AeroSociety Podcast

This episode begins with Sir Graham Sutton, Director General of the Meteorological Office, on the impact that the weather has on flying and how the science of aviation meteorology has evolved over time, before Raymond Baxter asks Sir Alan Cobham about the greatest problems that confronted him on his pioneering flights across the world and the establishment of the first aircraft charter company. The episode finishes with Captain O. P. Jones, recounting tales of flying the early scheduled aircraft routes. This is the third episode of Powered Flight, the British contribution to flying. It was first broadcast by the BBC Overseas Service in 1959 and was introduced by Charles Gibbs-Smith. The recording was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS, was licenced from BBC/Getty Images and was digitised and released thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation and a bequest from E. H. J. Pallet.

The lecture is a continuation of an investigation into the reduction of an aircraft to the bare, uncompromised minimum using aero-mechanical servo techniques to provide stability and control of statically unstable configurations.

Sir Geoffrey de Havilland tells the story of how he designed his first aircraft, test flew and designed aircraft for the Royal Aircraft Factory during World War I, before Major George Bulman, the man charge of engine development at the Air Ministry for most of the interwar period, outlines how aero engines developed in the piston era. This episode finishes with Sir Harold Roxbee Cox, later to become Lord Kings Norton, who outlines the increasing amount of knowledge that interwar engineers could call upon to strengthen aircraft and allow them to build larger aircraft and airships. This is the second episode of Powered Flight, the British contribution to flying was first broadcast by the BBC Overseas Service documentary in 1959. The recording was supplied by the BBC/Getty images, was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and was digitised and released thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation and a bequest from E. H. J. Pallett.

Holder of GB’s first pilot’s licence and an eminent aero historian tells the story of British aeronautics up to 1910. Charles Gibbs-Smith explains the work of the early British pioneers including Sir George Cayley, John Stringfellow, W. S. Henson and Percy Pilcher, together with the work of the Wright Brothers. Lord Brabazon of Tara, holder of Aviators’ Certificate No. 1, then colourfully explains how he and his contempories brought powered flight to Britain and gives a colourful insight into the early years of flying in the UK. This is the first episode of Powered Flight, the British contribution to flying. It was first broadcast by the BBC Overseas Service in 1959. The recording was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS, was licenced from BBC/Getty Images and was digitised and released thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation and a bequest from E. H. J. Pallett.

David Parker gave the Society early insight into ESA’s vision for human spaceflight and robotic exploration beyond 2019, going forward to the Moon and on to Mars and aimed at securing Europe's central role in the new era of global space exploration, in which ESA plans to work with existing partners, such as the USA, with new partners such as China, as well as engaging with commercial players. ESA’s vision and the associated programmatic elements are to be presented for approval at the next ESA Ministerial Council meeting to be held in November 2019.

A revolution in electric commercial aviation is coming. But it has already arrived in air racing. Air Race E has announced it will hold the first ever electric airplane race in 2020. And the technology that will be introduced in this series will trace a direct link to the technology that will carry us as passengers in the near future. Air Race E format will be based on the long-running established sport known as formula one air racing, with the exception of an all-electric powerplant. By launching this new race as a racing formula (governed by the Formula Air Racing Association) Air Race E is inviting manufacturers from around the world to enter a team to generate competition both on and off the race course. Air Race E intends to become a unifying platform and the catalyst for accelerated development in the field. The first prototype race plane is already in development in the UK and huge interest is being generated with more media announcements due very soon.

The story of the rapid expansions and retrenchments in our industry are explored by Ron Smith’s investigation into the six phases of the British industry after the Wright Brothers first flew in 1903. Starting with the period of exciting experimentation before 1914, Dr Smith gives us a snapshot of the major firms that were part of the industry in 1910. He then moves onto the second stage, the rapid developments brought World War I and gives a flavour of the larger and more diverse companies that made aeroplanes during the period. Smith goes onto discusses the deep retrenchment after 1918, a period where manufacturers had to diversify and compete for each requirement issued by Government, and which led to the first phase of rationalisation in 1928 and 1934-35. The fourth phase looks at the increase in production brought about the preparations and then fighting the Second Wold War. Smith concludes by briefly looking at the industry up to the second period of rationalisation of the industry, with the formation of the British Aircraft Corporation & Hawker Siddeley, and then modern times with the establishment of British Aerospace and beyond. These last two sections of the lecture were bolstered by the question and answer sessions, which prompts questions and comments from those who worked and shaped post-war projects. Dr Ron Smith gave the lecture to the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 2 February 2004. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

Saro’s Chief Designer in the era of flying boats and designer of the Saunders-Roe Princess talks about the projects that dominated his career. Knowler started with Vickers and worked on the Vickers F.B.5 Gunbus during World War I. After spells with A. M. Low and English Electric, he moved to S. E. Saunders and worked on flying boats. In this podcast he briefly describes working on the Saunders A.3 Valkyrie and the Saunders-Roe A7 Severn, A.17 Cutty Sark, A.27 London, S.36 Lerwick, S.R.A/1 and the S.R.45 Princess, together with Saro’s work on the Short S.25 Sunderland and Short/Saro S.35 Shetland. Knowler also recounts his experiences of working with Sir A. V. Roe and Sir Frank Whittle. These reminiscences were recorded in 1971, the podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

Terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems across the world are changing. There is a pressing need for data to deliver a functional understanding of the dynamic processes occurring in these ecosystems in a timely and cost-effective way. Until recently, scientists have relied on data from satellite systems for monitoring such Earth system changes. However, these data suffer spatial and temporal resolution limitations in some systems, which can restrict their utility. Examples of such systems include: - Coral reefs – while only representing approximately 1% of the earth’s surface, coral reefs are considered one of our most diverse ecosystems. Information that we can retrieve from satellites is severely limited by the level of detail they provide as reef features of interest are often very small (<1/2m2). - Dryland systems – these cover around 40% of the global land surface and are characterised by sparse shrubs, grasses and small trees, and despite their low biomass, may hold the key to understanding how the global carbon cycle changes from year-to-year. Here, the satellite signal is severely affected by soil-background effects, which in coarse-grained pixels can mask the year-to-year changes in vegetation productivity. We need fine-scale spatial observations that can elucidate these dynamic processes and inform improved estimation of global-scale impacts and feedbacks from satellite data. Enter, the drone. Whilst it is tempting to imagine that consumer drones, costing just a few hundred pounds, might be the mainstay of hobbyist model aircraft flyers, this lecture will encourage you to think again. Consumer grade drones are actually very widely used by scientists, who have adopted and adapted this technology to provide new data for monitoring environmental change. Our seminar will showcase the latest research, showing how cutting edge drone methods are changing the way we understand coral reef and dryland ecosystems.

This annual Aerospace Medicine Group lecture will be presented by Dr Geoff Tothill, Chief Medical Officer at the International Medical Group. The transportation of patients by air has a history that is almost as long as aviation itself, early pioneers no doubt attracted to both the promise of better outcomes for their patients and the romance of flight. Since then, the techniques that we use and the services available have become more sophisticated, developing in parallel with technical advances in both medicine and aviation. Indeed, many patients, both civilian and military, are now transferred by air as part of their treatment pathway. The decision-making surrounding transfer, as important as the technical skills demonstrated during the transfer itself, have themselves evolved, responding to social, economic and political imperatives as well as taking advantage of the increasing availability of sophisticated medical support systems aboard aircraft. Dr Tothill will explore the current state of aeromedical retrieval and some of the influences, past and present, that have shaped our current practice in what will be a celebration of the work that is done around the world, every day, to keep patients safe in the air.

The then Chief Pilot at the Shuttleworth Collection, Andy Sephton, gives us the pilots view of the rotary engine powered aircraft that fly out of Old Warden, together with insights into flying the Shuttleworth’s Blériot XI and Westland Lysander. The lecture concludes with a wide-ranging question and answer session. This lecture was delivered to the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 12 October 2004. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

The technology behind sighting weaponry on aircraft developed throughout the twentieth century. Starting from Sir Howard Grubb’s 1901 patent and the rapid progress made on the use of weaponry on aircraft during World War, Christopher Bartlett, then Chief Engineer of the Mission Avionics Division of GEC Marconi, explains how the technology behind weapon aiming evolved into the digital age and beyond. This lecture was delivered to the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 19 February 1998. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

“Aircraft must be simple, robust, and easy to maintain….. this does not mean that aircraft have to be slow. If high speed makes them more economical to operate, so much the better”. In this lecture, delivered before 800 of Britain’s aeronautical elite, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh shows how aviation played a vital and integral part in the lives of those who reside in remote areas of the Commonwealth, through uses such as agriculture, pest control, surveying and shipping freight and challenges his audience to work with these markets to produce aircraft that were flexible or specifically designed for the customer’s demands. This podcast includes Sir Sydney Camm’s reply to the lecture. HRH the Duke of Edinburgh gave the Royal Aeronautical Society’s 10th British Commonwealth and Empire Lecture on 16 December 1954. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

Dr James Bosbotinis will consider the evolving Russian air threat to the United Kingdom and its implications. Russia’s interest, including thinking on conventional strategic deterrence and de-escalation, and investment in developing a long-range strike capability within the context of its wider military modernisation efforts, will be discussed. Russia’s growing arsenal of air, ship and submarine-launched cruise missiles, alongside a nascent ground-launched cruise missile and air-launched ballistic missile capability, poses a significant multi-axis threat to the United Kingdom. Dr Bosbotinis will discuss potential options to counter this threat, including possible operational approaches, capability requirements, and the implications for wider military strategy.

Between 1946 and 1992, Strategic Air Command (SAC) maintained a highly visible operational presence in the United Kingdom, including a nuclear capable bomber force, air refuelling assets, and strategic reconnaissance platforms. Despite claims to the contrary, SAC did not have a 'free hand' in treating England as its private 'aircraft carrier', and was instead routinely constrained to comport with British policy goals. This symbiotic relationship generally served the interests of both sides while meeting Western national security requirements throughout the Cold War.