Message from RAeS

OUR PRESIDENT

Prof Jonathan Cooper

I would like to wish all Society members a very Happy New Year. Looking back at my column a year ago I note that I wrote: ‘… I hope that 2020 proves to be a year where the aerospace and aviation sectors have a lot more certainty than in recent times…’. I couldn’t have been more wrong! Can I thank all the Society’s staff and our volunteers for their sterling efforts in the past year to enable most of our activities to continue, delivered in a digital manner. Although these are still very challenging times, I feel that we have turned a corner and there is more optimism than six months ago, particularly with the roll-out of the first vaccinations for Covid just underway. However, it is still going to be a hard road to achieve a full recovery for all of us (and the ramifications of Brexit are still to become clear), be it as individuals, corporate partners or the Society itself. I am sure that you will continue to take advantage of everything that the Society has to offer.

I attended the recent Branches Brief which had a large attendance, including Branches as far away as Montreal and was pleased to hear about how many of them have moved to a digital delivery of their lecture programmes. There has been much sharing of experience and expertise and I am sure that this interaction will continue. Many of the local Branch members value the social aspect of the regular meetings and if Branches can find ways of keeping in touch with their membership that would be much appreciated.

I AM VERY PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO ANNOUNCE THAT I HAVE CONFERRED THE PRESIDENT’S AWARD TO THE VENTILATOR CHALLENGE UK CONSORTIUM

I was also pleased to attend the inaugural meeting of the RAeS Singapore Branch Student Chapter who are based in the University of Glasgow Singapore and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). They have organised an impressive series of events in their first year and I wish them every success. Thanks to Arturo Molina-Cristobal for organising the event. The Society needs to continue to develop an increased presence in the key geographic aerospace areas world-wide and, given the importance of Singapore to the aerospace industry in Asia, this activity is important to us.

Due to the impact of Covid-19 the Society has been unable to celebrate our honours, medals and award winners in our usual annual ceremony. But as we wish to continue to recognise the achievements and contributions of individuals and teams in the aerospace and aviation industry, we recently announced these awards virtually. I was delighted to announce our award recipients for Honorary Fellowship and Companionship. Honorary Fellowships mark the world’s highest distinction for aerospace achievement, awarded only for the most outstanding contributions to the aerospace profession and those receiving this award are: Dr Meyer J Benzakein FRAeS, Professor Trevor Birch FRAeS, Dr Ashwani Gupta FRAeS, Ing Fabio Nannoni, Dr David Newman FRAeS, Dr Alexander J Smits, for scientific leadership and Tom Williams FRAeS. Honorary Companionships are awarded for rendering distinctive and notably meritorious service to the aerospace profession and this year the awardees were: The Honourable Jeffrey Shane and Idris Ben-Tahir (see p 54). Congratulations to all.

The President’s Award was created in 2008 to ‘recognise outstanding skill and professionalism in the field of aviation and aeronautics, especially in adverse circumstances’. It has been awarded only once, in 2009 to the crew of the British Airways Boeing 777 that successfully landed at Heathrow after experiencing loss of power due to ice in the fuel. Given the difficult year that we have all been through, I am very pleased to be able to announce that I have conferred the President’s Award to the VentilatorChallenge UK Consortium in recognition of the Consortium’s achievement and, in particular, the contribution of the aerospace members of the team to the fight against Covid-19. The Consortium developed the Penlon Prima ESO2 ventilator and more than 10,000 of these were delivered in a very short time. This was an outstanding achievement that needs to be recognised. The VentilatorChallenge UK Consortium is led by the High Value Manufacturing Catapult. As well as Penlon, it includes about 18 other companies and several UK-based FI teams. The aerospace companies involved are: Airbus, BAE Systems, GKN Aerospace, Meggitt, Rolls-Royce, Smiths Group, Thales and Ultra Electronics.

Finally, it is the last month for you to submit your nomination for the Council as the deadline is the 31 January 2021. This is a unique opportunity for you to contribute to the Society and represent the views of the membership and the profession. To find out more about how to submit your nomination visit our website on https://www.aerosociety.com/council. We are seeking to increase the diversity of the Council and particularly welcome nominations from those groups who are currently underrepresented communities.

OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Sir Brian Burridge

As 2021 dawns, there are brighter signs on the horizon. Vaccination campaigns are underway which brings closer the prospect of increased airline passenger traffic as quarantine restrictions are eased. Also, Boeing’s 737 MAX made its re-launch demo flight for journalists in early December and is anticipated to re-enter public service with American Airlines by the end of the month while Ryanair confirmed its order for 75 aircraft. Nevertheless, IATA’s prognosis is that, globally, airlines will lose more that £28bn in 2021 and that there will be further failures to add to the 50 in 2020. Equally, aerospace is a long-term game and the prospects for widebody orders are unlikely to improve for some time.

Yet 2020 has not been a year entirely devoid of progress. Driven by the climate challenge, there have been significant advances in propulsion and alternative fuels with firm resolve from airline and manufacturing CEOs (evidenced at our own conference) to invest in carbon reduction. On that theme, the UK Committee on Climate Change has just published the Sixth Carbon Budget required under the UK’s Climate Change Act. It takes a scenario-based approach which, even under the most optimistic case termed Widespread Innovation, would allow a 50% growth in passenger demand against the business-as-usual prediction of 65%. Other scenarios see only a 25% growth or, in one case, a reduction from current levels of 15%.

WE ARE NOW WORKING ON THE CREATION OF A ‘MIXED ECONOMY’ DELIVERY OF CONFERENCES AND EVENTS FOR 2021

With businesses of all types craving stability, the uncertainty of Brexit coupled with the pandemic scarring to most economies will provide continuing turbulence. In November, the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered his Spending Review. The Society had submitted its representation to the review earlier in September, and while the review was reduced to a one-year outlook, there were some wins for our sectors. You can read my full analysis at: www.aerosociety.com/press.
In recognition of the degree of irreversible change that the pandemic era represents, the Council and Board of Trustees have agreed to a revised Society Operating Model which places digital and hybrid delivery permanently at the heart of our activity. To that end, we have learned much of late on the delivery of virtual conferencing culminating in what I regard as a world-class Air Power Conference which contained all the ingredients of success such as exciting and exclusive content, a global perspective and a stellar cast which, taken together, generated some excellent discussion. It was a great tribute to the hard work of the Air Power Specialist Group, chaired by PastPresident Simon Henley. We are now working on the creation of a ‘mixed economy’ delivery of conferences and events for 2021. Corporate Partners should note these forthcoming briefings with Professor David Egerton on The Wider Implications of Covid-19 on 18 January 2021 and, on 22 February 2021, Chris Stark, the CEO of Committee on Climate on the aviation impact of the sixth carbon budget.
Another key event will be the inaugural Mary Jackson (virtual) Named Lecture on 21 January 2021, delivered by Dr Moogega Cooper who leads NASA’s Planetary Protection for the Mars 2020 Mission. Mary Jackson became the first black female aerospace engineer at NASA in 1958 and was featured in the book and film Hidden Figures. Initiated by the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group and driven by our volunteers, this Named Lecture celebrates the work of individuals from Ethnic Minority communities in the aerospace sector.
Continuing with exemplary volunteer service, I would also recognise Air Cdre Bill Tyack FRAeS who recently relinquished the chair of the Medals & Awards Committee (MAC), handing over to Past-President Jenny Body FRAeS. Bill has given so much of his time, passion and considerable experience to the Society for more than two decades, serving in numerous capacities from Branch Chair at Farnborough, Chair of the LSB, a member of Council and the Board of Trustees, Pension Trustee, President in 2014, then as MAC Chair but remains as an Audit Committee member. This represents an exceptional contribution for which the Society is very grateful indeed.
Coming-up soon is our next flagship STEM Challenge, Falcon2, where we invite pupils of all ages to enter Phase 1 of the competition to create exciting and innovative designs for a flight simulator which is fully accessible to people with physical and hidden disabilities. Secondary schools can also take part in Phase 2, the ‘Big Build’. Watch the Careers website for details and our thanks go to Boeing for their support. Also on the Careers Website is our new ‘Aviation’ area including new content on sustainable aviation and ‘AeroStories’ featuring diverse role models.
Finally, remember that nominations close at the end of the month for Council membership: details are on the website. With that, I wish you all a Happy New Year and a less challenging 2021.