October 1st, 2009 | "Integration of UAVs into the National Airspace System: Opportunities and Challenges" . The panel will consist of senior officers of the CBP, FAA, AUVSI, and Industry.

• FAA -- John Allan
• U.S. Customs & Border Protection – CBP Air and Marine Assistant Commissioner Michael C. Kostelnik (Major General, USAF, RET)
• Northrup Grumman -- Carl Mikeman, Senior Systems Physicist, Northrop Grumman Unmanned Systems and lead for integration of UAVs into the airspace

Reception: 6 PM; Presentation: 7 PM

British Embassy

More information will be posted in early September

“The National Air and Space Museum – America’s Hangar”

General Jack Dailey, USMC (Retd), Director of the National Air and Space Museum.

“The Collection and Restoration of a Unique Group of Airplanes and Spacecraft that together tell the story of aviation”

Wednesday 20 May 2009 Reception: 6 PM ; Presentation: 7 PM British Embassy

THE HELICOPTER – THINKING FORWARD, LOOKING BACK

Wednesday 15 April, 2009 , Rotunda, Kim Engineering Building, University of Maryland, College Park. Dr J. Gordon Leishman, PhD, DSc, FRAeS, Minta Martin Professor of Engineering, University of Maryland , College Park

A former aerodynamicist at Westland Helicopters, Dr. Leishman, the author of two books, has written extensively on topics on helicopter aerodynamics and helicopter technology. Dr. Leishman is a Technical Fellow of the American Helicopter Society, a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The Washington Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society in conjunction with the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Maryland provided a very interesting lecture on the design and development of the helicopter over the years and the challenges faced in the future to realize increased levels of capability. SLIDES

Royal Aeronautical Society, Washington Branch Panel discussion and AGM, Wednesday, 4 February, 2009 .

The members of the panel were:-

• Amb. Ed Stimpson (former US representative at ICAO and currently Chairman of the Flight Safety Foundation) who will moderate the discussion
• Nick Sabatini, just retired as Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety at the FAA
• Stephen McHale (former Deputy Administrator at the Transportation Security Administration and now in private law practice)
• Clive Wright, First Secretary (Transport Policy) at the British Embassy, Washington
• Douglas Lavin, IATA's representative here in Washington

The general theme of discussion was:-

"An Era of Change" "The possible effects of the present economic climate on the future development of Trans-Atlantic aviation as it relates to environment, safety, security and customer service."

The Panel discussion sponsored by COBHAM North America.

The AGM took place after the panel discussion.

Thursday, November 6, 2008 Sponsored By Rolls-Royce Na “Flying Higher And Faster: Hypersonic Flight For Military Applications And Beyond”

RAeS Washington Branch Lecture Meeting 22nd May 2008. – “The A380 Flight Test and Certification Programme”

RAeS Washington Branch Chairman Barry Eccleston (left), Fernando Alonso (center), and RAeS Washington Branch Vice Chair Bob Francis (right).

At the Meeting held at the British Embassy 22 May, the Head of Airbus Flight Operations, Mr. Fernando Alonso, gave a presentation entitled: “The A380 Flight Test and Certification Programme”. Mr. Alonso spoke to the great amount of care and work that had gone into the computational aerodynamic modeling and wind tunnel testing for the A380. This resulted in an uneventful first flight that matched the modeling almost exactly. Later Mr. Alonso showed several dramatic videos of maximum weight take-off aborts, cross-wind landings, and the emergency disembarking of 873 passengers in 83 seconds. Other aspects addressed included icing trials, noise footprint and wake turbulence. The lecture provided a clear insight into the many areas required for A380 certification and was enjoyed by some sixty attendees.

RAeS Washington Branch Lecture Meeting 9th April 2008. – “The Link Legacy”

Mr. Bruce Whitman, President and CEO of FlightSafety International

The Washington Branch hosted the annual ( UK ) RAeS “Link Lecture” for 2008 at the British Embassy on 9 April. The presenter was Mr. Bruce Whitman President and CEO of FlightSafety International. The attendance at the meeting included representatives from: the Edwin Link Foundation, FlightSafety International, the RAeS Flight Simulation Group, and L-3 Communications.

Mr. Whitman commenced his lecture with a short history of “the Blue Box” - the flight trainer that Edwin Link (born in 1904) invented in his twenties. The mechanical design and air power derived from the knowledge gained from his father’s company which built pianos and pipe organs. Later, in order to gain a foothold in aviation training, Ed Link started the Link Flying School . Bruce Whitman spoke to his association with Ed Link’s Company in that he was asked to join FlightSafety International in 1961 which was (and is) using a large number of Link Trainers. The Company flourished and it was soon realized that type-specific trainers would be required and designs reflecting specific aircraft were manufactured. Digital systems were later introduced allowing far broader functions to be realized.

Mr. Whitman stated that over 75,000 aviation professionals would be trained at FlightSafety International this year which will result in near a million flight simulator hours world wide. The aircraft simulator is now the sine qua non of flight training – increasing realism, reducing actual flight hours, enhancing safety, and providing global flexibility - a true tribute to Edwin Link’s vision, pioneering spirit, and passion for aviation.

Winter Lecture - December 6th, 2007: “Aviation and Public Policy - Fresh Challenges” Thursday, December 6th

AVIATION AT THE CROSSROADS - A TRANSATLANTIC PERSPECTIVE October 11th

David Marshall, CBE , MA , CEng, FRAeS, President of the Royal Aeronautical Society

David Marshall of the RAeS provided a stimulating discussion exploring similarities, contrasts and shared responsibilities in defense and commercial aviation policy on both sides of the Atlantic . Mr. Marshall also examined whether trans-Atlantic relationships are truly up to the task of addressing such topical challenges as European environmental pressures.

Winter Lecture featuring The Honorable Marion C. Blakey, FAA Administrator and AGM February 20th, 2007

Summer Lecture - June 28th, 2006 - The Technology Behind JSF

A presentation on the development, significance and impact of the Joint Strike Fighter. The speaker was RADM Steven L. Enewold, USN, Program Executive Officer for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program.

A reception was held at 5.45 p.m. and hosted by Lockheed Martin preceded the lecture held at the Embassy of Australia, 1601 Massachusetts Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20036

Winter Lecture - February 23rd, 2006

The Washington Capital Branch held its Winter Lecture Meeting at the Canadian Embassy on February 23rd 2006.The Branch was fortunate, and honoured, to have as a speaker the US Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Aviation, LTGEN John Castellaw who gave a most informative and entertaining presentation on the requirement, development and fielding of this unique aircraft.

Although the gestation period stretched over several years, the aircraft is now in the field and even those in the audience close to military aviation could not but be impressed by the shots of fifteen V-22s landing in formation at MCAS New River.

The General made special emphasis on the tactical flexibility of the aircraft – particularly as compared with its predecessor in this role – the CH-53E – twice the speed and ten times the range.

Although the Marines will be the primary operator, significant numbers are being acquired by the US Navy and the USAF (for Special Operations). Major points were made on the aircrafts ruggedness, ability to take fire, duplicated systems, and twin engines providing a single-engine-out capability.

In all, it proved to be a most illuminating interactive presentation to an enthusiastic audience of approximately 85. The audience included several who had worked with John Castellaw in earlier days and who provided some insights and additional humour to an already lively presentation.

Apart from extensive thanks to General Castellaw, the Branch much appreciated the superb organization and the facilities provided by Canadian Embassy and staff, and to the Boeing Company for sponsoring this event. The Canadian Defence Attache, Colonel Paul Drover, welcomed the attendees; General Castellaw was introduced by our Vice-Chairman, the Honourable Bob Francis; and Air Commodore Phil Goodman, RAF, thanked the General and presented him with an RAeS tie.

Summer Lecture

General T. Michael Moseley Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force presented “The Air Logistic Support to Operation Iraqi Freedom” preceded by a reception hosted by Lockheed Martin. The event was held at the Australian Embassy

Spring Event - Lecture and Annual General Meeting – 6 April 2005

Lecture - Why Airbus and the A380 are good for the US Economy.

The evening event was held at a hotel just across from the White House in Washington DC - opened with a catered reception sponsored by Airbus. Stuart Matthews, the chairman of the RAeS Capital Branch was the host and introduced the speaker Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus North America.

McArtor commenced his very topical lecture with two key data points of 140,000 and 6.9 Bn. During 2004, Airbus spent some $6.9Bn with US suppliers that bought R&D and production on everything from landing gear, evacuation slides and engines to cargo door actuators, brakes, waste and water systems. These contracts were awarded in some 40 states supporting some 140, 000 US hi-value manufacturing jobs. McArtor commented that when Airbus looks for suppliers and business partners they look for the best – in quality, price, service and support. Competition amongst US companies for Airbus business is stiff and that translates into ever-greater quality and more competitive pricing. The Airbus procurement budget in the US is bigger than any other country – even Europe - with some 46% of Airbus aircraft related procurement coming from the US.

McArtor explained that Airbus opened an engineering facility in Wichita, Kansas and now employs more people than any other Airbus facility in the US. Why Wichita? – He exclaimed. As a percentage of the population, more people work in aerospace and aviation in Wichita than in any other city in the country – even Seattle. There are now 200 Airbus engineers working in Wichita and the number is growing, supporting more than 1,000 Airbus aircraft in North America.

He then spoke about the A380 - commenting that it does not have any competition - setting new standards in seat economics, fuel burn, comfort, technology, and environmental impact. He said that any airport in any part of the world that can handle a 747 could also handle an A380. What airports can't handle are more and more aircraft movements to deal with the predicted tripling of passengers over the next 20 years.

EADS North America is taking the lead in the up-coming competition for the USAF tanker - but Airbus is very much involved. In January the process began to select a US location for a KC-330 military tanker modification, a final assembly line and an aircraft engineering center. Requests for Information were sent to 50 states with information regarding site requirements. By the deadline last week some 68 submissions from 31 states had been received.

The Hon Robert Francis offered a vote of thanks.

Annual General Meeting

The inaugural Annual General Meeting approved the following proposals:

The Capital Branch Rules

The DRAFT Nominees slate plus Captain Linda Orlady

The Annual Capital Branch subscription of $25.00

Proposals for the 2006 lecture program were received from the floor.

General Jumper USAF chief delivers the Rolls-Royce Centennial Lecture

The Rolls-Royce Centennial Lecture was held at the British Embassy, Washington DC on 6 October. General John P Jumper, Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, was invited to deliver the lecture. He took as his subject “The USAF - A Vision for the Future”. The evening event commenced with a reception sponsored by Rolls-Royce North America.

The Chairman of the RAeS Capital Branch, Brian Miller introduced the evening and invited Stephen Plummer, Lt General USAF (retired) now a Senior Vice President at Rolls-Royce North America, to introduce General Jumper. Mr. Plummer's remarks included a backgrounder to the formation of the Rolls-Royce Company and the close interest that Charles Rolls took in the achievements of the Wright brothers. Rolls was tragically killed in 1910 whilst flying his French-built Wright aircraft - becoming the first Englishman to die in an air crash.

General Jumper introduced his subject by exploring the current global military threat environment and then detailed the USAF strategies and capabilities to counter and defeat them. There was emphasis on integrated networked systems including persistent Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). Novel ISR concepts are being explored including Lighter-Than-Air platforms carrying sensor payloads, originally developed for space applications. The platforms will be capable of staring at the terrain for weeks or even months at a time. The USAF interest in the Joint Strike Fighter STOVL variant was explored with the emphasis on short field performance rather than in the vertical flight regime. Finally the emergence of the UAV was addressed and the evolution of the UCAV presently characterized by the Predator B, boasting six weapon stations.

A vote of thanks was given by the President of the RAeS, Roland Fairfield who had traveled to Washington DC to specifically attend the event. In excess of 100 persons attended the event, including the UK Ambassador Sir David Manning, the President of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics Don Richardson, the Chairman of the Fight Safety Foundation Stewart Matthews, Air Attaches from several embassies and many personalities from the politico-defense industrial community within the Washington DC area.

Inaugural Lecture – January 2004

Air Marshal Glenn Torpy, Deputy Commander-In-Chief Headquarters Strike Command presented the inaugural lecture at the British Embassy on 13 January 2004 . As the UK Air Contingent Commander, he took as his subject, the UK contribution to Operation Iraqi Freedom. The lecture was preceded by a reception sponsored by BAE SYSTEMS.

Capital Branch Inauguration

The Capital Branch was inaugurated on 17 December 2003 , a momentous date in the annals of aviation history, as it was the centenary of manned flight by the Wright brothers.