Royal Aeronautical Society Podcast

RAeS Podcast with Aerospace Business and Project Management Apprentices, from BAE Systems.

RAeS has joined with Apprentices From BAE Systems to let you know what to expect from an apprenticeship. This Podcast hears Hannah, Emily and Hannah talk about why they chose an apprenticeship, how they felt about the application process, what their days work looks like and so much more.

Rewind: A History of Martinsydes by J. M. Bruce MRAeS

One of the first aircraft manufacturers in the UK, Martin & Handasyde, later to be known as Martinsyde Ltd, became Britain’s third biggest manufacturer during the First World War and designed aircraft for the race across the Atlantic and from the UK to Australia. J. M. Bruce explains the history of this short-lived company and untangles the ‘threads of development’ that linked each of Martinsyde’s aircraft types.
The recording concludes with a short question and answer session that includes reminiscences of George Handasyde’s deputy in the years after he left Martinsydes.
J. M. Bruce MRAeS addressed a meeting organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 26 February 1968. The lecture was introduced by J. L. Nayler FRAeS FAIAA, the recording was digitised thanks to a grant from the RAeS Foundation and the podcast was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.

Aerospace Engineering Apprentices from BAE Systems.

RAeS has joined with Apprentices From BAE Systems to let you know what to expect from an apprenticeship. This Podcast hears Chris and Jay talk about why they chose an apprenticeship, how they felt about the application process, what their days work looks like and so much more.

Classic Lecture: Concorde and the Americans by Kenneth Owen FRAeS

Kenneth Owen takes us through the twists and turns of the Anglo-French campaign to persuade the Americans to allow the supersonic aircraft to land in New York. He highlights how the French Aérospatiale and British BAC used different strategies to persuade American politicians and the judiciary to accept Concorde on the transatlantic route and shows the hoops that the manufacturers had to jump though in order to overcome environmental concerns held in both Washington DC and New York.
Owen begins his story by examining British attempts to get an Anglo-American supersonic project off the ground and also explores how the British and French team persuaded the FAA to give the aircraft type certification that would enable US airlines to fly the supersonic airliner.
The recording includes a fascinating discussion with members of the audience, which included former politicians, civil servants and British Airways employees that were directly involved in the story.
Kenneth Owen FRAeS gave his lecture to a meeting organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 29 April 1997. The lecture is introduced by Frank Armstrong FRAeS, the recording was digitised thanks to a grant from the RAeS Foundation and the podcast was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.

An interview with…Sir John Charnley on blind landing and life at the RAE’s Aero Flight

In the heat of World War II, John Charnley was sent from his red-brick university to the heart of aero research in the UK, the Royal Aircraft Establishment in Farnborough. In this archive recording, Sir John describes the transition into the RAE Aerodynamics Department’s Flight Test Division and his work on many of the problems associated with high-speed flight, starting with work on the Gloster E.28/39 which tested Whittle’s jet engine.
After twelve years Sir John moved from the very fast to the very slow, when he was sent to head the RAE Blind Landing Experimental Unit. Charnley explains how he helped to move the Unit’s purely military work landing V-bombers in poor conditions, to include civil applications leading to the development of the AUTOLAND system. A fuller account of the work of the Blind Landing project can be found in Sir John’s Journal of Aeronautical History paper at https://www.aerosociety.com/JAHblindlanding.
Sir John Charnley was interviewed as part of the DERA Oral History Project in 2000 and the recording was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.

Rewind: The long winding legal road from Warsaw 1929 to Montreal 1999 by George Tompkins Jnr FRAeS

The ‘Warsaw Warrior’, George Tompkins Jnr, has probably defended more cases involving the Warsaw Convention than anyone else. In this fascinating lecture, Tompkins takes us into the courtrooms and corridors of power where he helped to shift the USA’s stance on the limitation of liabilities that passengers faced when litigating against airlines in the USA. He then takes us to the Montreal Treaty negotiations where, as legal aid to IATA at the conference, the rules were re-written, before making some observations on the post-Montreal world.
The recording includes a question-and-answer session and a vote of thanks by Harold Caplan FRAeS.
George Tompkins Jnr gave the RAeS Air Law Group’s 10th Beaumont Memorial Lecture on 16 June 2011. The session was introduced by Robert and the recording was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.

Black History Month RAeS Podcast - Hidden Figures: Interview with author Andrew Rajan Thanks

To celebrate and acknowledge the contribution of Black British Aviators to UK aerospace, the RAeS podcast speaks to filmmaker, writer, actor, and social commentator; Andrew Rajan. We will look at some of the little-known stories of achievement by people of colour within Britain's military forces and how they may inspire the black and brown people of today's UK.

Classic Lecture – The BAE Hawk in the 21st century : A British Success Story by Prof Andrew Bradley

BAE Hawk Chief Engineer, Andrew Bradley, explains how the aircraft developed from the turn of the millennium. He looks at the demands of foreign customers, such as those in India, South Africa and Australia, and explores the Hawk T.Mk.2 programme, which was brought into service with the RAF during 2008. He concludes by predicting how the Hawk story would continue into the 2010s.
The paper finishes with a question-and-answer session, in which Andrew Bradley is joined by Harry Fraser-Mitchell FRAeS and Chris Roberts. Topics explored include the story behind the development of the SMURF and the secret of the aircraft’s long-term success.
Andrew Bradley gave the last paper in an evening dedicated to the Hawk Aircraft : A British Success Story. The evening was organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 20 October 2011. The session was introduced by Dr Kit Mitchell FRAeS and the recording was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.

Classic Lecture - Test Flying the Hawk Aircraft : A British Success Story by Chris Roberts

BAE Hawk test pilot, Chris Roberts, takes us through the challenges faced by the flight test team that put the Hawk T1 to T45 through their paces. He starts off by explaining the main problems with the T1, before describing the demands of foreign buyers, including the Finnish Air Force and, most importantly, the challenges of producing the T45 Goshawk for the US Navy.
Chris Roberts gave the second paper in an evening dedicated to the Hawk Aircraft : A British Success Story. The evening was organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 20 October 2011. The session was introduced by Dr Kit Mitchell FRAeS and the recording was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.

Classic Lecture - Creating the Hawk Aircraft : A British Success Story by Harry Fraser-Mitchell

BAE Hawks’ first Chief Aerodynamicist explores the creation of the last all-British military aircraft. He takes us from the first concept, to fulfil the RAF’s demand for a new trainer, through the major design decisions and challenges facing the project’s development, and shows how the team brought the project in on time, on cost and on spec.
The full story of the Hawk can be found in Harry Fraser-Mitchell’s paper in the Journal of Aeronautical History, which can be accessed via https://www.aerosociety.com/media/4842/the-hawk-story.pdf
Harry Fraser-Mitchell gave the first paper in an evening dedicated to the Hawk Aircraft : A British Success Story. The evening was organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 20 October 2011. The session was introduced by Dr Kit Mitchell FRAeS and the recording was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.