| Royal Aeronautical Society | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | RAeS |
| Formation | January 1866 |
| Type | Professional institution |
| Legal status | Non-profit company |
| Location | No.4 Hamilton Place, Hyde Park Corner, London, W1J 7BQ |
| Region served | Worldwide |
| Chief Executive | Simon Luxmoore |
| Main organ | RAeS Board |
| Affiliations | Engineering Council |
| Website | RAeS |
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a multidisciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community.
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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.
Throughout the world's aerospace community the name of The Royal Aeronautical Society is widely known and respected. Many practitioners of aerospace disciplines use the Society's designatory post-nominals such as FRAeS, CRAeS, MRAeS, AMRAeS, and ARAeS (incorporating the former graduate grade, GradRAeS).
The staff of the Royal Aeronautical Society are based at the Society's headquarters at No.4 Hamilton Place, London, W1J 7BQ.[1] Although centred in the United Kingdom, the Royal Aeronautical Society is a worldwide society with an international network of 63 branches. The headquarters is on the north-east edge of Hyde Park Corner, with the nearest access being Hyde Park Corner tube station.
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 January 2011, the Branches are in: Adelaide; Auckland; Bedford; Belfast; Birmingham; Boscombe Down; Brisbane; Bristol; Brough; Brussels; Cambridge; Canberra; Cardiff; Chester; Christchurch; Christchurch, NZ; Coventry; Cranfield; Cranwell; Cyprus; Derby; Dublin; FAA Yeovilton; Farnborough; Gatwick; Gloucester and Cheltenham; Hamburg; Hamilton; Hatfield; Heathrow; Highland; Hong Kong; Isle of Man; Isle of Wight; Loughborough; Malaysia; Manchester; Marham; Medway; Melbourne; Montreal; Munich; Oxford; Palmerston North; Paris; Perth; Preston; Prestwick; Riyadh; Seattle; Singapore; Solent; Southend; Stevenage; Swindon; Sydney; Toulouse; UAE; Washington DC; Wellington; Weybridge; Xiamen; and Yeovil.
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 May 2009, the Specialist Group committees are as follows: Aerodynamics; Aerospace Medicine; Air Law; Air Power; Air Transport; Airworthiness & Maintenance; Avionics & Systems; Environment; Flight Operations; Flight Simulation; Flight Test; General Aviation; Historical; Human Factors; Human Powered; Licensed Engineers; Management Studies; Propulsion; Rotorcraft; Space; Structures & Materials; UAV; Weapons Systems & Technologies
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.[2]
The Society was founded in January, 1866 with the name The Aeronautical Society of Great Britain.
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.[3] 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's steam engine was shown there.[4][5][6] The Society sponsored the first wind tunnel in 1870-71, designed by Wenham and Browning.[7]
In 1918, the organization's name was changed to the Royal Aeronautical Society.[8] 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.[9]
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.
Keith Mans was Chief Executive from 1998-2009.
The Society awards a number of medals and prizes. These include its Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. Others awarded have included R. P. Alston Memorial Prize for developments in flight-testing, Edward Busk prize for applied aerodynamics, an Orville Wright Prize.[10] Honorary Fellowships 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.
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