AeroSociety Podcast

Early aircraft designer, F. M. Green, talks about the best and most exciting years of his life – working at the Government’s aircraft factory in Farnborough, the precursor to the Royal Aircraft Establishment. In this short recording, he discusses his work on airships, how he helped to recruit Geoffrey de Havilland and their joint work “reconstructing” aircraft, such as the Royal Aircraft Factory BE2. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS.

Short Brothers were the first UK company to manufacture aeroplanes. On the one hundredth anniversary of the opening of their first aeroplane works, Gordon Bruce recounts the amazing story of how two of the three brothers became entranced by flying machines and, now joined by the third brother, produce their first powered aircraft and build versions of the Wright A aircraft. He then explores the ups and downs of the company’s history over the following century, both in Kent and in Belfast. The lecture was addressed to the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 24 February 2009 and the podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS.

A test-bed for tiltwing and V/STOL aircraft and flexible assault transport aircraft both started life as a large assault glider in 1948. Both projects evolved with the demands of the United States Air Force and advances in technology, and both provided excitement and challenges for its designers and engineers, including a young Don Richardson. The lecture was addressed to the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 11 May 2006, the podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

What level of air power insurance should we take out and which add-ons should we get? Analysing the suite of air power options available in 2007 and where technology might take them, Sir Brian takes us through the six core roles of air power with the aim of addressing the questions of what is a sensible insurance policy for the future, how much capability risk can a nation take in reducing the premium it needs to pay, whether super-powers are the only ones who can afford “fully comp” and what could be the consequences for those who go for a lower level of cover? The lecture was addressed to the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Air Power Group on 11 January 2007 and the podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS.

From the bouncing bomb to Concorde, one of the towering figures in post-war aeronautics gives a tour-de-force on his careers and the lessons that he learned along the way or, as he put it, “it is a great temptation when you are my age…to blather away about all of the things that you did in the past and it is a temptation quite frankly that I didn’t resist”. In 1934 Sir George fancied “a dabble in the aeroplane racket” and started as a draftsman at Vickers, before working with Barnes Wallis, Sydney Camm and Rex Rex Pierson. He discusses such projects as Barnes Wallis’s bouncing bomb, before moving onto the projects that he was involved in such as the Vickers Valiant and the BAC TSR2, as well as the collaborative projects of SEPECAT Jaguar and Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde, whether as Chief Designer or Managing Director or Chairman on the Board. He then goes on to explore the forces that affected the aerospace industry during his career, before looking into his crystal ball to predict the future and make a number of suggestions with the hope that “younger members of the community…. can discern any sort of a message here or there…. and have the courage to do something about it”. The 62nd Wilbur & Orville Wright Lecture took place on 6 December 1973, the podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

Sir Frank Whittle’s work on the jet engine was arguably the most important mechanical engineering feat of the twentieth century. In the first RAeS Whittle lecture, the then Chairman of Rolls-Royce plc reviews the first sixty years development of Whittle’s basic ideas before exploring upcoming major advances along with the ongoing challenges to reduce product and operating costs. The inaugural Whittle Lecture took place on 4th February 1997, the podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

In 1997 the leaders of Britain, Germany & France threw down the gauntlet to Europe’s aerospace companies, telling them to work together in order to succeed. In his Wilbur & Orville Wright Lecture, the former test pilot, President of BAe Commercial Aircraft, Commercial Director of Airbus and the then Head of the Defence Export Service Department at the MOD, explores the functions at play that led to the announcement and the unique issues and challenges that faced the airframe and platform integration industry in the late 1990s. At the heart of his argument is that the success of cross-European projects and the growing difficulties of smaller aerospace companies, should lead to European companies following the lead of their US competitors by rationalising and restructuring the industry and creating European centres of excellence; only with these large companies could Europe’s companies halt duplication and triplication and then continue to be equal partners in transatlantic collaborative programmes capable of competing with new rivals from Asia. Sir Charles warms-up his audience with his personal assessment of the sixteen most influential airframe platforms of the first 94 years of powered flight. The 86th Wilbur & Orval Wright Lecture took place on 11 December 1997, the podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

The first Stewart Memorial Lecture was given fifty years ago at the Royal Aeronautical Society. Over the ensuing half-century, these eponymous lectures have charted the development of aerospace medicine through the eyes of those who have, through their lecture, commemorated the life and work of Air Vice-Marshal Bill Stewart. Many of those lecturers, whether from the UK or elsewhere, have worked at the former RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine (IAM) or its successor, the Centre of Aviation Medicine. This golden anniversary offers the opportunity to highlight some of the key challenges and developments in the science and medicine of this unique specialty as well as a glimpse into what the future may hold for aviation and for the aeromedical scientists and physicians that support it.

The Vickers Viscount, the de Havilland Comet, the Airspeed Ambassador and many other civil aircraft designs of the 1940s and 1950s were specified by the recommendations made by three wartime government committees; two chaired by Lord Brabazon, affectionally known as ‘Brab’ and a third by Lord Beaverbrook. Sir Peter Masefield, secretary to the Beaverbrook Committee and later Chief Executive of BEA gives us an insider view of the work of the Committees, the projects they inspired and the personalities of those who shaped the post-war civil aircraft industry. The lecture took place on 28 September 1995, the podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

Boeing’s then President of Space & Defense Systems, Alan Mulally, explores the force of change that faced the aerospace industry at the dawn of the information age. Mulally starts his lecture by outlining the projects that dominated the company’s work in 1997, from civil projects such as the 737, 757 and 777, military projects such as the Joint Strike Fighter and space and defence projects including missiles and the International Space Station. Turning to the predictions of the futurists, he highlights the importance of broad changes in society, such as the power of computing and the amount of GPS and other information gathered, the shift of power to East, the increased marketisation of government, an increased concern for the environment and the potential consequence for the booming civil and space industry, and the prospect of remotely piloted aircraft. The 1997 Royal Aeronautical Society Sopwith Lecture took place on 3 June 1997, the podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

High-altitude balloonist and parachute pioneer Joe Kittinger recalls stories from his career at the forefront of aeronautical research. After discussing his happy childhood, Kittinger explores his early career as a research and development test pilot during the 1950s and 1960s. He swiftly specialised in aero-medical projects, including studies on the effect on humans in zero gravity, during rapid deceleration and in high-altitude escape; such projects led him to jump from the edge of space and break the longest parachute freefall record; a height of 102,800 feet. He also led Operation Stargazer, which used aircraft to look at stars above the atmosphere and discusses why he decided not to volunteer for the U.S. space programme. After flying 483 combat missions in Vietnam, Kittinger became the first person to fly across the Atlantic in a hot air balloon solo and went on to support the Red Bull Stratos team that finally broke his 52-year-old freefall parachuting record. Col. Kittinger was interviewed by Lt Col Lance Annicelli USAF (Ret) FRAeS in 2019 and the podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS.

Choosing the right aircraft is just about the most important decision an airline can ever take, and it’s far from easy. Fleet planners need to consider not just the technical and operational characteristics of a bewildering array of aircraft types on offer, but they must also decide which aircraft is the best fit for the network, both today and a long time into the future. It’s not an easy task to analyse everything and make a recommendation. A wrong decision can prove disastrous, both for decision makers and the airline, so life as a fleet planner is not for the faint-hearted. Paul Clark has (so far) survived a lifetime of analysing fleets and making recommendations, but is still struggling to resolve a dilemma: Is fleet planning an art or a science? Come along to Paul's lecture on 20 November and help him find an answer!

Sopwith Named Lecture was established in 1990 to honour Sir Thomas Sopwith CBE, Hon FRAeS. This year it was presented by Billie Flynn, F-35 Lightning II Test Pilot at Lockheed Martin who will talk about the transformational capabilities of the F-35 Lightning II, and his experiences of putting the aircraft through rigorous testing. The presentation covered areas such as advanced technologies, stealth, sensor fusion, air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities, electronic warfare, ISR, and interoperability.

Packed with stories of the great men he knew and served under, the former R.F.C and R.A.F. flying officer gives us insights into the army’s and navy’s flying services and the wider aeronautical community before and during the First World War. Sir Philip then turns to how these men considered the arguments of forming a joint service and how they went onto create the Royal Air Force in 1918. The lecture was delivered to the Royal Aeronautical Society's Historical Group on 25 February 1963. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

Sir Geoffrey tells the stories of his first aeroplanes, the de Havilland Biplane No. 1 and how he improved it to become the de Havilland Biplane No. 2, before turning the story of how he created the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.1 and the work of Edward T. Busk to improve the aircraft’s stability. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.