Royal Aeronautical Society Podcast

The Sir Barnes Wallis Interview

Sir Barnes Wallis Hon FRAeS takes listeners through his technical life story. Starting with his time designing airships, he moves into talking about the Second World War when he designed the dam-destroying Bouncing Bomb and 22,000 lb ‘ten-ton’ bomb. He also discusses his contribution towards the geodetic structure of the Vickers Wellington bomber.
The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a donation from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

Principia - A Journey of a Lifetime

From the launch in Baikonur to re-entry, the presentation brings the audience through ESA Astronaut, Tim Peake's (HonFRAeS) journey to space and life on the International Space Station, with special highlights on science and research, education activities and Tim Peake’s spacewalk.

Test Flying The Spitfire - Jeffrey Quill

Jeffrey Quill FRAeS masterminded the development and production test flying of all 52 variants of the Spitfire and, in this lecture from 1984, describes the evolution of the Spitfire and its Rolls-Royce Merlin engine in all their marks from the Schneider Trophy aircraft of the 1930s onwards. Quill goes onto describe how the war shaped the development of the Spitfire marks and how they met the challenge.
Edited for podcast by Mike Stanberry FRAeS, the digitisation of the recording was funded through the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

An Interview With John Cunningham

John ‘Cats-Eyes’ Cunningham HonFRAeS - de Havilland’s Chief Test Pilot - recounts highlights from his postwar career, including stories of flying the experimental DH.110 during a total electrical failure, the DH.108 following the death Geoffrey de Havilland Jnr and the DH.106 Comet 1.
Edited for podcast by Mike Stanberry FRAeS, the digitisation of the recording was funded through the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

The Jeffrey Quill Interview

Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire test pilot Jeffrey Quill FRAeS discusses his career in aviation, the highlight of which was making the first flights and masterminded the development and production test flying of all 52 variants of the Spitfire.
Edited for podcast by Mike Stanberry FRAeS, the digitisation of the recording was funded through the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.

Sopwith Named Lecture 2017

Tony Wood FRAeS, Chief Operating Officer, Meggitt looks at the concepts of uncertainty and disruption and how history has much to teach us. He examines today’s global challenges: from emerging political ‘curve balls’ to economic, sociological and technological imperatives. Tony addresses the issues these challenges bring to bear on the Aerospace and Defence industry and how organisations, and Meggitt in particular, are setting up to win.

Handley Page Named Lecture 2017

There is a review of the early NASA and Ryan aircraft company projects to make a flying jeep (the Fleep) using Francis Rogallo’s wing, the development of the Rogallo wing through hang gliding and the experiments to add power to them.

Cierva Named Lecture 2017

Helicopteres Guimbal was founded as an independent company in order to develop and manufacture the Cabri G2 as a modern, certified helicopter. The goal was to bring new technologies to the personal and training market.
Bruno Guimbal, President, Guimbal Helicoptérès delivers the 2017 Cierva Named Lecture.

The D. P. Davies Interviews on Concorde and the V-bombers.

“The test pilots’ test pilot”, former CAA Chief Test Pilot D. P. Davies talks frankly about the civil aircraft that he put through his paces before being certified as safe in the UK.
In the last of four podcasted interviews the author of commercial pilots bible “Handling the big jets”, recalls the time he was asked to fly the Avro Vulcan, the Vickers Valiant and the Handley Page Victor V-bombers.
The interview was conducted by Rodney Giesler in 1992 and edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS.

The D. P. Davies Interview on the Boeing 747, the Trident, VC10, One Eleven & the Boeing 727

The D. P. Davies Interview on the Boeing 747, the Trident, VC10, One Eleven & the Boeing 727.
“The test pilots’ test pilot”, former CAA Chief Test Pilot D. P. Davies talks frankly about the civil aircraft that he put through his paces before being certified as safe in the UK.
In the third of four interviews, the author of commercial pilots bible “Handling the big jets”, talks in detail about the flight testing of the Boeing 747.
The interview was conducted by Rodney Giesler in 1992 and edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS.