Arthur’s highly successful career followed an unconventional path. He left school with a mix of GCEs, O Levels, and two A Levels, neither of which were Maths, but with plenty of practical know-how from his father. Describing himself as ‘vastly overconfident but vastly underqualified’, Arthur was unsure of his future until a careers adviser’s suggestion led him to Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) Farnborough. In 1975, Arthur joined the Engineering Physics (EP) Department as an Assistant Scienti...
Jan 14, 2026•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 30
In the latest podcast in the series from the Royal Aeronautical Society's monthly AEROSPACE magazine, Editor in Chief Tim Robinson and Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater analyse recent aviation, aerospace and space news - and preview the latest (January 2026) edition of the magazine. (Note podcast recorded in late December)
Jan 07, 2026•38 min•Ep. 32
John Romain MBE is a distinguished engineer, display pilot, and commercially successful aircraft restorer whose career has placed him at the forefront of historic aviation. He began his journey as a technician apprenticeship at Hawker Siddeley Dynamics and British Aerospace before helping restore Graham Warner’s Blenheim and founding the Aircraft Restoration Company, which now employs over seventy people working on the maintenance and restoration of classic aircraft. As a pilot, John has flown a...
Dec 16, 2025•58 min•Ep. 31
In the latest podcast in series from the Royal Aeronautical Society's monthly AEROSPACE magazine, Editor in Chief Tim Robinson, Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater and Features Editor Bella Richards analyse recent aviation, aerospace and space news - and preview the latest (December 2025) edition of the magazine. Meanwhile, Seth Moffat, Chair of the RAeS Flight Operations Group talks to ex-Emirates Airlines Divisional Senior Vice President Flight Operations, Capt Alan Stealey about the global carr...
Dec 02, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 29
Concorde Test pilot Alan Smith’s path to BAC took him to flying Meteors and Venoms for the RAF and a colourful life in the pilot’s seat for smaller airlines in the late 1950s and into the 1960s. In this first interview, Alan Smith shares how he discovered his passion for aviation and recounts the early years of his RAF flying career, leading to his transition into civil airlines and ultimately becoming a Concorde test pilot. Through his stories, he brings to life the excitement of flying a wide ...
Nov 25, 2025•49 min•Ep. 28
Rival stealth fighters, eVTOLs in the air display and the 40th anniversary of the global airline giant that is Emirates, make this year’s Dubai Airshow the most exciting yet. AEROSPACE Editor in Chief TIM ROBINSON FRAeS and Deputy Editor STEPHEN BRIDGEWATER FRAeS preview the show
Nov 14, 2025•35 min•Ep. 27
In the latest podcast in series from the Royal Aeronautical Society's monthly AEROSPACE magazine, Editor in Chief Tim Robinson, Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater and Features Editor Bella Richards analyse recent aviation, aerospace and space news - and preview the latest (November 2025) edition of the magazine. Plus in our regular Specialist Group Insight segment, the RAeS Flight Operations Group explore the art of fuel planning for airline pilots. Find out more at www.aerosociety.com
Nov 07, 2025•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 26
Philip Jarrett HonCRAeS is Britain’s foremost historian on the early days of aviation and spent his early career working on the production side for some of the most respected aviation titles such as the Aeroplane Monthly, Flight International, and the first days of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s AEROSPACE magazine. Philip takes us through how his love of aviation was kindled and encouraged by many of the great aviation historians, such as Charles Gibbs-Smith and the charismatic figures he enco...
Oct 15, 2025•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 25
In the latest podcast in series from the Royal Aeronautical Society's monthly AEROSPACE magazine, Editor in Chief Tim Robinson, Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater and Features Editor Bella Richards analyse recent aviation, aerospace and space news - and preview the latest (October 2025) edition of the magazine. Plus we chat to Chris Hunter from the RAeS Flight Simulation Group to find out about their upcoming conference. Find out more at www.aerosociety.com
Oct 03, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 24
In the latest podcast in series from the Royal Aeronautical Society's monthly AEROSPACE magazine, Editor in Chief Tim Robinson, Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater and Features Editor Jack Richardson analyse recent aviation, aerospace and space news - and preview the latest (September 2025) edition of the magazine.
Sep 01, 2025•58 min•Ep. 23
From working on the Miles Marathon and an early drone for ML Aviation to certifying the Boeing 747, Derek Ruben enjoyed a remarkable and distinguished career as an aeronautical engineer. Inspired as a schoolboy in the 1920s by the sight of airships over London and further encouraged in the 1930s by seeing Alan Cobham’s ‘Flying Circus’. Now 104 years old, Derek recalls starting aeronautical engineering degree in the first few months of the Second World War, and enjoying attending one of the earli...
Aug 20, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 22
In the latest podcast in series from the Royal Aeronautical Society's monthly AEROSPACE magazine, Editor in Chief Tim Robinson, Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater and Features Editor Jack Richardson analyse recent aviation, aerospace and space news - and preview the latest (August 2025) edition of the magazine. In this episode, in the Specialist Group Insight segment, Flight Operations Group Chair talks to Cap Nav Kainth - co-founder and CEO of Athera on the topic on mental health. Find out more ...
Aug 04, 2025•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 21
From British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and into BAE Systems (BAe), as one of BAe’s senior lawyers, Philip Riley FRAeS was well positioned to witness the people, the projects and the issues that shaped the British aircraft industry from the mid-1960s to the early years of the present century, living and breathing the roller coaster of amalgamations, nationalisations, mergers and privatisations that characterised the industry during those years. Philip relished the opportunity to travel the world...
Jul 23, 2025•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 20
After leaving Ferrari, Arthur struck-out on his own as an engineering consultant, with projects ranging from trolley buses in post-Cold War Hungary to designing MRI scanner beds and defence work. One of clients, St Bernard’s Composites, liked working with him so much that they offered him the role of Technical Director with a seat on the board. Arthur recalls some of the interesting projects St. Bernard’s did with the likes of Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Martin-Baker and Imperial College. Eur Ing Arthu...
Jun 24, 2025•49 min•Ep. 19
When John Barnard was tempted to join Ferrari there was only one man that he wanted to cook-up his carbon fibres and do the stressing – Arthur Webb. They had a year to create the Guildford Technical Office (GTO) before the car needed to reach the grid. Of course, Arthur also had to go to Maranello and get the thumbs up from the great man, Enzo Ferrari. Eur Ing Arthur Webb FRAeS was interviewed by Tony Pilmer FRAeS in 2025 as part of the Royal Aeronautical Society/National Aerospace Library’s ora...
Jun 24, 2025•21 min•Ep. 18
After not liking the way the nationalised BAC was going, Arthur Webb left Weybridge and headed to the small, secret and innovative special projects office of ML Aviation then onto Marconi Space. Here he tells us a little about working on drones, the JP233 anti-runway bomb for the Tornado, Skynet 4 and ESA’s Eureka project. Eur Ing Arthur Webb FRAeS was interviewed by Tony Pilmer FRAeS in 2024 as part of the Royal Aeronautical Society/National Aerospace Library’s oral history project ‘If I only d...
Jun 24, 2025•32 min•Ep. 17
In the latest podcast in series from the Royal Aeronautical Society's monthly AEROSPACE magazine, Editor in Chief Tim Robinson and Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater are joined by freelance author Charlotte Bailey to analyse recent aviation, aerospace and space news - and preview the latest (June 2025) edition of the magazine. In this episode, we also interview incoming RAeS President Alasdair Wood FRAeS. Find out more at www.aerosociety.com
Jun 10, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 16
When a young John Barnard was appointed as McLaren’s designer, he decided that carbon fibre was the future of Formula 1, but who should he ask to help him with his design? The answer was Arthur Webb of BAC. For a bit of fun in his own time, Arthur became McLaren’s unofficial carbon fibre consultant. Over the next few years, John and Arthur designed, tested and constructed the first carbon fibre shell of a Formula 1 car – a feet which not only made the car go faster, but saved drivers’ lives. Art...
May 28, 2025•15 min•Ep. 15
After marching up to the front gate of the BAC Weybridge factory and demanding to see the Chief Stressman, Arthur Webb was given the job of finding something useful to do with the new magic composite material discovered at the Royal Aircraft Establishment – carbon fibre. In this part of his oral history interview, Arthur explores how he led a team to design the first certified civil aircraft component for an aeroplane, a pair of load carrying rudder panels on a VC10, with no data, no experience ...
May 28, 2025•35 min•Ep. 14
Stressing the 3-spar wing Armstrong-Whitworth Series 220 Argosy and the massive Lockheed C5 Galaxy wings was a fascinating way for an aero engineer in his twenties and early thirties to begin his career. As well as describing the design challenges, including the Argosy’s early use of bonded composites, Arthur shares what it was like during the brain drain: firstly working on the Galaxy for a UK contractor, before then moving to the USA with his young family and experiencing the racial tensions o...
May 28, 2025•50 min•Ep. 13
In this podcast series from the Royal Aeronautical Society's monthly AEROSPACE magazine, Editor in Chief Tim Robinson, Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater and Features Editor, Jack Richardson analyse recent aviation, aerospace and space news - and preview the latest (May 2025) edition of the magazine. In this episode, we also interview outgoing RAeS President David Chinn FRAeS. Find out more at www.aerosociety.com
May 07, 2025•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 12
From the sonic booms of Concorde to the cockpits of fighter aircraft, noise has always been a problem for aviators. Dr Graham Rood spent a fascinating career reducing the negative effects of sound, including groundbreaking research into helmet-based noise cancelling systems, and, in retirement, has joined colleagues at the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust (FAST) to safeguard the legacy generations of aeronautical researchers who worked in the birthplace of British aviation. After receiving excelle...
Apr 16, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 11
Pat Pearce has enjoyed a truly remarkable 39-year career in aviation flying with BOAC and British Airways, beginning as a stewardess and rising to the position of Cabin Services Director. Her journey, which includes experience on aircraft ranging from the DC-3 to the Boeing 777, reflects the evolution of air travel over the decades. Among the many memorable moments from her time in the skies, Pat fondly recalls the honour of flying with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Equally remarkable – arguab...
Apr 16, 2025•34 min•Ep. 10
In this podcast series from the Royal Aeronautical Society's monthly AEROSPACE magazine, Editor in Chief Tim Robinson, Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater and Features Editor, Jack Richardson analyse recent aviation, aerospace and space news - and preview the latest (April 2025) edition of the magazine. In this episode, we also have the Specialist Group Insight with Seth Moffat, Chair of the RAeS Flight Operations Group and Robert Scott who discuss the recent Single Pilot Operations conference. (G...
Apr 04, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 9
Former Royal Aircraft Establishment Officer Dr Kit Mitchell gives a detailed account of his aeronautical career, describing the key challenges he overcame to improve various aircraft, from Concorde to his own light aircraft. He starts off with one of his early achievements whilst still at Cranfield University where he solved the Morane-Saulnier Paris jet trainer's elevator flutter issue, an accomplishment that earned him and his supervisor a celebratory lunch in the Bois de Boulogne. After gaini...
Mar 19, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 8
In this podcast series from the Royal Aeronautical Society's monthly AEROSPACE magazine, Editor in Chief Tim Robinson, Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater and Features Editor, Jack Richardson analyse recent aviation, aerospace and space news - and preview the latest (March 2025) edition of the magazine. In this episode, we also have the Specialist Group Insight with Seth Moffat, Chair of the RAeS Flight Operations Group along with Capt Kimberly Coryat, who discuss women in aviation, progress made ...
Mar 07, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 7
If you were to choose your desert island book from the shelves of the National Aerospace Library, what would you choose? For World Book Day, the National Aerospace Library asked aviation historian and academic Prof. Keith Hayward FRAeS, to do just that. Find out why he chose the unpublished memoirs of two of Britain's great aircraft designers: W.E.W. Petter and Sir Freddie Page.
Mar 06, 2025•6 min•Ep. 6
alta Mentoring is a free mentoring platform designed by women, for women working in the aerospace industry. alta users have access to training modules to support them in their mentoring journey. In this podcast, Prof. Susan Durbin, Alessandra Badino and Liz Mulhall discuss the latest module which is focused on Intersectionality.
Mar 04, 2025•40 min•Ep. 5
After their formal oral history interview, former MOD Director of Aircraft Sir Donald Spiers and former Royal Aircraft Establishment officer Roger Cansdale sat down to mull over the past and future of aviation. In their fascinating wide-ranging discussion, Roger and Donald swap stories on the closure of the RAE and its apprenticeship programme, successes of private venture aircraft, retiring at 60, dealing with interpreters, Donald’s national service, visiting Vietnam during the Vietnamese War, ...
Feb 24, 2025•40 min•Ep. 4
As well as working at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) for many years, Dr Kit Mitchell worked at what became the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) at various times from 1970 to 1994. During this part of the interview, Kit talks about his work researching public transport and the effects of transport policies and provision on different groups of people, including elderly and disabled people. As well as being the man behind ‘Dial-a-bus’, Kit regards his team’s work on British and later Eur...
Feb 19, 2025•28 min•Ep. 3
