Branch Lectures & Events

RAeS lecture in cooperation with DGLR, HAW-Hamburg & VDI

Describing the life of a Royal Air Force fighter pilot in the 1970s with a focus on the exciting job of chasing Soviet Tu-95 'Bear' long-range reconnaissance aircraft over the North Sea as they approached UK airspace.

In addition Nick will also talk shortly about his experiences flying the A340-600 and other Airbus aircraft

During a 19 year career in the RAF, Nick moved from the Phantom to the Hawk T1 trainer as an A1 fast jet Qualified Flying Instructor, then back to the Phantom to become a Qualified Weapons Instructor.  He then moved to Australia on an exchange tour flying the F/A 18 for the No 77 Sqn RAAF, and finally back to the UK to fly the Panavia F3 Tornado Air Defence Variant.

After obtaining his Air Transport Pilot’s Licence and leaving the military, Capt. Nick joined Virgin Atlantic Airways flying the Airbus A340-300, Airbus A340-600, and the Airbus A330-300 on long haul flights.

Listen to podcast with Nick Anderson

 Poster_2020_03_19_Chasing_Bears.pdf (160 KB)

RAeS Lecture in cooperation with DGLR, HAW-Hamburg & VDI

(Lecture in English. This lecture replaces the original planned lecture which has had to be cancelled)

The lecturer will describe the start of his career working at Avro in Canada and Boeing in Seattle before moving to France to work on the Concorde project.

He will discuss the reasons for Concorde’s unique shape giving examples of the design evolution and describe the powerplant installation with its complex control system.

He will conclude by discussing the post entry-into-service problems and end by showing the development potential of the basic Concorde design.

The lecture will give an insight into the methods used in the 1960’s to design this unique aircraft

 Poster_2020_04_02_Concorde_memories.pdf (151 KB)

DGLR lecture in cooperation with HAW Hamburg, RAeS Hamburg, VDI & ZAL

So alt wie die Raumfahrt ist die Idee von Raumfahrzeugen mit Flügeln für die Rückkehr nach ihrer Mission ins All. Vereinzelte Entwürfe benötigen Flügel auch für den Start. Insgesamt sollte damit eine Wiederverwendbarkeit von Raumflugkörpern etabliert werden. Allerdings erreichten zahlreiche Konzepte nie die Einsatzreife, obwohl z.B. das deutsche Transportsystem "Sänger" durchaus zukunftsträchtig erschien. Erfolgreich war hingegen der 30 Jahre lange Einsatz der Space Shuttles der NASA von 1981 bis 2011 als Multifunktions-Raumtransporter, welche u.a. zum Aufbau der Internationalen Raumstation ISS genutzt wurden. Für neue staatliche und private Raumfahrtprogramme kommt derzeit (z.B. für die X-37B) und künftig (z.B. für den "Dream Chaser" und die XS-1) auch wieder Shuttle-Technologie zur Anwendung.

Download poster

DGLR lecture in cooperation with HAW Hamburg, RAeS Hamburg, VDI & ZAL

In 2019 EASA started work on a definition of a labeling system for the aviation industry. Work with students at HAW Hamburg lead to a definition of an Ecolabel for Aircraft already in 2017. The lecture reports on international progress with reporting and labeling schemes related to aircraft. The HAW Hamburg definition of an Ecolabel for Aircraft is explained, based on which commonly used passenger aircraft are evaluated. This leads to straight advice for travelers about what to observe when booking a flight in order to limit the environmental footprint.

 poster_2020_06_04_EcoLableForAircraft.pdf (369 KB)

Annual Gerhard Sedlmayr Lecture

RAeS lecture in cooperation with DGLR, HAW Hamburg, VDI & ZAL 

Lecture in English

RAeS Lecture in cooperation with DGLR, HAW-Hamburg & VDI

More information about Rich Graham

The world’s fastest and highest flying aircraft was conceived as early as 1958 by the renowned aircraft engineer, Kelly Johnson. The gigantic leap in technology he and his engineers had to overcome at the Lockheed “Skunk Works” was phenomenal. Built in total secrecy, the first Blackbird flew on April 26, 1962. The Blackbird’s only purpose was to gather highly classified intelligence on hostile countries around the world. Flying at Mach 3+ speeds and cruising at over 85,000 feet, the SR-71 could survey over 100,000 square miles every hour, gathering millions of bits of intelligence. When cruising at over 2,200 mph, with skin friction temperatures reaching 600 degrees F., the SR-71 performed at its very best.

Col. Richard Graham flew the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird from 1974-1981.