Britain’s higher education institutions have not only educated many of the world’s top aviation professionals, but academics both inside and outside aero engineering departments have made a ‘mind blowing’ contribution to the science that underpins aeronautics.

Starting with the work of Sir Isaac Newton and the education of Sir George Cayley, Prof. Poll takes us on a journey exploring the late nineteenth century disagreement between Sir George Stokes and Lords Rayleigh and Kelvin on the possibility of flight, the work of the American Samuel Langley, the establishment of the Aeronautical Research Council and the creation and development of aeronautics departments across the UK including at Imperial College, Queen Mary College, Cambridge University and the establishment of the College of Aeronautics at Cranfield. He concludes by looking at the challenges facing aerospace academics in the twenty-first century.

Prof Ian Poll FEng FRAeS gave the 2009 RAeS Handley Page Named Lecture on 26 June 2009. The lecture was introduced by the Society’s then President, Dr Mike Steeden, and the podcast was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.