Theatre on 2 December 1960. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.