This afternoon briefing will be given by Hermione Giffard, a Guggenheim Fellow, Smithsonian Institute’s Air & Space Museum, Washington D.C.

The briefing will detail the early history of the development of the Turbojet Aero-Engine in Britain, Germany & the US from 1936-1945. Hermione will also discuss the varying goals of the British and German Aero-Engine  development programmes and the reasons that accompany their developmental purposes, further delving into the relative successes of the respective programmes by the time the Second World War had finished.

From Pioneers to Presidents: Celebrating a Century of Women in Flight

Following the success of last year’s RAeS Women in Aerospace & Aviation Conference, the 2011 Networking Event will celebrate a century of women’s acheivements in flight.

The Wonderful Women Ferry Pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary

The Royal Aeronautical Society is offering a unique opportunity to meet the few surviving women pilots who ferried every type of military aircraft during World War II, including fighters, huge four-engine bombers as the sole pilot and even the first British jet-engine aeroplane. By the end of the war, ATA pilots had each flown dozens of different aircraft, sometimes several in one day, often never having seen the aeroplane before, far less flown it.

During the seminar, you will hear why the ATA was such a unique organisation, how the women ferry pilots were trained and what they achieved, what an RAF bomber pilot thought of the young women who delivered aircraft to his base, and finally hear from the so-called ‘Spitfire Women’ themselves about their memories of these extraordinary times and their experiences.

At the end of this special seminar, the Royal Aeronautical Society will be making a presentation to the ATA women pilots present to honour their extraordinary achievements.

This Lecture will focus on the training of cockpit crew for Concorde. Together, Capt John Eames and SEO Roger Bricknell will discuss Flight Crew Training, highlighting the differences between Concorde and subsonic airliners that Pilots had to be trained to cope with. In addition, the lecture will touch on the novelty and complexity of Concorde at the time of its introduction, including fly-by-wire control of the centre of gravity by fuel transfer, behaviour at high incidence, adjustable air intakes and exhausts, the reduced range in subsonic flight and the emergency procedures for pressurisation problems at 60,000ft.

For more than half a century now, the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS) has provided for the world’s aerospace engineers, scientists, technologists and managers, the preeminent forum to present and discuss the latest developments in aeronautics. This remarkable apolitical organization founded by Theodore von Karman and his international colleagues, continues to build on its impressive heritage, to be even more relevant to the global aerospace and aviation industries. This world congress staged biennially by ICAS is the key opportunity for those committed to serving those industries to meet, present, discuss and create opportunities that can only be done in such an international environment.

The Blades Aerobatic Team and 2Excel Aviation

The Blades Aerobatic Team formed in 2006, and since then has displayed to over 18 million people and flown over 3000 corporate passengers on formation aerobatic flights. Operating as the UK’s only full-time civilian aerobatic team and the World’s only globally accredited aerobatic airline, Myles will explain the significance and importance of this.

Myles Garland will talk about training, how the team design and incorporate new manoeuvres into the display, and how The Blades approached their first display season in a high- performance propeller aircraft having flown thousands of hours in fast jets.

The Blades parent company, 2Excel Aviation has expanded rapidly since 2006 and now delivers a wide range of aviation based products. From ‘Unforgettable Events’ such as a 300 person Summer Ball, to trials and test flying in their 2 PA31 Navajo aircraft, to operating several luxurious Beech King Air 200s for their clients, 2Excel is an extremely agile company and Myles will discuss how these capabilities all come together to make 2Excel and The Blades truly unique.

About the speaker

Sqn Ldr (Ret) Myles Garland

Blade 1 and Team Leader of The Blades Aerobatic Team

Myles Garland was born in Vancouver in 1971. Educated at St. Boniface’s College, Devon, Myles developed his keen interest in aviation and was subsequently awarded a Royal Air Force Flying Scholarship. He joined the RAF immediately after completing his A-levels. After flying training on both the Jet Provost and the Hawk, Myles’ operational career began on the Harrier GR7.  He was posted to No1 (Fighter) Squadron based at RAF Wittering and took part in exercises all over the world.  In 1997 he embarked with the Squadron onto HMS Illustrious for the first Harrier GR7 deployment to an Aircraft carrier. Shortly after, having proven the concept, the Squadron were deployed to the Gulf onboard HMS Invincible during Operation SOUTHERN WATCH.

In 1999, as a Qualified Weapons Instructor on the Harrier, Myles took part in operations over Kosovo and the former Yugoslavia where he was ‘Mentioned in Dispatches’ for gallantry.  On completion of his first operational tour, Myles was posted to instructional duties 20 (Reserve) Squadron teaching ab-initio and post graduate Harrier Pilots the art of weaponeering and tactics.

In 2000, Myles was successful in applying to the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team and flew with the Red Arrows for the 2001-2003 display seasons.  During his time with the Reds, Myles was promoted to Squadron Leader aged 29 and chosen to fly as part of the famous ‘Syncho Pair’.

On leaving the Red Arrows Myles returned to operational front-line duties on the Harrier as a flight commander then Deputy Squadron Commander on No 3 (Fighter) Squadron based at RAF Cottesmore.

In 2005 as 3(F) Squadron disbanded as a Harrier Squadron before immediately re-forming as a Typhoon Squadron, Myles left the RAF with over 3000 fast jet flying hours and became one of the founding members of The Blades.

This will be Myles’ sixth year with The Blades and his third year as Blade 1.  During his time with The Blades he has flown in a number of positions including 2 years as Blade 4 developing, inventing and performing the dynamic solo manoeuvres.

This RAeS General Aviation Group Evening Lecture is organised and held in partnership with The Guild of Air Pilots & Air  Navigators (GAPAN).

Refreshments will be served from 17.30hrs and the lecture will commence at 18.00hrs.

Please RSVP to the Conference & Events Department at [email protected]

ARA and Aerodynamic Technology: Acknowledge the Past, Look to the Future

The 2011 Handley Page Lecture is organised jointly by the Royal Aeronautical Society and Cranfield College of Aeronautics Alumni Association and will be given by Dougie Hunter of the ARA.

Browse and buy a wide range of aviation & aerospace literature

The Royal Aeronautical Society is pleased to be holding its third annual Book Sale at No.4 Hamilton Place. This is a great opportunity for both RAeS members and enthusiasts to leaf through and purchase a wide selection of aviation and aerospace books and publications.

‘Cleared to Land’ is a critical review of the politics of planning and the political scheming that took place during the search for London’s 3rd airport. Why was Stansted selected when it didn’t meet any of the criteria laid down for the 3rd airport? How were the costs distorted to favour Stansted in the face of public opposition to it? And who was the puppet master pulling the political strings behind the scenes?  Cleared to Land offers some insights into the machinations of government and the planning process and advocates that if the saga of Terminal Five and the Third runway at Heathrow are anything to go by then nothing has really changed during the last 40 years.

The French Air & Space Academy will be visiting the UK and will host an informative evening of aerospace lectures. The evening will commence with a presentation of the Air & Space Academy hosted by Gerard Brachet and will be followed by three short presentations by aerospace experts.

AEROSPACE FOR EUROPE – MORE THAN JUST FLYING

High Value, Low Carbon, Europes Future

The most important multistakeholder high level roundtable congress in Brussels in December 2010.
This is the aerospace event of the year where decision maker of the most leading European industry, politics and research meet.

Change!  Innovation!  Vision 2050!

Securing the vision for the next half century

On the 12 April 1961, Vostok 1 lifted off from the Soviet Cosmodrome in Baikonur with cosmonaut Major Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin on board. Gagarin was the first human being to leave the Earth’s atmosphere, and although his flight was to last only 1 hour 48 minutes, circling the Earth just once, it provoked important political, social, cultural and technical changes, and changed humanity’s perspective of its place on Earth forever.

The fiftieth anniversary of this flight provides an opportunity for a conference combining elements of historical review, assessment of the social and cultural impact of the event in the UK, Russia, and worldwide, and consideration of areas of scientific endeavour of common interest to both Russia and the West. The anniversary occurs as the long term objectives and strategy for human spaceflight are being questioned in both Russia and the West, making this an appropriate moment to revisit that first flight. To this end, a programme of lectures and discussions is being prepared involving significant Russian involvement. The aims of the conference are to:

• review the impact of Gagarin’s flight on space technology and space applications – in the UK and world-wide
• review the social, cultural and political impact of Gagarin’s flight – in the UK and world-wide
• review progress / achievements of the first joint UK-Russia celebratory ISS project agreed with Russian technical experts in July 2010
• discuss the legacy of Gagarin in the context of today’s space programmes – in the UK and world-wide.

Topics to be discussed will include five application areas identified by a joint UK-Russia forum as being of particular interest, namely space medicine and psychology, satellite communication technologies, optics and instrument systems, monitoring and natural disasters, and robotics and autonomous operations. The historical and cultural dimensions will also be given full attention.

Additionally, the conference will provide an opportunity to identify ways in which further unique collaborative ventures can be developed for the future, delivering benefit to both the UK and Russia.

The conference will be of interest to both the scientific and cultural communities. In the scientific and industrial sectors, it will appeal to those in the fields of exploration, human spaceflight, microgravity, space medicine and psychology, robotics, space mechanisms, communication technologies, optics and instruments, monitoring / natural disasters. On the humanities side, it will appeal to those working in culture and the arts (film, museums, galleries etc.), 20th century history, international politics, human destiny, and education (outreach).

There will be a strong networking element to the conference and both formal and informal opportunities for this will be provided.

Full programme to follow soon.

Lead Sponsor:

Sponsor:

Dr Michael Pryce, Manchester Business School

The Hawker Siddeley P.1154 was a supersonic V/STOL strike fighter designed by the same team that gave the world the successful Harrier family.