Message from RAeS

OUR PRESIDENT

Prof Jonathan Cooper

It is almost six months since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown and we are now in the stage of slowly moving towards life beyond the immediate crises. Of course, there are still lots of problems across the aerospace and aviation industries, resulting primarily from the dramatic reduction in flights and demand for new aircraft which continues to affect the airlines, airports, manufacturers, the supply chain, etc and all the people that they employ.

AS MENTIONED SEVERAL TIMES PREVIOUSLY IN THIS COLUMN, THE SOCIETY NEEDS TO CONTINUE TO LOOK TOWARDS THE FUTURE

We have seen recently that the re-imposition of quarantine restrictions for travellers entering the UK from certain countries is going to impose further uncertainty for the travelling public. This situation is going to continue well into the New Year and we all have to continue to learn how to operate in this environment. However, I have been heartened by conversations with colleagues across the industry in large and small companies, many of whom are Society members, who are getting on with meeting the many challenges (eg: green aircraft designs) that lie ahead. Similarly, the universities are gearing up to open again this autumn providing ‘blended’ learning (a mixture of digital and face-to-face teaching) for their students. It is good to see that things are starting to move on.

As mentioned several times previously in this column, the Society needs to continue to look towards the future so that we can remain as the leading professional membership organisation and independent source of knowledge across all aspects of aerospace, aviation and space. It is essential that we remain relevant to our current and future membership. Over the summer months, I have asked Council to consider the future operation of the Society and how these might affect our Vision, Mission and Strategic Aims. At the September Council meeting we will be discussing the outcomes of our considerations, and also the way forward, on the following questions:

Culture: Does our culture (both the ‘look and feel’ and the ‘way things are done around here’) reflect the exciting future that will return to the aviation and aerospace sectors and that remains present in the space sector? If not, what needs to change?
Digital: How should we use virtual tools to change our ways of working: Boards and Committees, virtual and hybrid conferencing, NAL, how to use digital tools to reach a wider audience both in geographic and demographic terms and in attracting sponsors?
D&I: Do we live-up to our aspirations on diversity and inclusivity?
Governance: Does our governance regime insert inertia into the Society’s ability to address our current and future challenges? if so, what needs to be changed?
Do we live-up to our mantra of being independent, evidence-based and authoritative? If not, how should we change things?
International: What are our global aspirations for membership growth: how do we meet overseas needs?
Are we simply too London-centric: how do we get out more? What physical facilities would be most appropriate in the future?
PEI vs learned society: Where should the future balance lie between being a PEI and a learned society and should we focus more on being a training provider?
Volunteers: how do we keep them engaged? Can we increase this engagement? What are the effects of an all-digital world on volunteer participation?
Youth: Does our delivery model appeal to young people? How do we motivate young people and get them involved in the Society? How should it be changed?

At the risk of being deluged with emails, if any Society members have thoughts on any of the above, please can you send them to me on president@aerosociety.com

I am pleased to see that the Society’s conference programme is starting to move into full swing from the start of September using our new virtual platform. I would like to highlight two events that may be of interest to you. The Urban Air Mobility Conference https://www.aerosociety.com/events-calendar/raes-urban-air-mobility-conference-2020/ which will explore the challenges and opportunities that Urban Air Mobility brings, in the context of the fast-evolving ecosystem of multi-modal transport, intelligent mobility and the ‘door to door’ journeys of people and freight. Also, the Air Power conference https://www.aerosociety. com/events-calendar/the-route-to-air-power-2040/ will enable participants to hear from, and engage with senior leaders from industry, the military and academia on the factors which will shape the way that Air Forces are constituted, prepared for and exercised in delivering Air Power up to 2040.

OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Sir Brian Burridge

- Writing this in what used to be termed ‘the dog days of August’ emphasises just how much life has changed of late. Whereas, in the past, Government slowed down during the summer recess, this year is very different. As well as the management of the ever-increasing complexity of Covid-19, there has been a concerted upsurge in Departments in making-up for lost time in policy work which is keeping us busy. Keeping the Society occupied is the rapid transition to the virtual environment of our conference programme. This is proving to be a real gamechanger which is described in full elsewhere in this edition. Members may also have noticed an upswing on the alerts you receive about our new initiatives. Not least among these are the regular insights from our Specialist Groups, Boards and Committees and staff teams. Do please log onto your online profile to ensure that you are kept in touch with the latest information: www.aerosociety.com/my-communications

- As more of the long-term impact of the pandemic becomes clear, we remain concerned about the effect on the 800,000 young people aged 1824 expected to join the job market this year for whom the future must look particularly bleak. A recent Sutton Trust survey indicates that just 39% of apprenticeships were continuing as normal although we know that our sector has a far better record. This also emphasises the importance of our work with primary age children. The Cool Aeronautics Programme sponsored by AAR Corp had a very successful 2019 programme involving over 1,900 children. With school closures in March, we offered an interactive virtual event based on a recorded webinar, potentially the first in a series. We asked schools to provide questions to our panel which consisted of four superb young ambassadors who were great communicators: do watch it at: https://youtu.be/-qrlw1Ov9kE

- In the same vein, we will be delivering a webinar and Q&A session at this year’s National Graduate Week which profiles three industry sectors, including aerospace. Our focus will be on the exciting future available to graduates in the aerospace industry. We also aim to get graduates to think about their ‘21st Century Skills’ that employers are likely to be seeking in this postCovid world. In addition, our women-to-women mentoring platform, Alta, will run a Zoom event on ‘The Power of Networking’ on 8 September.

- Given the increased Government activity on consultations and initiatives, our External Affairs engagement has moved-up a gear. In early June, the CAA published a consultation on the procedure for reviewing the classification of airspace. Then at ‘virtual Farnborough’ Business Secretary, Alok Sharma, launched FlyZero. Led by the Aerospace Technology Institute, FlyZero will kickstart exploration into a zero-carbon emission commercial aircraft and determine the strategic options for the UK to secure a global lead. We have also pressed the case for aerospace in our response to the consultation on the R&D roadmap and are placing the same emphasis in our response to the Comprehensive Spending Review, initially expected in the Autumn. Here, the Government’s menu lists aspects such as recovering from Covid-19 by focusing on jobs and skills, levelling-up economic opportunities across the country and making the UK a scientific superpower, all of which play to our strengths.

- For Corporate Partners the autumn programme is firming-up. On Wednesday 2 September, David Oxley, the Director of Business Growth from the Highlands and Islands Enterprise is briefing on the low-cost vertical spaceport in the north of Scotland which has recently been granted planning permission. Then, on Monday 12 October, Glenn Llewellyn, the VP Zero Emissions Technology at Airbus, is providing us with an engineering insight on his areas of research. This neatly follows-on from July’s thought-provoking brief by Robert Thompson and colleagues from Roland Berger on ‘Aviation Sustainability: Roadmap to True Zero’ which is now available to all at: https://youtu.be/-DNglXJLUMU

- Finally, the Society has vacancies for Independent positions to serve on our Board of Trustees, and the Audit and Finance Committee. We are seeking experienced individuals with board-level experience, knowledge of the sector, with strategic and financial expertise. The independent members add a greater breadth of experience and knowledge to the Board and Committees through working with the Executive Team and the Trustees. This is a voluntary, part-time position and requires attendance at meetings (mostly remotely) at least four times per year. The roles offer an opportunity to contribute to the governance, financial control and strategic development of the world’s only professional body dedicated to the aerospace community. For further information, please visit www.aerosociety.com/governance. As ever, we are committed to widening the diversity of the Society’s Governance structure and welcome applications from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences.

THE SOCIETY HAS VACANCIES FOR INDEPENDENT POSITIONS TO SERVE ON OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES, AND THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE