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, airships, Concorde, paying bonuses, converting the RAE runway into Farnborough International Airport and predictions on decarbonising aviation.

Sir Donald Spiers HonFRAeS was interviewed by Roger Cansdale as part of the Royal Aeronautical Society/National Aerospace Library’s oral history project ‘If I only didn’t do it that way…….” Capturing history from the horse’s mouth' to inspire today’s aeronautical professionals'. The recording was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS & Tony Pilmer FRAeS.