HATFIELD BRANCH NEWSLETTER

NOVEMBER 2020

November LectureA Brief History of Handley Page & Radlett Aerodrome

byChris Scivyer, Chairman,

Handley Page Association

Wednesday 18th November, 6.30pm,

online.See back page for

details

From the ChairmanWelcome to the November newsletter and the start of the latest lockdown. I hope that we can believe the current government promises and that things will be different before the next newsletter. For most people, technology has provided a lifeline. Are we going to see a resurgence of family zoom calls and WhatsApp quizzes? Unfortunately, meeting people outdoors won’t have quite the same appeal in November as it did in the spring.

Last month, we enjoyed our first online presenta-tion when Adam Twidell of Privatefly, based in St Albans, delivered the delayed Sir Geoffrey de Havilland Lecture. It was encouraging to hear from Adam that the private charter sector was only seeing about a 20% reduction this year when scheduled airlines have been hit so hard by the impact of the pandemic (IAG passenger revenue was down by over 70% between January and September). I must thank Keith Gowland for the huge amount of work that he put into organising the event including setting up several trials which we ran to try to ensure that the format worked. I am really sorry that, despite these, some of you were unable to access the online presentation. We are working to understand what went wrong and are considering changing the format so that everybody will be able to join next time. This month’s lecture is by Chris Scivyer,

the chairman of the Handley Page Association, who will give us a brief history of Handley Page and Radlett. Is it really 50 years since the site closed?

The development of low- and zero-emission tech-nologies continues to gather pace among both major manufacturers and start-ups. Although the majority of the effort is in smaller and shorter-range aircraft, I was interested to see the launch of the Freedom Flight Prize for a 100-seat, zero-carbon-emission aircraft to fly to New York and back.

With the move to online lectures, the newsletter becomes the main channel of communication with the members. If you have anything that would interest other members, we would be pleased to include it. Please send to the usual address (hatfield@aerosociety.com). On the theme of contributions, as you will see from the list of lectures, we still have a couple of gaps. If you have any ideas, please let me know.

Although it is likely to be some time before we will be able to resume physical lectures, we are well aware of the social element of these meetings. The committee are looking at some ideas to allow members to get together in a Covid secure way. We hope to have more details soon.

Again, if you have any ideas, I would be pleased to hear from you.

Steve Rogers

HATFIELD BRANCH NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2020

Freedom Flight PrizeIn days of old when pioneers of aviation first took to the air, competitions proved an effective way to stimulate technological advances. The same is true today:

A new competition is set to reward the next great leap forward in sustainable flight, offering a cash prize expected to be in the millions of pounds for the first zero carbon transatlantic passenger flight between London and New York.

Launched by sustainability consultancy Carbon Footprint, the Freedom Flight Prize is open to manu-facturers, researchers and inventors to design and fly a 100+ seater passenger aircraft powered by 100 per cent renewable energy.

The plane must complete a return trip between London and New York, with each leg of the trip taking under 10 hours, while the return leg must be finished within 24 hours of starting out on the round trip. Carbon Footprint is inviting businesses, organisations, philanthropists and the general public to support the project through a range of promotion, sponsorship, and donation oppor-tunities.

The latest moves follow an eventful summer for the fledgling green aviation sector. The French government recently announced a multi-billion Euro green aviation R&D programme as part of its bailout package for the airline sector, while the UK government launched a new Jet Zero Council to bring together experts from across the industry to advance efforts to develop a zero emission transatlantic flight. The unveiling of the advisory council was followed by the launch of

a £400m FlyZero R&D programme, which is bringing together public and private funding to accelerate the d e v e l o p m e n t of low- and z e r o - e m i s s i o n aviation technolo-gies.

More details of

2020-21 Lecture ProgrammeConfirmed lectures (Wednesdays):

21st Oct: Geoffrey de Havilland Lecture: PrivateFly Air Charter Operations, Adam Twidell 18th Nov: Handley Page & Radlett, Chris Scivyer 9th Dec: Aircraft Galleys, Collins Aerospace 20th Jan 2021: Space Lecture, TBA 17th Feb: Student Lecture Competition 17th Mar: TBA 21st Apr: GASCo Safety Evening, Keith Thomas 19th May: Lecture TBA, preceded by AGMAll lectures are online. Please contact hatfield@aerosociety.com for an invitation

the competition are here: https://www.freedomflightprize.org

To all students, young and old, you too can make a difference.

Our annual Student Lecture Competition is in February 2021. To get you thinking and to identify who would be interested in making a presentation, we would like to hear from you. Please contact hatfield@aerosociety.com by 20th January 2021.

A prize for the best proposal that also names this trophy will receive the mug shown below left.

Members are reminded that any form of corre-spondence related to Branch business must be made with the prior agreement of the committee.

HATFIELD BRANCH NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2020

The Geoffrey de Havilland Lecture – Privatefly – Air Charter Operations Adam TwidellThe Hatfield Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society were pleased to host PrivateFly for this year’s Geoffrey de Havilland Lecture. Our Chairman Steve Rogers welcomed speakers and guests and introduced Adam Twidell, Chief Executive Officer of PrivateFly.

PrivateFly is a global private jet charter broker company. The company’s main headquarters are in St Albans, Hertfordshire. In 2018 PrivateFly became part of Directional Aviation’s OneSky portfolio of companies.

Adam and his team of aviation specialists described how in today’s uncertain times, Private Air Charter is providing a one stop customer solution for travel needs.

Over the years PrivateFly have developed their technical capabilities. Their initial customer interface is via websites covering 19 countries.

As a leading private jet charter broker, the services provided depends upon individual needs. Matthew Barber (Head of European Sales) illustrated the types of service:

Sales Manager Nicholas Combes provided some analysis of their customer base.

To ensure reliability performance monitoring takes place to identify potential areas for improvement.

Safety Officer (EU) Garreth Horrocks, who is responsible for flight reliability, went on to illustrate the duty of care that PrivateFly seeks to uphold to achieve

exceptional service levels for every journey. Given the current COVID constraints, operators have moved from an individual scheduling criterion to a protected pod arrangement of Captains, First officer and flight attendants who are routinely tested. Currently PrivateFly has 200 operators within their certified network. The certification process aims continuously to examine Air Operator Certificates (AOCs), aircraft insurance certi-fication, flight crew experience, operator culture in respect of safety/risk factors and maintenance aspects of their fleet. These checks ensure standards are being

HATFIELD BRANCH NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2020

achieved through a joint (charter broker / fleet operator) problem solving approach.

The PrivateFly team noted that the current pandemic has highlighted the benefits of private charter over scheduled airline operations, avoiding contact with fellow flyers in the cabin and at the airport and reducing touchpoints from 700 to 20 on a typical private flight. This aspect supports the findings of a survey into current operations; business aviation appears to be just 20% down on the pre-COVID seasonal trend.

As an example of innovation in aerospace, PrivateFly demonstrated that flexible private air charter services enabling passengers to choose where and when to fly are well-placed to deliver a custom flight solution in a safe and efficient way.

Adam then offered to respond to questions from the Branch:

Q1: With the introduction of new aircraft, could you see PrivateFly achieving environmentally beneficial outcomes over scheduled flights?

A: The environmental considerations are being addressed by the industry. Private aviation aims to use less fuel overall (not fuel per passenger mile), increased utilisation of low demand, local airfields near final destination, flexible solutions, early adoption of new technology (use of winglet, optimised climb profiles), increasing use of sustainable aviation fuel and 100% carbon off-setting. There is also the expectation that this sector will lead the use of the first generation of electric aircraft for urban transportation.

Q2: If our students wish to progress their career in aviation, where do you see the growth and opportuni-ties appearing?

A: Moving on from the current trading conditions and the impact on operations, students should equip themselves with a good knowledge of the sector and

new technology by following companies that are leading development, for example, hydrogen fuel. Take opportunities to write and share what you find out so you make your passion for aviation known.

Q3: If we were to establish a private airfield on the Hatfield site, what would attract your clients to use that facility?

A: Building upon Hatfield’s historic links to the first jet airliner, there is a desire to open the aerodrome. One of the limiting factors will be the length of the runway which will restrict the size of aircraft. Helicopters do not have the same constraints. The adoption of electrical aircraft and the use of local airfields will be key factors for their operation. In addition, industries will be attracted to an adjacent aviation-related business park.

Q4: How do you see your relationship with the UK CAA changing at the end of the year? Have you already provisioned for Brexit?

A: There is still a level of uncertainty around Brexit. Our provision depends upon being flexible to adapt to what may come. We currently have two Air Operator Certificates (AOCs), one for our operation in St Albans and one in Milan. This allows for two independent regulatory frameworks. We are also looking at a third based in Malta. The business decision will be influenced by the available workforce, the regulatory framework and potential business grants.

Steve concluded the evening with a vote of thanks on behalf of Sir Ian MacFadyen of the de Havilland flying foundation. The Foundation sponsored the event and were pleased to present an engraved tankard to PrivateFly in recognition of their contribu-tion to Innovation in Aerospace.

The PrivateFly presentation is available at:https://aerosociety-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/p/h at f i e l d / E b 8 M 9 j w j v 3 V F k O f x p 5 n o P E U B C C D -MIRk0N6k2dSJSSRpHHg?e=j2sWH1

Keith Gowland

HATFIELD BRANCH ONLINE LECTURE

A Brief History of Handley Page & Radlett Aerodrome

18th NOVEMBER 2020 18:30 The lecture will cover the history of Handley Page Limited from its establishment in 1909 by Frederick Handley Page. Starting in Barking, the company moved to Cricklewood and it was from there that the first regular flights from London to Paris began in 1919, using converted O/400 bombers. The airfield and manufacturing plant at Radlett were opened in 1930. During the Second World War, Handley Page built Harrow, Hampden, and Halifax bombers in great numbers. Post war, Hastings, Hermes, Victor, and Herald were in production. The refusal to merge with Hawker Siddeley meant no more Government orders. Although the company decided to go it alone and build the Jetstream airliner, by 1970, the money had finally run out and Handley Page closed.

Chris Scivyer Chairman, Handley Page Association Chris grew up in Frogmore, near St Albans. He spent many happy hours in the garden pressed up against the back fence – the other side was Radlett Aerodrome. The southern end of the runway was 150 yards from the fence. He had Victors at the bottom of the garden! Chris still lives in the same house today. It is now 50 years since the airfield closed. Chris always assumed that he would work at ‘Pages’ but with its demise he chose to work in construction, and for nearly 40 years worked at the Building Research Establishment specialising in research and guidance into radon gas. Working principally across the UK, he has also worked with the World Health Organisation, International Atomic Energy Agency, European Commission and national governments in more than 20 countries. In his spare time Chris is an aviation enthusiast. He spent 16 years as a volunteer at the Mosquito Aircraft Museum in the 1970’s and 80’s. In 1979 he joined the newly formed Handley Page Association and is the current Chairman . Victor the other side of the fence

VENUE: Online Webinar

PROGRAMME: 18:30 – Online Forum Setup 18:40 – CPD Reg and welcome 18:45 – Lecture 20:00 – End

CPD certificates of attendance will be endorsed for CEng, IEng or EngTech registration

Members & non-members are welcome

GET CONNECTED WITH RAeS Search “RAeS Hatfield Branch”, on Facebook

For webinar invites and questions in advance, Please contact the Branch Secretary on: Email: hatfield@aerosociety.com