The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest

aeronautical Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of air flight–capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. The British Royal Aeronautical Society identifies ...

society in the world. Members, Fellows, and Companions of the society can use the

post-nominal letters Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

MRAeS, FRAeS, or CRAeS, respectively.

Function

The objectives of The Royal Aeronautical Society include: to support and maintain high professional standards in aerospace disciplines; to provide a unique source of specialist information and a local forum for the exchange of ideas; and to exert influence in the interests of aerospace in the public and industrial arenas, including universities. The Royal Aeronautical Society is a worldwide society with an international network of 67 branches. Many practitioners of aerospace disciplines use the Society's designatory post-nominals such a
FRAeS
CRAeS, MRAeS, AMRAeS, and ARAeS (incorporating the former graduate grade, GradRAeS). The RAeS headquarters is located in the United Kingdom. The staff of the Royal Aeronautical Society are based at the Society's headquarters at No.

4 Hamilton Place 4 Hamilton Place is a Grade II listed building in Mayfair, London. It is used as a conference centre and wedding venue, located on the north-east edge of Hyde Park Corner, with the nearest access being Hyde Park Corner Underground station. Sinc ...

, London, W1J 7BQ. The headquarters is on the north-east edge of Hyde Park Corner, with the nearest access being Hyde Park Corner tube station. In addition to offices for its staff the building is used for Royal Aeronautical Society conferences and events and parts of the building are available on a private hire basis for events.

Publications

* ''The Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society'': (1923–1967) * ''The Aeronautical Quarterly'': (1949-1983) * ''Aerospace'': (1969-1997) * ''Aerospace International'': (1997 - 2013) * ''The Aerospace Professional'': (1998 - 2013) * ''The Aeronautical Journal'': (1897 to date) * ''The Journal of Aeronautical History'': (2011 to date) * ''AEROSPACE'': (2013 to date)

Branches and divisions

Branches are the regional embodiment of the Society. They deliver membership benefits and provide a global platform for the dissemination of aerospace information. As of September 2013, branches located in the United Kingdom include: Belfast, Birmingham, Boscombe Down, Bristol, Brough, Cambridge, Cardiff, Chester, Christchurch, Coventry, Cranfield,

Cranwell Cranwell is a village in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is part of the civil parish of Cranwell and Byard's Leap and is situated approximately north-west from Sleaford and south-east from the city and county tow ...

, Derby, FAA Yeovilton,

Farnborough Farnborough may refer to: Australia * Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone United Kingdom * Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England ** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...

, Gatwick, Gloucester & Cheltenham, Hatfield, Heathrow, Highland, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Loughborough, Manchester,

Marham Marham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, approximate away from King's Lynn. An RAF station, RAF Marham, is situated nearby at Upper Marham.Ordnance Survey (1999). ''OS Explorer Map 236 - King's Lynn, Downham Ma ...

, Medway, Oxford, Preston, Prestwick, Sheffield, Solent, Southend, Stevenage, Swindon, Weybridge, and Yeovil. The RAeS international branch network includes: Adelaide, Auckland, Blenheim, Brisbane, Brussels, Canberra, Canterbury, Cyprus, Dublin, Hamburg, Hamilton, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Melbourne, Montreal, Munich, Palmerston North, Paris, Perth, Seattle, Singapore, Sydney, Toulouse, and the UAE. Divisions of the Society have been formed in countries and regions that can sustain a number of Branches. Divisions operate with a large degree of autonomy, being responsible for their own branch network, membership recruitment, subscription levels, conference and lecture programmes. Specialist Groups covering all facets of the aerospace industry exist under the overall umbrella of the Society, with the aim of serving the interests of both enthusiasts and industry professionals. The Groups' remit is to consider significant developments in their field, and they attempt to achieve this through their conferences and lectures, with the intention of stimulating debate and facilitating action on key industry issues in order to reflect and respond to the constant innovation and progress in aviation. The Groups also act as focal points for all enquiries to the Society concerning their specialist subject matter, forming a crucial interface between the Society and the world in general. As of September 2013, the Specialist Group committees are as follows: Aerodynamics, Aerospace Medicine, Air Power, Air Law, Air Transport, Airworthiness & Maintenance, Avionics & Systems, Environment, Flight Operations, Flight Simulation, Flight Test, General Aviation, Greener by Design, Historical, Human Factors, Human Powered Flight, Propulsion, Rotorcraft, Space, Structures & Materials, UAS, Weapons Systems & Technologies, and Women in Aviation & Aerospace. In 2009, the Royal Aeronautical Society formed a group of experts to document how to better simulate aircraft upset conditions, and thus improve training programs.

History

The Society was founded in January 1866 with the name "The Aeronautical Society of Great Britain" and is the oldest aeronautical society in the world. Early or founding members included James Glaisher, Francis Wenham, the Duke of Argyll, and Frederick Brearey. In the first year, there were 65 members, at the end of the second year, 91 members, and in the third year, 106 members. Annual reports were produced in the first decades. In 1868 the Society held a major exhibition at London's Crystal Palace with 78 entries.

John Stringfellow John Stringfellow (1799 – 13 December 1883) was a British early aeronautical inventor, known for his work on the aerial steam carriage with William Samuel Henson. Life Stringfellow was born in Attercliffe, England to Martha ée Gil ...

's steam engine was shown there. The Society sponsored the first wind tunnel in 1870-71, designed by Wenham and Browning. In 1918, the organization's name was changed to the Royal Aeronautical Society. In 1923 its principal journal was renamed from ''The Aeronautical Journal'' to ''The Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society'' and in 1927 the ''Institution of Aeronautical Engineers Journal'' was merged into it. In 1940, the RAeS responded to the wartime need to expand the aircraft industry. The Society established a Technical Department to bring together the best available knowledge and present it in an authoritative and accessible form – a working tool for engineers who might come from other industries and lack the specialised knowledge required for aircraft design. This technical department became known as the Engineering Sciences Data Unit (ESDU) and eventually became a separate entity in the 1980s. In 1987 the ' Society of Licensed Aircraft Engineers and Technologists', previously called the 'Society of Licensed Aircraft Engineers' was incorporated into the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Presidents

The following have served as President of the Royal Aeronautical Society: *1886-95 George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll *1895-00 (None) *1900–07 B. Baden-Powell *1907-08 (None) *1908–11 E. P. Frost *1911–19 (None) *1919–26 William Weir, 1st Viscount Weir *1926-27 Air Vice Marshal Sir William Sefton Brancker *1927-30 W Forbes-Sempill *1930–34 C. R. Fairey *1934–36 J. Moore-Brabazon *1936–38

H. E. Wimperis Harry Egerton Wimperis Wh.Sch (27 August 1876 – 16 July 1960) was a British aeronautical engineer who acted as the Director of Scientific Research at the UK's Air Ministry prior to World War II. He is best known for his role in setting up ...

*1938–40 R. Fedden *1940–42 G. Brewer *1942–44 A. Gouge *1944-45 Sir

Roy Fedden Sir Alfred Hubert Roy Fedden MBE, FRAeS (6 June 1885 – 21 November 1973) was an engineer who designed most of Bristol Engine Company's successful piston aircraft engine designs. Early life Fedden was born in the Bristol area to fairly weal ...

*1945–47 F. H. Page *1947–49

H. R. Cox Herald Rea Cox (1907–1986) was an American bacteriologist. The bacterial family Coxiellaceae and the genus '' Coxiella'', which include the organism that causes Q fever, are named after him. Biography Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, he gradua ...

*1949–50 J. Buchanan *1950-51 G. P. Bulman *1951–52 F. B. Halford *1952–53 G. Dowty *1953–54 Sir William Farren *1954–55 S. Camm *1955–56

N. E. Rowe N is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet. N or n may also refer to: Mathematics * \mathbb, the set of natural numbers * N, the field norm * N for ''nullae'', a rare Roman numeral for zero * n, the size of a statistical sample S ...

*1956–57 E. T. Jones *1957–58 G. R. Edwards *1958–59 A. A. Hall *1959–60 P. G. Masefield *1960–61 E. S. Moult *1961–62 R. O. Jones *1962–63 B. S. Shenstone *1963–64 A. R. Collar *1964-65 H.H Gardner *1965-66 Sir George Gardner *1966-

Honorary President A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from El ...

*1966-67

A.D Baxter The terms (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term is Medieval Latin and means 'in the year of the Lord', but is often presented using "our Lord" instead of "the Lord", t ...

*1967-68 M.B Morgan *1968–69

David Keith-Lucas David Keith-Lucas (25 March 1911 – 6 April 1997) was a British aeronautical engineer. Early life David Keith-Lucas was one of the sons of Alys Hubbard Lucas and Keith Lucas, who invented the first aeronautical compass. After the death of K ...

*1969–70 F. R. Banks *1970–71 Air Commodore J.R Morgan *1971-72 S.D Davies *1972-73 K.G Wilkinson *1973-74 Dr G.S Hislop *1974-75 B.P Laight *1975-76 Air Marshal Sir Charles Pringle *1976-77 C. Abell *1977-78

Handel Davies George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training ...

*1978-79 Professor L.F Crabtree *1979-80 R.P Probert *1980-81 P.A Hearne *1981-82 J.T Stamper *1982-83 Captain E.M Brown *1983-84 Professor M.G Farley *1984–85

Geoffrey Pardoe Geoffrey Keith Charles Pardoe OBE FREng FRAeS FBIS (2 November 1928 – 3 January 1996) was the project manager for the Blue Streak ballistic missile programme. He was also an advocate for British advanced science and technology, and involv ...

*1985–86 Thomas Kerr *1986–87

John Fozard John William Fozard, (16 January 1928 – 17 July 1996) was a British aeronautical engineer who helped to design the Hawker Siddeley Harrier. Early life John Fozard was born on 16 January 1928 at 21 Home Street, Millbridge Liversege, (Heckmon ...

*1987–88

John Stollery Professor John Leslie Stollery, (21 April 1930 – 28 June 2013) was a British engineer and academic. He was Professor of Aerodynamics at Cranfield University. He served as president of the Royal Aeronautical Society from 1987 to 1988 and Editor- ...

*1988–89 Dr P.H Calder *1989–90 Dr

H. Metcalfe H is the eighth letter of the Latin alphabet. H may also refer to: Musical symbols * H number, Harry Halbreich reference mechanism for music by Honegger and Martinů * H, B (musical note) * H, B major People * H. (noble) (died after 1279 ...

*1990–91 G.C Howell *1991–92 G.M McCoombe *1992–93 Air Marshal Sir

Frank Holroyd Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curr ...

*1993–94 Dr G.G Pope *1994–95 Sir C.B.G Masefield *1995–96 Sir

Donald Spiers Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Goidelic languages, Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic language, Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is part ...

*1996–97 Professor

John Green John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American author, YouTube content creator, podcaster, and philanthropist. His books have more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, including '' The Fault in Our Stars'' (2012), which is ...

*1997–98

Stewart M John Stewart may refer to: People *Stewart (name), Scottish surname and given name *Clan Stewart, a Scottish clan * Clan Stewart of Appin, a Scottish clan Places Canada *Stewart, British Columbia *Stewart Township, Nipissing District, Ontario (histo ...

*1998–99 Captain W.D Lowe *1999–00 Lanthony Edwards *2000–01

Trevor Trueman Trevor ( Trefor in the Welsh language) is a common given name or surname of Welsh origin. It is an habitational name, deriving from the Welsh ''tre(f)'', meaning "homestead", or "settlement" and ''fawr'', meaning "large, big". The Cornish lan ...

*2001–02 Professor

Ian Poll Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in S ...

*2002–03

Lee Balthazor Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese s ...

*2003–04 Air Marshal Sir

Peter Norriss Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a ...

*2004–05

Roland Fairfield Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

*2005–06 Air Marshal Sir Colin Terry *2006–07

Gordon F. Page Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

*2007–08 David Marshall *2008–09 Captain David Rowland *2009–10 Dr. Mike Steeden *2010–11

Air Vice-Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

David Couzens *2011–12 Lee Balthazor *2012–13 Phil Boyle *2013–14 Jenny Body *2014–15 Air Commodore Bill Tyack *2015–16 Martin Broadhurst *2016 Honorary President

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

*2016–17 Professor Chris Atkin *2017–18

Sir Stephen Dalton FRAeS ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

*2018–19 Rear Adm

Simon Henley Rear Admiral Simon Henley FRAeS (born 1 March 1957) is a former Royal Navy officer, and a former President of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Early life He attended Collyer’s Grammar School (since 1976 The College of Richard Collyer from 1969– ...

CEng FRAeS *2019–21 Professor Jonathan Cooper *2021–22 Howard Nye MInstP FRAeS *2022–23 Air Cdre Peter Round FRAeS

Chief Executives

Keith Mans Keith Douglas Rowland Mans, (born 10 February 1946), British Conservative Party politician. Mans was Member of Parliament (MP) for Wyre from the 1987 general election until the seat was abolished by boundary changes for the 1997 general elec ...

was chief executive from 1998-2009 * Simon Luxmoore was chief executive from 2009-2018 * Sir

Brian Burridge Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Kevin Burridge, (born 26 September 1949) is a retired Royal Air Force officer. A former Nimrod pilot, Burridge was in overall command of British forces under Operation Telic during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. RAF car ...

CBE FRAeS, from 1 October 2018 * David Edwards FRAeS, from 1 October 2021

Medals and awards

In addition to the award of Fellowship of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS), the Society awards several other

medals A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

and prizes. These include its Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals. The very first gold medal was awarded in 1909 to the Wright Brothers. Although it is unusual for more than one medal (in each of the three grades) to be awarded annually, since 2004 the Society has also periodically awarded team medals (Gold, Silver, and Bronze) for exceptional or groundbreaking teamwork in aeronautical research and development. Others awarded have included the R. P. Alston Memorial Prize for developments in flight-testing, the Edward Busk prize for applied aerodynamics, the Wakefield Medal for advances in aviation safety, and an Orville Wright Prize. Honorary Fellowships and Honorary Companionships are awarded as well. The Sir Robert Hardingham Sword The Sir Robert Hardingham Sword is awarded in recognition of outstanding service to the RAeS by a member of the Society. Nominally an annual award, in practice the award is only made about one year in two.

Notable Medal recipients

Notable Gold Medal recipients include: * 1909 - Wilbur and Orville Wright * 1910 -

Octave Chanute Octave Chanute (February 18, 1832 – November 23, 1910) was a French-American civil engineer and aviation pioneer. He provided many budding enthusiasts, including the Wright brothers, with help and advice, and helped to publicize their flying ...

* 1945 - Air Cdre

Frank Whittle Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, (1 June 1907 – 8 August 1996) was an English engineer, inventor and Royal Air Force (RAF) air officer. He is credited with inventing the turbojet engine. A patent was submitted by Maxime Guillaume in 1921 f ...

* 1950 - Sir

Geoffrey de Havilland Captain Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, (27 July 1882 – 21 May 1965) was an English aviation pioneer and aerospace engineer. The aircraft company he founded produced the Mosquito, which has been considered the most versatile warplane ever built, ...

* 1955 -

Ernest Hives, 1st Baron Hives Ernest Walter Hives, 1st Baron Hives (21 April 1886 – 24 April 1965), was the one-time head of the Rolls-Royce Aero Engine division and chairman of Rolls-Royce Ltd. Hives was born in Reading, Berkshire to John and Mary Hives, living at 31 C ...

* 1958 -

Sydney Camm Sir Sydney Camm, CBE, FRAeS (5 August 189312 March 1966) was an English aeronautical engineer who contributed to many Hawker aircraft designs, from the biplanes of the 1920s to jet fighters. One particularly notable aircraft he designed was ...

* 1959 -

Marcel Dassault Marcel Dassault (born Marcel Ferdinand Bloch; 23 January 1892 – 17 April 1986) was a French engineer and industrialist who spent his career in aircraft manufacturing. Early life and education Born on 23 January 1892 in Paris, he was the young ...

* 1960 - Sir

Frederick Handley Page Sir Frederick Handley Page, CBE, FRAeS (15 November 1885 – 21 April 1962) was an English industrialist who was a pioneer in the aircraft industry and became known as the father of the heavy bomber. His company Handley Page Limited wa ...

* 1977 - George Lee * 1983 -

Geoffrey Lilley Geoffrey Michael Lilley (16 November 1919 – 20 September 2015) was an aeronautical scientist known for his work on jet engine noise reduction. His pioneering work led to him being known as the 'father of aeroacoustics', and he played a key ro ...

*1993 -

Reimar Horten Walter Horten (born 13 November 1913 in Bonn; died 9 December 1998 in Baden-Baden, Germany) and Reimar Horten (born 12 March 1915 in Bonn; died 14 March 1994 in Villa General Belgrano, Argentina), sometimes credited as the Horten Brothers, were ...

* 2012 -

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a business magnate and investor. He is the founder, CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX; angel investor, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; owner and CEO of Twitter, Inc.; founder of The ...

Honorary Fellows

* 1950 Sir Thomas Sopwith * 1953 The Duke of Edinburgh * 1954 Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle * 1957

The Prince of The Netherlands ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

* 1959 Professor J. Ackeret * 1960 Sir George Edwards * 1962 N. E. Rowe * 1963 Sir Alfred Pugsley * 1964 Sir Denning Pearson * 1965 Sir Arnold Hall * 1969 Dr R. R. Gilruth * 1969

Lord Kings Norton Harold Roxbee Cox, Baron Kings Norton (6 June 1902 – 21 December 1997) was a British aeronautical engineer. He was notable for his contributions to British industry, particularly aeronautical engineering, and for his part in the establishment ...

* 1969 Sir Archibald Russell * 1970 Sir Robert Cockburn * 1971 Professor Sydney Goldstein * 1974 S. D. Davies * 1975 C. Abell * 1975 H. A. L. Ziegler * 1976 Sir Keith Granville * 1977 Sir William Hawthorne * 1978

The Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

* 1978 Dr O. Nagano * 1978 Dr W. Tye * 1979 Professor D. Keith-Lucas * 1980 E. H. Heinemann * 1980 Sir Frederick Page * 1980 Sir Peter Masefield * 1981 Sir Robert Hunt * 1982 H. Davies * 1983 Dr G. S. Hislop * 1983 Professor Dipl-Ing G. Madelung * 1983 R. H. Beteille * 1984 J. T. Stamper * 1984 Professor A. D. Young * 1984 Sir Philip Foreman * 1985 J. F. Sutter * 1985

King Hussein of Jordan Hussein bin Talal ( ar, الحسين بن طلال, ''Al-Ḥusayn ibn Ṭalāl''; 14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until Death and state funeral of King Hussein, his death in 1999. As a member of the ...

* 1985 Sir Roy Sisson * 1986 Professor J. H. Argyris * 1986 Dr K. G. Wilkinson * 1987 F. Cereti * 1988 Professor H. Ashley * 1988 G. P. Dollimore * 1989 Admiral Sir Raymond Lygo * 1989 Air Marshal Sir Charles Pringle * 1989 F. d' Allest * 1990 P. A. Hearne * 1990 Sir

James Lighthill Sir Michael James Lighthill (23 January 1924 – 17 July 1998) was a British applied mathematician, known for his pioneering work in the field of aeroacoustics and for writing the Lighthill report on artificial intelligence. Biography ...

* 1991 Sir Ralph Robins * 1992 Professor Em Dr-Ing K. H. Doetsch * 1992 Sir John Charnley * 1992 G. H. Lee * 1993

The Duke of Kent Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of King George V. Since 1942, the title has been held by Prince Edward ...

* 1993 Professor Dr.-Ing. B. J. Habibie * 1993 R. W. Howard * 1994

Baroness Platt of Writtle Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or k ...

* 1994

Lord Tombs of Brailes Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or a ...

* 1994 S. Gillibrand * 1995 C. H. Kaman * 1995 Professor J. L. Stollery * 1995 R. W. R. McNulty * 1996 P. M. Condit * 1996 Sir Richard H. Evans * 1997 J. Pierson * 1997 N. Augustine * 1997 J. Cunningham * 1998 M. Flanagan * 1998 R. Belyakov * 1998 R. Yates * 1998 S. Ajaz Ali * 1999 A. Caporaletti * 1999 D. Burrell * 2000 N. Barber * 2000 Professor Ing E. Vallerani * 2000 R. Collette * 2000 Sir Donald Spiers * 2001 A. Welch OBE * 2001 Dr B. Halse * 2001 J. Bechat * 2001 Sir Arthur Marshall OBE * 2002 A Mulally * 2003 P Ruffles * 2003 Prof. Sir John Horlock * 2003 J. Thomas * 2004 Captain Eric Brown * 2005 Sir Michael Cobham * 2006 General Charles E. Yeager * 2006 Air Vice-Marshal Professor R.A. Mason * 2008 Professor Beric Skews * 2009 William Kenneth Maciver CBE * 2009 Gordon Page CBE * 2012 Ing S Pancotti * 2012 Professor M Gaster * 2013 Professor K Ridgway CBE * 2013 Professor R J Stalker * 2014 C P Smith CBE * 2014 Professor B Cheng * 2014 J-P Herteman * 2015 Professor Sir Martin Sweeting OBE * 2015 J-J Dordain * 2015 Professor R K Agarwal * 2016 P Fabre * 2016 Sir Michael Marshall CBE * 2016 Major T N Peake CMG * 2016 Dr D W Richardson * 2016 M J Ryan CBE * 2017 Professor R Bor * 2018 Major General

Desmond Barker Desmond Barker (25 August 1949 – 15 March 2021) was a South African Air Force officer. His air force career spanned over four decades including time as the SAAF's Chief Test Pilot, air attaché in London, air base commander, and a member of i ...

* 2018 M Bryson CBE * 2018 F R Donaldson * 2018 Colonel J W Kittinger Jr * 2019 Dr

G. Satheesh Reddy G. Satheesh Reddy is the Scientific Adviser to Raksha Mantri, which spearheads India's indigenous development of defence systems and technologies. He guides the development of major programmes on missiles and strategic systems, fighter aircra ...

Honorary Companions

* 1961 Sir John Toothill * 1963 Lord Wilberforce * 1965 L. A. Wingfield * 1966 J. Davison * 1973 Lord Elworthy * 1975 H. Kremer * 1975 Sir R. Verdon-Smith * 1978 J. R. Stainton * 1979

Lord Keith of Castleacre Kenneth Alexander Keith, Baron Keith of Castleacre (30 August 1916 – 1 September 2004) was a British businessman and banker. Keith was invested as a Knight in 1969Charles Mosley, editor, ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage,'' 107th edi ...

* 1980 Sir Arthur Marshall * 1982 Sir Douglas Lowe * 1983 L. C. Hunting * 1985 Lord King of Wartnaby * 1985 F. A. A. Wootton * 1986 G. Pattie * 1987 Sir Norman Payne * 1988 Sir Colin Marshall * 1989 Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Harding * 1989 M. D. Bishop * 1990 T. Mayer * 1991 R. F. Baxter * 1991 Sir Adrian Swire * 1992 Dr T. A. Ryan * 1993 Sir

Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields. Branson expresse ...

* 1994 Professor C. J. Pennycuick * 1995 Air Marshal M. Nur Khan * 1996 Sir Neil Cossons * 1997 A. J. Goldman * 1997 R. D. Lapthorne * 1998 P. Martin * 1999 Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan * 2000 Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum * 2002 J Travolta * 2002 R Turnill * 2003 Dr C C Kong * 2010 Giovanni Bisignani * 2015 David Bent

Named Lectures

Henson & Stringfellow Lecture and Dinner

The annual Henson & Stringfellow Lecture and Dinner is hosted yearly by the Yeovil Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society, held at Westland Leisure Complex, and is a key social and networking event of the Yeovil lecture season. It is a black tie event attracting over 200 guests drawn from all sectors of the aerospace community.

created, alongside

William Samuel Henson William Samuel Henson (3 May 1812 – 22 March 1888) was a British-born pre- Wright brothers aviation pioneer, engineer and inventor. He is best known for his work on the aerial steam carriage alongside John Stringfellow. Biography Henson ...

, the first powered flight aircraft, developed in

Chard, Somerset Chard is a town and a civil parish in the English county of Somerset. It lies on the A30 road near the Devon and Dorset borders, south west of Yeovil. The parish has a population of approximately 13,000 and, at an elevation of , Chard is the ...

, which flew unmanned in 1848, 63 years prior to brothers Wilbur & Orville Wrights' flight.

Wilbur & Orville Wright Named Lecture

The Wilbur & Orville Wright Named Lecture was established in 1911 to honour the Wright brothers, the successful and experienced mechanical engineers who completed the first successful controlled powered flight on 17 December 1903. The Wilbur & Orville Wright Lecture is the principal event in the Society’s year, given by distinguished members of the US and UK aerospace communities. The 99th Lecture was given by

Piers Sellers Piers John Sellers (11 April 1955 – 23 December 2016) was a British-American meteorologist, NASA astronaut and Director of the Earth Science Division at NASA/GSFC. He was a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions. Sellers attended Cranbro ...

, astronaut, on 9 December 2010 at the Society's Headquarters in London. The 100th Lecture was given by

Suzanna Darcy-Henneman Suzanna Darcy-Henneman (some sources say her name is Susan Darcy) is a Boeing test pilot and lead test pilot of Boeing 777 program. She was a pilot of a record-breaking 21,602.22 km flight from Hong Kong to London over the Pacific Ocean, Am ...

, Chief Pilot & Director of Training,

Boeing Commercial Airplanes Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) is a division of The Boeing Company. It designs, assembles, markets, and sells jet airliners and business jets (Boeing Business Jets), and also provides product-related maintenance and training to customers w ...

, on 8 December 2011. The 101st Lecture was given by Tony Parasida, corporate vice president,

The Boeing Company The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...

, on 20 December 2012. The 102nd Lecture was given by

Thomas Enders Thomas Ostrom Enders (November 28, 1931 – March 17, 1996) was an American diplomat. His father, Ostrom Enders, was president of the Hartford National Bank, and his uncle, John Franklin Enders, was the 1954 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Med ...

, CEO of

EADS Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...

, on 12 December 2013. The 103rd Lecture was given by Patrick M Dewar, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin International in December 2014. The 104th Lecture was given by Nigel Whitehead, Group Managing Director – Programmes and Support, BAE Systems plc in December 2015. The 105th Lecture was given by ACM Sir Stephen Hillier, Chief of the Air Staff,

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

on 6 December 2016. The 106th Lecture was given by Martin Rolfe, chief executive officer, NATS on 5 December 2017. The 107th Lecture was given by

Leanne Caret Leanne Caret (born 18 November 1966) is an American businesswoman, former president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS), former executive vice president of Boeing, and serves on the United Service Organizations (USO) board of go ...

, Vice President,

and President & CEO,

Boeing Defense, Space & Security Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) is a division (business unit) of The Boeing Company based in Arlington, Virginia. It is responsible for defense and aerospace products and services. It was formerly known as Boeing Integrated Defense System ...

on 4 December 2018. The 108th Lecture was given by David Mackay FRAeS, Chief Pilot, Virgin Galactic on 10 December 2019.

Amy Johnson Named Lecture

The Amy Johnson Named Lecture was inaugurated in 2011 by the Royal Aeronautical Society's Women in Aviation and Aerospace Committee to celebrate a century of women in flight and to honour Britain's most famous woman aviator. The Lecture is held on or close to 6 July every year to mark the date in 1929 when

Amy Johnson Amy Johnson (born 1 July 1903 – disappeared 5 January 1941) was a pioneering English pilot who was the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia. Flying solo or with her husband, Jim Mollison, she set many long-distance records du ...

was awarded her pilot’s licence. The Lecture is intended to tackle serious issues of interest to a wide audience, not just women. High-profile women from industry are asked to lecture on a topic that speaks of future challenges of interest to everyone.

Carolyn McCall Dame Carolyn Julia McCall (born 13 September 1961) is a British businesswoman of Scottish and Irish descent. She has been the chief executive of ITV since 2018. She previously served as the chief executive of easyJet from 2010 to 2017. Ear ...

, chief executive of

EasyJet EasyJet plc (styled as easyJet) is a British multinational low-cost airline group headquartered at London Luton Airport. It operates domestic and international scheduled services on 927 routes in more than 34 countries via its affiliate airli ...

, delivered the Inaugural Lecture on 6 July 2011 at the Society's Headquarters in London. The second Amy Johnson Named Lecture was delivered by Marion C. Blakey, president and chief executive of

Aerospace Industries Association The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) is an American trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of civil, military, and business aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, space systems, aircraft engines, missiles, material, and related ...

(AIA), on 5 July 2012. The third Lecture was delivered by Gretchen Haskins, former Group Director of the Safety Regulation Group of the UK

Civil Aviation Authority A civil aviation authority (CAA) is a national or supranational statutory authority that oversees the regulation of civil aviation, including the maintenance of an aircraft register. Role Due to the inherent dangers in the use of flight vehicles ...

(CAA), on 8 July 2013. In 2017, Katherine Bennett OBE FRAeS, Senior Vice President Public Affairs,

Airbus Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...

gave the Amy Johnson Lecture and in 2018 Air Vice-Marshal Sue Gray, CB, OBE from the

gave the Amy Johnson Lecture in honour of the 100th anniversary of the RAF.

Sopwith Named Lecture

The Sopwith Lecture was established in 1990 to honour Sir Thomas Sopwith CBE, Hon FRAeS. In the years prior to World War I, Sopwith became England’s premier aviator and established the first authoritative test pilot school in the world. He also founded England’s first major flight school. Between 1912 and 1920 Sopwith’s Company produced over 16,000 aircraft of 60 types. In 2017 the lecture was delivered by Tony Wood, chief operating officer of

Meggitt PLC Parker Meggitt (formerly Meggitt plc) is a British international company specialising in components and sub-systems for the aerospace, defence and selected energy markets. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the ...

. In 2018 the lecture was delivered by Group Captain Ian Townsend ADC MA RAF, Station Commander,

RAF Marham RAF Marham is a Royal Air Force station and military airbase near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia. It is home to No. 138 Expeditionary Air Wing (138 EAW) and, as such, is one of the RAF's "Main Operating ...

. In 2019 the lecture was delivered by Billie Flynn, F-35 Lightning II Test Pilot, Lockheed Martin. In 2020 the lecture was delivered online by Dirk Hoke, CEO,

Airbus Defence & Space Airbus Defence and Space is the division of Airbus SE responsible for the development and manufacturing of the corporation's defence and space products, while also providing related services. The division was formed in January 2014 during the ...

In Popular Culture

The July 18th.,1975 edition of the society's Journal included the first use of the misattributed term, "

Beam Me Up, Scotty "Beam me up, Scotty" is a catchphrase and misquotation that made its way into popular culture from the science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Original Series''. It comes from the command Captain Kirk gives his chief engineer, Mo ...

", in a sentence, viz:"...in a sort of, 'Beam me up, Scotty', routine".

References

Video clips

Aero Society YouTube channel

RAeS Careers
{{Authority control 1866 establishments in the United Kingdom Aerospace engineering organizations Aeronautics organizations Aviation organisations based in the United Kingdom ECUK Licensed Members Learned societies of the United Kingdom Organisations based in London with royal patronage Organisations based in the City of Westminster Organizations established in 1866

Aeronautical Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of air flight–capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. The British Royal Aeronautical Society identifies ...

Science and technology in the United Kingdom