Royal Aeronautical Society Podcast

Out of the FOG

Commercial aviation safety is the best it has ever been,
and flight operations are effectively and efficiently
moving forward. While recognising the many successes in
aviation, there are increasing expectations of safety, new
technologies, new airspace operations, new generations of
aviation professionals and other factors that are changing
aviation. There are both challenges and opportunities in
these changes, and fundamental questions to be answered.
This lecture will discuss those challenges and opportunities,
and identify fundamental underlying questions.

History And Development Of Sailplanes

Howard Torode, Chairman, Tehcnical Committee, British Gliding Association and Afandi Darlington, Senior Inspector of Air Accidents (Engineering), AAIB speak about gliding and soaring having held a mutual relationship with mainstream aviation developments ever since the experiments of Sir George Cayley in 1852, through to the birth of modern aviation in the 1900’s and to the present day. This lecture discussed the experiences of sailplane designers throughout the twentieth century, in pursuit of higher aerodynamic performance, and compare these with parallel application of similar technologies in mainstream aircraft design. Howard and Afandi drew on well known aerospace design philosophies, and showed examples of how they have been equally applied to the design of sailplanes, including the benefits and lessons learnt. The lecture also demonstrated how the continuing technological developments have enabled sailplane pilots to continue to expand their wide soaring horizons. The speakers concluded with a forward look at how sailplanes might be developed into the future using both evolutionary and disruptive technology.

RPAS Applications

This lecture considered the 'Within' and 'Beyond' line of sight applications of remotely piloted applications and their commercial potential.

Flight Testing the e-Go

Keith Dennison, Chief Test Pilot, related the testing story that started in August 2013, illustrating how the inevitable development issues were resolved. e-Go aeroplanes was formed in 2007 to develop and market a range of light aircraft, of which the single-seat e-Go is the first.

Laser Communications in Air and Space

The presentation reviewed the current state-of-the-art, and historical achievements, in laser communications (LOS/BLOS) in air and space. Current and future trends were discussed, as well as an outline of current and future developments.

The Rapid Development of the Scorpion Aircraft

Dale Tutt, the Scorpion Programme Manager, and Dan Hinson, the Chief Test Pilot, relate the story of the Textron AirLand Scorpion from a clean sheet design to the first flight of the Scorpion in less than 2 years.

Wilbur and Orville Wright Lecture 2014

The Wilbur & Orville Wright Lecture is the principal event in the Society’s year, given by distinguished members of the US and UK aerospace communities. The 2014 Lecture will be delivered by Patrick M Dewar, Executive Vice President, Lockheed Martin International.

Beaumont Named Lecture 2014

The Hon. Sir Charles Haddon-Cave, High Court Judge, Judiciary of England and Wales delivers the 2014 Beaumont Named Lecture and discusses the lessons learned from the Nimrod Review.

TDS - 1 and UKube - 1 Satellites

This Space Group lecture will be split into two parts and be given by Doug Liddle from SSTL and Steve Greenland from Clyde Space.

Healthcare of European Space Agency Astronauts in Space and on Earth

This presentation explored the medical services provided to European astronauts and examined the challenges that come out of this, the training of astronauts and the medical health care providers. It concluded with a view of future space medicine on exploration class missions.