Royal Aeronautical Society Podcast

Classic Lecture - Higher Education’s Contribution to Aeronautics by Prof Ian Poll FEng FRAeS

Britain’s higher education institutions have not only educated many of the world’s top aviation professionals, but academics both inside and outside aero engineering departments have made a ‘mind blowing’ contribution to the science that underpins aeronautics.
Starting with the work of Sir Isaac Newton and the education of Sir George Cayley, Prof. Poll takes us on a journey exploring the late nineteenth century disagreement between Sir George Stokes and Lords Rayleigh and Kelvin on the possibility of flight, the work of the American Samuel Langley, the establishment of the Aeronautical Research Council and the creation and development of aeronautics departments across the UK including at Imperial College, Queen Mary College, Cambridge University and the establishment of the College of Aeronautics at Cranfield. He concludes by looking at the challenges facing aerospace academics in the twenty-first century.
Prof Ian Poll FEng FRAeS gave the 2009 RAeS Handley Page Named Lecture on 26 June 2009. The lecture was introduced by the Society’s then President, Dr Mike Steeden, and the podcast was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.

The RAeS D&I Working Group presents...RAeS Council Member Kerissa Khan MRAeS

As part of our activities to celebrate Black History Month this October, we have recorded a podcast with Kerissa Khan MRAeS, RAeS Council Member and Innovation Lead for the UK FutureFlight. Tune in to hear more about her career story, what drew her to aerospace engineering, future technologies and meeting the green challenge. Kerissa also talks about the impact of Covid-19 and why diversity and inclusion matters, including what industry leaders can do to create and sustain a more diverse and inclusive workforce.

Classic Lecture - Maritime Air Power by Rear Admiral Tom Cunningham

The then Chief of Staff (Aviation and Carriers) gives his audience a masterful guide to the past, present and future of air power at sea, starting from when the aircraft carrier displaced the battleship as the Royal Navy's capital ship to looking forward to the commissioning of the Queen Elizabeth Class of carrier.
Admiral Cunningham begins by listing the firsts achieved by the Royal Naval Air Service and how it evolved from the launch of the Mayfly in 1909, through into World War I and into the "fallow" inter-war years when the United States and Japan took the lead. He then outlines the resurgence of British Maritime Air Power during World War II and its importance in both the Mediterranean and Pacific theatres and subsequent conflicts, including the Korean War and the Falklands Conflict.
Turning to the contemporary world, Cunningham notes how many developing nations recognise the importance of Maritime Air Power and have a Carrier Programme. He comments on the demise of HMS Ark Royal and the Harrier and looks ahead to the technical challenges of operating the Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers, which were then due to be in service in 2019. He highlights the need to integrate the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft with the various radars on the ship, the key role of officers in the control room and the need to gain experience with the US Navy during the intervening years. He concludes by stressing the need for Maritime Air Power as an offensive and defensive element of a persistent and self-sufficient fleet at sea, which can respond to uncertain and changing threats.
Rear Admiral Cunningham took 20 minutes of questions which covered: the future role of UAVs; the integration of a helicopter on a destroyer; escort protection by an Air Defence destroyer; the importance of rehearsing as a Task Group; the role of joint RN/RAF operations; the reliance of the RN on the US for training and the decision to scrap HMS Ark Royal rather than HMS Ocean.
Rear Admiral Tom Cunningham addressed a meeting organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Air Power Group on 8 November 2011. The lecture was introduced by Rear Admiral Simon Henley CEng FRAeS and the podcast was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.
The material and information contained in this lecture are UK Ministry of Defence © Crown copyright 2011 and the recording is the copyright of the Royal Aeronautical Society 2011.

Classic Lecture – Highlights of a life in aviation by Capt Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown HonFRAeS, RN

Legendary test pilot, Capt. Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown, highlights some of the record breaking 487 aircraft types he flew during World War II and his time at the RAE Farnborough, including the Gloster Gauntlet, the Grumman Wildcat & Hellcat, Miles M.52, General Aviation GAL.56 and the de Havilland DH 108 TG306. Brown also tells us the story of how he made the world’s first jet landing on an aircraft carrier, how he witnessed the first flight of a British jet aircraft and discusses his post-war mission to Germany, including his interview with Hermann Goering.
Capt Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown CBE, DSC, AFC, KCVSA, PhD Hon FRAeS, RN gave the RAeS FAA Yeovilton Branch Inaugural Brown Named Lecture on 29 July 2014. The audio version of the podcast was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.

From the Archive – ‘Brab’ on the Wright Brothers

Lord Brabazon of Tara, the first man to hold a Royal Aero Club pilots’ licence and one of the great characters of the first 50 years of powered flight, gives a personal tribute to his contemporaries, Wilbur & Orville Wright.
Lord Brabazon of Tara was giving an after-dinner speech at the Royal Aeronautical Society & the Royal Flying Club 50th Anniversary of Flight Dinner, 17 December 1953. The podcast was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

From the Archive – ‘Brab’ on his first 80 years

Lord Brabazon of Tara, the first man to hold a Royal Aero Club pilots’ licence and one of the great characters of the first 50 years of powered flight, gives a masterclass on how to put together an after-dinner speech, all be it at the expense of his proposer and his hosts.
Lord Brabazon of Tara was giving an after-dinner speech at his 80th Birthday Dinner organised by the Royal Aero Club, February 1964. The toast was proposed by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

Classic Lecture - Kept In The Dark: Air Intelligence & Politics in Whitehall 1939-1945

The RAF’s pilots and the codebreakers of Bletchley Park have been heralded as saviours of the nation for their work during World War II, but how did the work of Bletchley and other sources of intelligence effect the air war? In his controversial lecture, Wg Cdr Stubbington argues that a significant amount of damage was caused by the Whitehall figures whose duty was to act as the conduit between the intelligence and air services, most notably to the reputation of Bomber Command.
Wg Cdr John Stubbington addressed a meeting organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 24 November 2011. The lecture was introduced by Dr Kit Mitchell FRAeS and the podcast was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.

Classic Lecture - The Spin Behind the Story: The Human Centrifuge in Aero Medicine by Nicholas Green

The dangers of losing consciousness whilst flying has been a continual danger for airmen. ‘Spin Doctor’ Wg Cdr NicholasGreen gives a fascinating and entertaining history of G, G-protection and the medical and other uses of the centrifuge; a story that starts with Erasmus Darwin and Sir Harim Maxim, before moving onto the work of AVM Bill Stewart, the work of aviation medicine researchers at Farnborough and further afield and how centrifuges were used for pilot training, before making predictions for the future.
Wg Cdr Nicholas Green MRAeS gave the Royal Aeronautical Society’s 2011 Stewart Memorial Lecture on 15 March 2011. The lecture was introduced by Air Cdre Richard Broadbridge FRAeS & AVM C. B. Morris and the podcast was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.
The material and information contained in this lecture are UK Ministry of Defence © Crown copyright 2011 and the recording is the copyright of the Royal Aeronautical Society 2011.

Classic Lecture – The Boxer, Utility Land Development Aircraft by David Lockspeiser FRAeS

Test pilot and aero engineer David Lockspeiser designed and built a prototype multi-purpose aircraft that could be simply built and maintained in agricultural regions across the world; and all done on a shoestring. The Boxer’s removable payload module enabled easy conversion between tasks and its rear-mounted pusher engine meant it could fly at low speeds for transporting people, livestock and cargo, as well as being used for crop spraying.
In this entertaining lecture, Lockspeiser discusses the design ethos behind his aircraft, before taking us step-by-step through the design, development and testing processes, as well as marketing, its first flight at Wisley in 1971 and the tragic ending of the project. The recording concludes with a question and answer session in which an experienced audience discuss many aspects of light aircraft design and development through the late twentieth century.
David Lockspeiser FRAeS addressed a meeting organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 2 February 2008. The lecture was introduced by Dr Kit Mitchell FRAeS and the podcast was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.

Rewind – Flying in Space by Dr Piers Sellers

UK born astronaut, Dr Piers Sellers, talks about his experiences as an astronaut, flying on the US space shuttle and working on one of the last assembly missions for the International Space Station (ISS).
Dr Piers Sellers gave the Royal Aeronautical Society’s 99th Wilbur & Orville Wright Memorial Lecture on 9 December 2010. The lecture was introduced by AVM D. C. Couzens FRAeS and the podcast was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.
This recording has been made available by kind permission of NASA.