Message from RAeS
Message from RAeS
Following on from the two Academic Forums held in 2020, and to further support and facilitate discussions among those Higher Education Institutions which hold Engineering Council accreditation through the Society, I am delighted to announce that the Society is launching an informal ‘RAeS Academic Discussion Forum’ site. Academics, or other support staff from RAeS accredited HEIs, will be invited to join this site which will provide a forum for staff to discuss informally any matters relating to the assessment and delivery of their engineering programmes. Such an initiative is very welcome, not only for the ongoing challenges of providing an excellent accredited experience for all students but also in the future. It is hoped that the forum will be an excellent opportunity for HEI staff to seek advice from other academics and share best practice, as well as creating a channel for the RAeS to share any resources and guidance relating to accreditation. Further details about the Forum will be communicated to our accredited HEIs. Thanks to the RAeS Accreditation HQ team in putting this resource together.
During the past month I have taken the chance to attend several Society events and have continued to be impressed as to how many of the local Branches and Specialist Groups have taken advantage of the move to digital delivery to provide excellent lecture programmes. I particularly enjoyed the Cambridge Branch’s Sir Arthur Marshall Named Lecture on the BelugaXL, but was somewhat disquieted to realise that I attended this very lecture in person 12 months ago and remember discussing with some of the attendees whether it would still be possible for me to attend the Singapore Air Show the following week given the outbreak of Covid-19 there. Little did we know how much all of our lives would soon be affected and for how long. A further highlight for me this month was the webinar ‘From the Drawing Board to the Sky’ organised by the General Aviation Specialist Group, in which Sophie Robinson and Tim Williams from Vertical Aerospace gave a fascinating presentation reviewing the all-electric and zero-emission concepts that Vertical has developed and tested over the past few years. Well done to the GA Group for organising such an interesting and informative event.
Society members should take advantage of the podcasts that are available for them to listen to; there are also many recent and older gems to be found in the NAL Video and Audio Archive (https://www.aerosociety.com/movies and https://www.aerosociety.com/podcast). Also, as part of the recent 14th National Apprenticeship week, Zoe Garstang from BAE Systems recorded an excellent podcast describing her apprenticeship journey, biggest highlights and her future career aspirations.
Finally, I am pleased to note that the annual AeroChallenge, organised by the Young Persons Committee, will be held on 10 March. Having organised, for many years (I confess to being old enough to remember TV presenters from the BBC’s Tomorrow’s World programme acting as quiz master), student teams to participate in this competition, it is fantastic to see that it is still running. I hope that many of you will have taken the opportunity to register in this enjoyable event.
Sir Brian Burridge
- As ever with Covid-19, there is good news and bad news. It is reassuring to see vaccination programmes proceeding at pace in the UK and elsewhere in the world. Also, after significant economic shrinkage during 2020, European economies are showing clear signs of positive, if unspectacular, growth for 2021. But the downside of travel restrictions, quarantining and border closures continues to place the entire aviation ecosystem under pressure at a time when cash reserves are dwindling. As ever, our concern is for young people on the threshold of their careers, finding their ambition thwarted, and for those for whom redundancy has already had the same effect. With this in mind, the Careers team has been working on more digital tools to provide support and in mid-March will announce a new online support platform – Career Flightpath – building on our popular magazine brand to provide members with online tools and training for job search and employment applications. Personalised support will continue to be available, but we are very excited to be using the latest AI technology to ensure our services reach an even wider audience at this important time.
- It is reassuring that the Society’s membership numbers have held steady throughout 2020 and into 2021, with the Membership Team continuing to work closely with companies and volunteers through delivery of online briefings, workshops and mentor training. We also value the continued support from Society members through the nomination process, encouraging Members and Fellows to nominate colleagues for membership through a streamlined application route. Our thanks are due to all those who have renewed their membership and, if you have yet to do so, you are still able to make payment by logging into your online profile or by calling our Subscriptions Team.
- Meanwhile, the UK government has just launched the Aviation Skills Retention Platform, covering all the roles across aviation in concert with the Talent Retention Solution which will be familiar to many in the defence sector. Companies, including SMEs, are urged to register on the platform at www.aviationtalent.co.uk to contribute to what is essentially a clearing house by which to share both vacancies and opportunities so as to avoid an exodus of highly talented people from the sector. Similarly, last month saw the celebration of National Apprenticeship Week. The Society has now been working closely with engineering employers and training providers for two years delivering over 200 end point assessments, supported by our network of professionally registered engineers. In line with new government requirements on external quality assurance, we are now applying to Ofqual for recognition which will cement our credibility in years to come.
- February also saw a very successful NextGeneration Rotorcraft conference which focused on the Future Military Medium-Lift Helicopter for 2040+. Hosted by the RAeS Rotorcraft Specialist Group, it was reassuring to see the potential vitality in the defence helicopter sector now that Europe is preparing for the exit from service by 2040 of a range of medium-weight military helicopters. You can read more in our conference article on page 36. In addition, from 7-10 September, we are hosting the 47th European Rotorcraft Forum which brings together a global gathering of key players to discuss advances in research, development, design, manufacturing, testing and operation of rotorcraft. Of interest, too, is that we have just selected a commercial partner to allow us to run hybrid conferences in the future where the platform includes a ‘back-office’ live streaming capability.
- Turning the clock back, Volume 10 of the Journal of Aeronautical History has been published with eight papers covering a broad range of historical research topics from autogyros through gas turbine propulsion to 100 years of Royal Aircraft Establishment innovation. The content is freely available on our website and papers on historical themes are always welcome (www.aerosociety.com/JAH). A plethora of interesting historical podcasts are also now available (www.aerosociety.com/podcasts), not least one on the contribution made by Sir Frederick Handley Page and his company as they produced a series of innovative aircraft designs over six decades. Stay in touch with new releases by updating your preferences in your online member profile or visit www.aerosociety.com/NAL to subscribe to the e-newsletter.
- Finally, some important notices: for Corporate Partners, the next two briefings are The Space Economy and the Satellite Market by Carissa Christensen, CEO Bryce Space Technology, on 8 March and Defence Industrial Strategy by Alex Creswell, CEO Thales UK, on 19 April. We also welcome Andrew Allen FRAeS as an Independent Trustee plus Pauline Richards and Philip Nicol-Gent as Audit Committee members. In addition, the Council Elections are open (see p 53), and we are fortunate that we have a strong field of candidates: I urge all members to read the candidate statements and give careful consideration before casting your vote.
