Left: The day started with a talk from the UK Space Agency featuring ESA astronaut Major Tim Peake... Right: ...and ended by getting up close to Spitfire IX City of Exeter which was appropriately painted in D-Day markings.

Three schools have a day out at Goodwood

The past, present and future of aviation was tangible within the room. The questions asked by the children were so intelligent and searching – it really showed a deep interest in flying and aircraft that belied their age range of eight to ten years.

The day started with an introduction to Goodwood, a familiar name to these local children from Boxgrove Primary, Jessie Younghusband and Prebendal schools.

Once seated comfortably the day began – a talk from the UK Space Agency about space and local hero Tim Peake from Chichester.

This talk encompassed, not only the obvious connections to space – astronaut training – but also introduced the notion of the vast array of people and skills that get rockets off the ground and the array of payloads those rockets carry – from human beings, pushing the boundaries of human endeavour to science in space and satellites.

The talk also included a lot of important lessons for life, such as the need for exercise, fresh air and the effects of dehydration and how to recognise the symptoms.

To the background of Morgan cars on the motor circuit, the children had a short break before having a talk from a pilot who flies the Boeing 747 for Virgin Atlantic – Stuart Rawlinson – who is also an instructor for the Goodwood Flying School. This was an exciting talk and I think that a number in the audience will consider a career in aviation on the strength of it!

It was fascinating to hear of what life is like as a long-haul pilot and also learned the roles and how to recognise the team that enables these flights to be conducted safely and in comfort… We were told of the fascinating facts about the Boeing 747 which surprised us all. For example, the 747 has carried AEROSPACE / JULY 2019 more people in one go than any other airliner – over 1,000! Extraordinary!

After a civilised lunch on the grass overlooking the motor circuit and the airfield, the group was split in two. The first headed back inside to learn about aviation great Amy Johnson and the travels of Jason her de Havilland DH60 Gipsy Moth. Looking back at the inspiring stories of the past, these all-important stories inspire future generations with the spirit of adventure and the wonderful courage that is universal and timeless.

The other group went to have a look at an active airfield and feast their eyes on the wonderful array of aircraft, old and new, that the Goodwood hangars house.

By the end of the tour all parties knew the difference between a nose-wheel and tailwheel aircraft, a high wing and low wing and the biplane! Elite helicopters opened up the doors of its Jet Ranger and supervised the children as they clambered aboard!

Boultbee also kindly opened their doors and I think I speak the truth when I say it was a major highlight to see the Spitfire IX City of Exeter at such close quarters – needless to say this also presented a wonderful photo opportunity to sum-up the day’s visit.

Personally, I found the day most educational and fascinating and I look forward to seeing perhaps a few of these same faces when they return for flying lessons in the future!

Thanks to the RAeS and UK Space for organising such a wonderful event and Goodwood for hosting the aviators of tomorrow!

Max Tams
Goodwood Aeroclub Member

Capt Kate Speer of Porter Airlines describes the varied career of an airline pilot.

The first Cool Aeronautics in Canada

On Thursday, 2 May, a Cool Aeronautics event was held in Canada for the very first time. Organised by the RAeS Young Persons Network in Canada and taking place at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, over 70 students from two local schools participated in a fun day of everything aerospace.

In the morning, participants heard from three guest speakers. Captain Kate Speer from Porter Airlines described the many different types of flying that a pilot can do. Frederic Roy from NAV Canada explained what the company does and what careers exist in air traffic control, flight services, technical operations, engineering and supporting roles. To finish off the morning part of the event, Pascale Lachance, from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, outlined the investigation process. The children got to participate by trying to guess what had happened to aircraft in the photos.

In the afternoon, students participated in three hands-on STEM workshops. They learned about the ejection seat and had an opportunity to try out helmets and flight suits. They made paper planes and conducted ‘test flights’ and designed their own aircraft to fly around the world.

Students left the museum with goodie bags of event memorabilia and with big smiles on their faces. Positive feedback was also received from teachers.

RAeS YPN Canada would like to thank the RAeS careers team, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum and its staff, the speakers and their employers, and all the volunteers for making this event possible.

Valeriya Mordvinova
ARAeS
YPN representative, Montréal Branch

The 109th RAeS Branches Conference was hosted by the Preston Branch in collaboration with the Chester and Manchester Branches and took place at the Barton Grange Hotel near Preston on 10 and 11 May 2019. There were 40 delegates representing 30 Branches, including representatives from Paris, Toulouse and Munich. Then RAeS President Simon Henley and Chief Executive Sir Brian Burridge were also present.

The programme comprised business sessions on the Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, supported by a visit to BAE Systems’ Warton site on Friday. Lt Cdr Richard Gearing, Chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Working Group, delivered a brief to conference covering RAeS diversity strategy and the role of the Working Group. The conference concluded with the presentation of the recently introduced RAeS Distinguished Service Award to former Branches Committee Chair Graham Roe FRAeS, see p 55.

The team from The University of Manchester, Nikita Dunaev and Soma Santa with Gary Konnert, lead test pilot from SETP Great Lakes Division

Dayton, Ohio, a great place for aviation enthusiasts!

Visiting teams to The University of Dayton for Merlin Flight Simulation Group’s annual IT FLIES USA competition made sure to fit in a visit to the mega National Museum of the USAF – something not to be missed. The museum is so large that some of the students visited on two days (there is so much to see there!)

Our flying judges for this year were Gary, Frank, Brad and Ed from the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and our presentation judges Len and Troy members of the Society of Flight Test Engineers. Students’ project presentations ran for ten minutes, followed by a brief of their design to their test pilot. Each design was flown and assessed in the Dayton MP521 simulator for around 20 minutes. All the teams learned a great deal from their post testing de-brief with their test pilot.

The entries were extremely varied – from a subsonic/supersonic jet from The University of Cincinnati, to a solar-powered glider from students at The University of Dayton, Ohio. Gary Konnert, chief flying judge, commented on the high standard of entries. It was difficult to separate the top three and we therefore ended up by sharing first place.

Ollie Banks, a third year BEng Aeronautical Engineering student at The University of South Wales stated: “Merlin Flight Simulation Group’s IT FLIES USA is an amazing opportunity to showcase designs which are the end product of months of work. There were aircraft from a WW1-era triplane to a supersonic business jet. My design was a modern interpretation of a 1930’s luxury flying boat.

It’s amazing to see how different groups have different thought processes when it comes to the design and also how the different group dynamics work. I was one of two individual entries with most of the entries being in pairs and I do think a group of two to four would be the ideal number for this task.

For British students it was an amazing chance to explore the surrounding area and see how American student culture differed to ours. We also got the chance to visit the Museum of Aviation which, for someone who is a regular at IWM Duxford, was an amazing experience to see how aviation is showcased. The fact that every aircraft had a story behind how it came to the museum is something we don’t have in the UK and I think would really be worth doing.

The competition was really the pinnacle of the final year as having submitted my dissertation design; it has been the majority of work I’ve been doing this academic year. Having to compete for places from the university to come over to America before competing in the competition really motivated us to work on our designs and make them the best they could be.”

Michael Mongin, a fourth-year Mechanical Engineering student with Aerospace concentration from The University of Dayton said:

“Competing against teams from around the globe has been a learning experience unmatched by anything else in my education thus far. Seeing the approach taken by teams from the UK has given me a new and refreshing perspective on the aircraft design and testing process. Having the opportunity to meet and host teams from these countries and build relationships with students abroad has been a large part of the experience as well. The IT FLIES competition has left me with a lasting impression of the aircraft design environment and community that I will never forget. I am extremely grateful for Chris and Marion at Merlin for their generosity and support through this process.”

Soma Santa, a second-year Aerospace Engineering student from The University of Manchester, agreed – he said: “We have thoroughly enjoyed our time at the IT FLIES. We have learned much from the professionals about our design – they had some interesting insights which we did not think about, and the other competitors broadened our horizon about the possible design choices and options. Overall the competition was a great experience for us and we were glad that we could be a part of it.” 

The Results

A close run competition this year with three teams sharing the first prize, therefore winning $300 each from Merlin Products Ltd and e-Associate membership of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

The prize for the Best Project Presentation went to The University of Manchester, with The University of Dayton second and The University of South Wales third – this was sponsored by The Aviation Historian magazine.

Our special thanks to all the staff at The University of Dayton who helped with the arrangements and for the use of their super flight simulation laboratory. Also a huge thank you to our judges for giving up their weekend.

First Prize:
The University of Manchester, Nikita Dunaev and Soma Santa with their single-engine lifting body general aviation aircraft, ’The Galaxy’.

The University of South Wales, Ollie Banks with his four-engine turboprop-powered flying boat, ‘Britannic’.

The University of Dayton, Andrew Killian, Ryan Simpkins with their WW1 era optimised fighter triplane.

IT FLIES UK 2019 will be held at The University of Manchester on 6 June.

Marion Neal
Merlin Flight Simulation Group

Graham Roe, left, receives the Society’s first Distinguished Service Award from then President, Simon Henley.

In January 2019, the RAeS Council approved the creation of a Distinguished Service Award to be conferred on Society members who have provided long and meritorious service to the Society or for particularly meritorious service of shorter duration. Nominations are accepted only from the chairperson of a formal group within the Society: Division; Branch; Board; Committee; or Specialist Group.

The Preston Branch duly nominated Prof Graham Roe IEng FRAeS to be the recipient of the first Distinguished Service Award. Fittingly, the presentation to Graham of the Society’s DSA took place at the conclusion of the recent Branches Conference held in Preston on 11 May.

Prof Graham Roe IEng FRAeS has been a long-serving and very distinguished member of the RAeS since he joined Hawker Siddeley Aviation in 1966. Graham was an active member of the Brough Branch and served on the Committee from 1975 to 1988 until his move to Warton in 1989 when he became active in the Preston Branch and served as Vice-Chair from 1990 to 1997 and then as Chair until his retirement from BAE Systems in 2013. In addition, Graham was first elected to the RAeS Branches Committee in 1982, becoming Vice-Chair in 1988 and then serving as Chair between 19932011. His tenure as Chair of the RAeS Branches Committee transformed the role and importance of that Committee and he was also a key member of the RAeS Council, External Affairs Board and the President’s Advisory Committee. He subsequently became Chair of the Learned Society Board in 2013, a role in which he excelled and made significant changes to the way the Specialist Groups operated but, sadly, he had to relinquish the post in 2015 due to ill-health.

The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is conferred by the Council on members of the Society (of all grades) who have given long and meritorious service to the Society or for particularly meritorious service of a shorter duration. The DSA consists of a certificate signed by the President and there will be no limit on the number awarded in any year. Nominations will be accepted only from an organised body within the Society; that is Divisions, Branches, Boards, Committees and Specialist Groups. The DSA will replace the existing Branches Award and nominations from Branches should be submitted through the Branches Committee. Nominations from Specialist Groups should be submitted through the Specialist Groups Chairs Committee. All other nominations should be submitted to the Medals & Awards Committee through Neeral Patel – neeral.patel@aerosociety.com – who can answer any queries on the process. www.aerosociety.com/get-involved/recognition/distinguished-service-award/

The Attewell team won the Texas Scramble team competition.The Royal Aeronautical Society 2019 Aerospace Golf Day was hosted on Tuesday 4 June at Frilford Heath Golf Club in Oxfordshire. As always, it was an enjoyable event offering 27 holes of exceptional golf and providing the opportunity for the Society’s external stakeholders to build relationships in a relaxed environment. It was a pleasure to see some new faces at this year’s event, as well as welcoming back our regular players.

RAeS Business Development Manager, Bharat Davé (second from right), hosted a team of individual players from RAeS Corporate Partner companies.​​The 18 hole Texas Scramble is always very popular with our players and this year’s competition was won by Attewell with an excellent net score of 54.2. Collins Aerospace came in second place with a net score of 57.9, followed by SecureCloud+ with a net score of 58.1. The winner of the 9 hole singles competition was Gavin Robertson and he was followed in second place by AVM Stu Butler of BAE Systems, who was playing for SecureCloud+. Following closely behind in third place was John Hewett, playing for Universal Weather and Aviation.

The Society is grateful to FlightSafety International for their sponsorship of this event. Thanks also go to Blue Strawberry, Frilford Heath Golf Club and the InterContinental London Park Lane for their generosity in providing prizes.

By popular demand we will be returning to Frilford Heath Golf Club next year on Thursday, 18 June 2020 – please visit the events calendar on the RAeS website for further details, or contact: Gail Ward, Events Manager – Corporate & Society
T +44 (0)1491 629912 or
​E gail.ward@aerosociety.com