Royal Aeronautical Society Podcast

From the archive: Sir Geoffrey de Havilland on his early days in aeronautics

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.

Forward to the Moon: NASA’s Strategic Plan for Lunar Exploration

NASA has led the charge in space exploration for the last 60 years, and through the Artemis program, NASA will once again set the tone and pave the way beyond low-Earth orbit to the Moon.
By 2024, NASA will land the first American woman and the next American man on the South Pole of the moon, establishing a sustained presence on the moon by 2028, preparing us for human exploration missions to Mars.
Dr. Jim Green, Chief Scientist at NASA will delve deeper into these future plans, demonstrating the new technologies and capabilities that will enable new exploration in the 21st century, so that NASA continues to lead in fostering the growth of the private space industry.

From the Archive: How to fly an aircraft by Sir Alan Cobham Hon. FRAeS

Join Sir Alan Cobham in the front seat of his de Havilland Moth for our first flying lesson. After starting the engine and taking off, the man whose panache and vision brought aviation to the people between in the 1920s and 1930s, stylishly talks us through the controls and explains how they affect flight, before taking us back down safely back to earth.
The recording was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

The men who gave us wings : Britain and the aeroplane 1796-1914 by Peter Reese

The fascinating stories of the men who dreamed to conquer powered flight, those who harnessed the new technology and were tested by the early months of World War I are told by Peter Reese in this podcast.
The path towards manned flight was far from straightforward. Starting with the gifted inventor Sir George Cayley, the father of modern aerodynamics, Reese moves to those who made further steps towards flight, such as Henson, Stringfellow and Pilcher, before examining the work of the Wright Brothers.
Peter Reese then asks why Britain, the leading nation in science and technology during the nineteenth century, fell so far behind in the first years of the twentieth century and examines how Britons tried to catch-up with their foreign counterparts before World War I. Here he examines the work of pioneers such the early aircraft builders like Samuel Cody, Geoffrey de Havilland and “Tommy” Sopwith, test pilots Benny Hucks and Edward Busk and those who moved public opinion such as journalists Lord Northcliffe and C. G. Grey, before examining how Britain faced the test of aerial warfare.
The podcast was produced by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and recorded specially for the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Podcast series during 2019.

The rise, fall & rebirth of UK commercial aircraft development 1945-78 by Keith Hayward

Keith Hayward takes us along the corridors of Whitehall and into aero industry boardrooms to chronicle the false dawns and missed opportunities of the first thirty-three years after World War II. Starting with the Brabazon recommendations, he illustrates the competing interests of politicians, the aircraft industry and the airlines by examining project such as de Havilland’s Comet and Trident, the Vickers VC10 and the Airbus programme. The story ends when he reaches the “vale of tears in the early 1970s”, from which, in the end, the British aviation industry came up “reasonably happy”.
Prof Hayward told his “sad stories of the death of aeroplanes” to the Royal Aeronautical Society's Historical Group Lecture on 17th October 2002. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

NASA Aeronautics and Strategy

Aviation is changing – from emerging UAS operations to Urban Air Mobility which is next on the horizon; to the re-emergence of supersonic transportation that will once again shrink our globe; to alternative fuels and electric propulsion for a greener future, aviation is on the move. Research, convergence, and entrepreneurialism is the driver for this exciting and impactful change.
The NASA Aeronautics portfolio is tuned to deliver key enablers for this change. But NASA Aeronautics must also evolve to be more flexible and agile as change inevitably brings issues and opportunities that cannot be fully anticipated.
Mr Pearce discusses the future of aviation, NASA’s research portfolio, and the challenges our research enterprises must face to remain relevant into the future.

Classic Lecture Series: The Miles M.52 project by Mike Hirst

Miles 1940s supersonic aircraft project could have been the first aircraft to break the sound barrier. Though the project was championed by Sir Frank Whittle, who worked with Miles to supply the engine, and was supported by the scientists at the RAE in Farnborough. However, the reasons surrounding the UK Government's secretive cancellation of the project has long been a mystery.
In this lecture to the Royal Aeronautical Society's Historical Group, Mike Hirst explores the technical and political sides of the project, from its inception in 1943 to its cancellation in 1948. His lecture is followed by a discussion by many of the people who were there at the time, including from Miles Aircraft, the Ministry, the RAE and the project's test pilot, Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown.
The lecture took place on 4 November 2004. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

Classic Lecture Series: Reminiscences of a Schneider Trophy Pilot by Group Capt. L.S. Snaith

Member of the victorious 1931 Schneider Trophy team, Group Capt. L.S. Snaith, gives a historical background to the Schneider Trophy contests before he gives insights into the last contest and the handling characteristics of the victorious Supermarine S6A & S6B.
The recording was produced by Martin Snaith and was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS.

Classic Lectures: 50 Years of Engineering Learning - a lifetime with aero engines by F. R. Banks

One of the early aero engine pioneers, Air Cdre Rod Banks takes us thorough his early career working for Peter Hooker Ltd who held the British licences for Gnome and Le Rhone, the developments in fuel during these years and the part he played in concocting special fuel cocktails for the Schneider Trophy contests and the development of British and European military aero engines before and during the Second World War.
The lecture was delivered to the Royal Aeronautical Society's Historical Group Lecture on 6th November 1967. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

The Wright influence in Europe by Philip Jarrett

A year before their famous flight, the Wright Brothers’ seminal paper explaining their work with gliders awoke Europeans from the self-confessed torpor and set them experimenting; efforts which were reinvigorated by the Wrights’ flying demonstrations during their 1908 European tour. In this paper, Philip Jarrett takes his audience through the work of Europeans, most notably the French, during the first decade of the twentieth century.
The lecture concludes with a question and answer session.
The lecture was part of a seminar, “The beginnings of powered flight: The Wright Brothers contribution to aviation”, which was organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 10 May 2003. The podcasts were edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and they were digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.