Royal Aeronautical Society Podcast

An interview with Katrina Sudell…‘lady engineer’ with BAC in the 1970s (abridged)

Katrina talks about her university education and early employment before describing how she got into aeronautical engineering. Katrina provides a fascinating insight into what it was like to work as an engineer in the 1970s whilst working in the Spares Department of the British Aircraft Corporation in Preston working on the MRCA (Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) which became the Panavia Tornado. Katrina was able to put to advantage her language and communication skills whilst employed on the spare parts catalogue.
Katrina reflects on being involved in aviation and a woman working in engineering, and tells some fun stories from her life and work such as hammering her car at some traffic lights in front of Germans to get it working it again before the lights changed, discussing aircraft parts with German colleagues and persuading them not to label a hole with a part number and the instance of an engineer storming out of a work canteen for engineers saying the canteen was not for ladies who come with friends…she never saw him again. Katrina feels she did not face problems with being a lady engineer because colleagues valued her skills and she was too busy working and living to feel really proud of her work and excited about being involved in aviation.
Katrina also talks about stopping work to look after her family, becoming a teacher and helping and caring for her mother and father. Most recently, Katrina has enjoyed volunteering for the National Aerospace Library (NAL) by helping to conserve historic material in the NAL’s archives.
Her advice for anyone starting out in their career is to research their interests (read a lot but be careful what you read, especially statistics), don’t be put off doing something that is unusual for you to do, and take advice but follow your dream!
This is an abridged version of an interview with Katrina Sudell by Anne Hayward as part of the Royal Aeronautical Society/National Aerospace Library’s oral history project ‘If I only didn’t do it that way…….” Capturing history from the horse’s mouth to inspire today’s aeronautical professionals. The recording was edited by edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.
The transcript of the recording can be accessed on the National Aerospace Library's catalogue along with links to the full recording: https://raes.soutron.net/Portal/Default/en-GB/RecordView/Index/183269

An interview with Sir Donald Spiers HonFRAeS…from graduate apprentice to MOD Controller of Aircraft

Sir Donald Spiers HonFRAeS talks about his early life before sharing stories from his remarkable career in the aerospace sector including some personal recollections of encounters with politicians. After retirement, Donald continued to share his knowledge and experience in the field of aerospace including serving as President of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Here are the significant points from the interview:
• Born 1934 in Wimbledon.
• Left Raynes Park County Grammar School aged 18
• National Service. Army paratrooper for 2 years, mostly in Egypt
• Read Mechanical Sciences at Cambridge
• Graduate Apprenticeship with de Havilland Engines
• In late 1950s moved to the Air Ministry to do Operational Research
• Officer in Scientific Charge of early trials of the Hawker Kestrel
• OR work in the Middle East with the RAF
• Scientific Advisor to the Far East Air Force based in Singapore
• Left OR to enhance career prospects by getting into Project Management as AD Hawk
• Then moved to Jaguar, Tornado, Eurofighter and Typhoon. Chairman of NAMMA
• Retired at 60 as MoD’s Controller of Aircraft
• Post retirement involvement with the future of the Farnborough Airfield
• Held a number of non-executive directorships with companies including European Helicopter Industries and TAG
• President of the Royal Aeronautical Society
• Trustee and Chair of the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust
Sir Donald Spiers HonFRAeS was interviewed by Roger Cansdale FRAeS as part of the Royal Aeronautical Society/National Aerospace Library’s oral history project ‘If I only didn’t do it that way…….” Capturing history from the horse’s mouth to inspire today’s aeronautical professionals. The recording was edited by edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.
The transcript of the recording can be accessed on the National Aerospace Library's catalogue: https://raes.soutron.net/Portal/Default/en-GB/RecordView/Index/183614

AEROSPACE NOTAM - September 2024

In this podcast series from the Royal Aeronautical Society's monthly AEROSPACE magazine, Editor in Chief Tim Robinson, Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater and Features Editor Bella Richards analyse recent aviation, aerospace and space news - and preview the latest (August 2024) edition of the magazine. In this episode, we also have Specialist Group Insight with Seth Moffat, Chair of the RAeS Flight Operations Group in conversation with Dr. Sunjoo Advani who discuss Upset Prevention and Recovery Training. (Get in contact with FOG via membership@aerosociety.com) Find out more at www.aerosociety.com

An interview with...Sir Harry Garner at the RAE and beyond

The First World War took Garner away from astronomy into ‘one of the most lovely places you could possibly imagine’- the Royal Aircraft Establishment. Here he describes designing experimental flying projects, including making measurements of drag using prop stop glides. He also describes some of the characters he worked with, including AA Griffiths during the period Griffiths was working on glass fibres.
He was transferred to Felixstowe in time to work on the Schneider Trophy, where he pioneered the use of cameras to accurately measure the speed of aircraft, and explored seaplane gunnery during the Second World War.
Sir Harry Garner made this recording at the Royal Aeronautical Society’s headquarters at No. 4, Hamilton Place in 1969.

AEROSPACE NOTAM - August 2024

In this podcast series from the Royal Aeronautical Society's monthly AEROSPACE magazine, Editor in Chief Tim Robinson, Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater and Features Editor Bella Richards analyse recent aviation, aerospace and space news - and preview the latest (August 2024) edition of the magazine. In this episode, we also have Specialist Group Insight with Seth Moffat, Chair of the RAeS Flight Operations Group in conversation with Sten Rossby who discuss the GPS jamming and spoofing threat to civil air transport. (Get in contact with FOG via membership@aerosociety.com) Find out more at www.aerosociety.com

AEROSPACE NOTAM - Farnborough Air Show 2024

AEROSPACE Editor in Chief Tim Robinson, Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater and Features Editor Bella Richards sum up the 2024 Farnborough Air Show. Plus special guests Angelika Kochajkiewicz and Aleena Joshy from the RAeS Solent Branch.
Our thanks to the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust (FAST) Museum for arranging access to this recording location.

AEROSPACE NOTAM - July 2024

In this podcast series from the Royal Aeronautical Society's monthly AEROSPACE magazine, Editor in Chief Tim Robinson, Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater and Features Editor Bella Richards analyse recent aviation, aerospace and space news - and preview the next (July 2024) edition of the magazine. New this month, is Specialist Group Insight with Seth Moffat, Chair of the RAeS Flight Operations Group. (Get in contact with FOG via membership@aerosociety.com) Find out more at www.aerosociety.com

AEROSPACE NOTAM - June 2024

In this podcast series from the Royal Aeronautical Society's monthly AEROSPACE magazine, Editor in Chief Tim Robinson, Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater and Features Editor Bella Richards analyse recent aviation, aerospace and space news - and preview the next (June 2024) edition of the magazine. Special guest this episode is new RAeS President David Chinn. Find out more at www.aerosociety.com

Classic Podcasts - Triumph Tears : British Aviation from 1945-75 by Peter Reese

In 1945 confidence in British aviation was sky-high. Yet decades later, the industry had not lived up to its potential. What happened? The years that followed the war saw the Brabazon Committee issued flawed proposals for civil aviation planning. Enforced cancellations restricted the advancement of military aircraft, compounded later on by Defence Minister Duncan Sandys abandoning aircraft to fixate solely on missiles. Commercially, Britain's small and neglected domestic market hindered the development of civilian airliners. In the production of notorious aircraft, the inauspicious Comet came from de Havilland's attempts to gain an edge over its American competitors. The iconic Harrier jump jet and an indigenous crop of helicopters were squandered, while unrealistic performance requirements brought about the cancellation of TSR2.
Peter Reese explores how repeated financial crises, a lack of rigour and fatal self-satisfaction led British aviation to miss vital opportunities across this turbulent period in Britain's skies.
Peter Reese wrote this lecture for the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust in 2023. The recording is courtesy of the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust and the podcast was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.
A number of Peter Reese’s books, including In Turbulent Skies: British Aviation Successes Setbacks 1945-1975, are available if you make a donation to the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Library Conservation Appeals. The minimum donation is £5 per book. To order, please visit https://forms.office.com/e/siWpX4w9eW

AEROSPACE NOTAM - May 2024

In this podcast series from the Royal Aeronautical Society's monthly AEROSPACE magazine, Editor in Chief Tim Robinson, Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater and Features Editor Bella Richards analyse recent aviation, aerospace and space news - and preview the next (May 2024) edition of the magazine. Special guest this episode is outgoing RAeS President Kerissa Khan. Find out more at www.aerosociety.com