Message from RAeS

OUR PRESIDENT

Prof Jonathan Cooper

I was really pleased to be able to introduce our inaugural Mary Jackson Lecture, which is a new Named Lecture celebrating the work of the individuals from BAME communities within aerospace. The lecture series has been named in honour of Mary Jackson (1921-2005), who became the first black female aerospace engineer at NASA in 1958 and was featured in the book and film Hidden Figures. The lecture was presented by Dr Moogega Cooper who is currently the Planetary Protection Lead for the Europa Lander concept at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Her expertly delivered talk provided an overview of the NASA M2020 mission which was designed to investigate key questions related to the habitability of Mars and will conduct assessments that will help plan for future human exploration of Mars. You will remember that we signed an MoU with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics last summer and we were delighted that this lecture has been facilitated by working in association with the AIAA. Particular thanks must go to Claudine Phaire from the AIAA and Richard Gearing from the RAeS, who chair their respective Diversity & Inclusion Committees and who both spoke after the lecture about ongoing D&I initiatives in both organisations.

In these continuing difficult times, our mental health and well-being is being challenged constantly across all aspects of our lives, be it at a personal or professional level, with not just the direct effects of Covid-19 on our health to consider but also the resulting lockdowns, furloughs, redundancies, shrinking of order books, lost apprenticeships, working from home, online university education, etc. The Society has recognised the effects of mental health across the aerospace and aviation communities and has previously run a number of conferences and events addressing this important topic. I can recommend two upcoming events on a similar theme:

The Mental Wellbeing and Human Performance event aimed at aircrew is on 27 April – this event has been part of a series of conferences over the past few years since the Germanwings incident.
Maintaining Wellbeing: Opening up in the Maintenance Environment event on 20 May – this event is aimed at maintenance and safety engineers and professionals.

On a related topic, the CEO and I recently participated in an IMechE/IET/RAeS Mental Health & WellBeing Talking Together conversation, discussing issues relating to young professionals in STEM careers such as loneliness in the workplace, disappointment and uncertainty which might be of interest to readers. See https://www.aerosociety.com/news/mental-health-wellbeing-talkingtogether-with-professor-jonathan-cooperfraes-sir-brian-burridge-fraes/. Participating in this event got me thinking about a number of issues myself that I hadn’t considered before.

IN THESE CONTINUING DIFFICULT TIMES, OUR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IS BEING CHALLENGED CONSTANTLY ACROSS ALL ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES

So, the Brexit deal has finally been done, not surprisingly at the last minute, but the ramifications of this momentous change to our relationship with the rest of Europe will take some time to become clear, particularly as many issues affecting the aerospace, aviation and space communities remain to be finalised (see Brexit at Arrivals). At the moment, Covid restrictions permitting, we can still fly to Europe; however, the effect on the aerospace manufacturing industry will take many months, if not years, to play out. Not being able to participate in the EU Galileo and EGNOS programmes will surely cause difficulties and limit the UK’s capabilities. I was pleased to see that the UK will become an Associate Member of the EU Horizon Europe research programmes which enables the participation of UK universities and industry in large collaborative projects but I do have concerns that, as one of the major benefactors of the current H2020 and previous programmes, the government may find the cost of Horizon Europe membership prohibitive. A further issue that may have a knock-on effect is that a large proportion of researchers in UK universities and engineers in industry are from the EU and delays are already starting to occur in recruitment due to visa requirements. In the years leading up to Brexit, the Society briefed about the potential consequences; I hope that some of the possible outcomes that we warned about don’t occur and that the Society’s communities are able to prosper post-Covid and post-Brexit.

Finally, the Sir Robert Hardingham Presidential Sword is a prestigious award presented annually by the President in recognition of outstanding service to the Society. I am honoured to present this year’s award to Jenny Body, in recognition of her long and valuable contribution to the Society, including being a former President (and first woman to hold that role), significant leadership of our Education and Skills activities and contributing in many other areas. In normal circumstances we would have announced and presented the award at the Wilbur and Orville Wright Lecture but, due to the on-going situation with Covid-19, this will not be possible this year. Instead, there will be a virtual announcement via our website and social media channels to celebrate the award.

OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Sir Brian Burridge

- With the passing of the Brexit Transition Period, the UK has formally left the European Union. After a photo-finish, the associated trade deal offers some useful certainty for airlines and aerospace manufacturers. As the industry and regulators set about building on the fundamentals in areas, such as safety, we await further information on aspects, such as space, air power and in the education and skills domain. The Society will continue to engage with changes that may occur on the recognition of professional qualifications. You can read my full statement on the Society website (https://www.aerosociety.com/media/15255/2021_01_08_ trade_deal_response_final.pdf) and we will keep you updated as things solidify.

- Recent Eurocontrol analysis highlights that European aviation suffered more in 2020 than any other region. Some six million flights were lost against the European norm of 11 million, with job losses of 191,000. Among those affected are young people on the threshold of their careers. The 2021 Prince’s Trust Annual Youth Index survey points out that 68% feel that they are ‘missing out on being young’ with optimism plummeting and much understandable anxiety about the future. This underlines the importance of the Society’s careers support service which offers expert guidance on navigating these turbulent times, including CV support. We have also launched a new Aviation Inspiration area on the Careers in Aerospace website funded by the Department for Transport with stories from industry role models. We are particularly keen to highlight the diversity of both the people and jobs in our sectors so, if you feel that you or your team should feature, then do please contact the Careers Team.

- Although we are well down the track of being a fully digital Society, there is more to do in using multi-channel communications with our membership and beyond. To that end, we are revising our social media approach and you will notice some positive changes in 2021. The Society is active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn: please engage with us. Additionally, there is a regular RAeS newsletter which highlights events, news and opportunities. If you are not receiving this, please check your settings on the member portal. You might also want to glance at the Society’s YouTube channel which now includes some of the Branches’ events, not least the recent Washington DC Branch interview with Philippe Martou, Director of the Aviation Service of the World Food Programme, the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. There is also an item instigated by young professionals, Joshua Thomson-Smith and Bhavik Bhatt, hosting a discussion with the President and me on mental health.

ALTHOUGH WE ARE WELL DOWN THE TRACK OF BEING A FULLY DIGITAL SOCIETY, THERE IS MORE TO DO IN USING MULTI-CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS WITH OUR MEMBERSHIP AND BEYOND

- Another important facet of the Society’s profile is The Aeronautical Journal. Its success relies heavily on our team of volunteer Associate Editors who review the merits of the papers submitted for publication. We recently held an on-line gathering of this cohort under the stewardship of the Editorin-Chief, Professor Holger Babinsky, crowning a successful, if difficult 2020, in which production of the Journal was not disrupted. Equally, there was a 25% year-on-year rise in downloads of Journal papers. Also of note, was the diversity of the global academic representation, including eight members from US universities and others from Germany, Ireland, Japan and Sweden. We look forward to a special 125th-anniversary edition of the Journal for publication in 2022.

- The Society’s Specialist Groups are the engine-room for extending the body of knowledge: their events are tangible evidence that we are independent, evidence-based and authoritative. As the issues within our sectors increase in complexity, there is a clear need for multidisciplinary collaboration in addressing them. To meet this and other challenges, after a lengthy review, a refreshed Specialist Groups Committee (SGCC) has been launched. My thanks go to Richard Hooke who chaired the Review SubCommittee and to its members, in particular Bernard Chan, who has led the SGCC over the last couple of years. We are pleased to welcome Tony Henley as the new chair and I would place on record my gratitude to all Specialist Group members who, as volunteers, do so much to enhance the Society’s reputation and profile. This activity sends a strong message to potential members. In spite of the challenges of Covid, this year has begun on a positive note with 260 applications already received.

- Finally, some important dates: National Apprenticeship Week is from 8-14 February which aims to celebrate the opportunities available to young people through a fully recognised programme of employer-led learning. Supported by our professionally registered engineers, we have now conducted over 200 apprenticeship end point assessments. Later in the month, on 22 February, we have a Corporate Partner Briefing by Chris Stark, CEO of the Climate Change Committee entitled, ‘The Role of Aviation in Achieving Net Zero’, representing a timely reminder that, in spite of the rigours of Covid, efforts to address the environmental challenge have to continue.