The first Stewart Memorial Lecture was given fifty years ago at the Royal Aeronautical Society. Over the ensuing half-century, these eponymous lectures have charted the development of aerospace medicine through the eyes of those who have, through their lecture, commemorated the life and work of Air Vice-Marshal Bill Stewart. Many of those lecturers, whether from the UK or elsewhere, have worked at the former RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine (IAM) or its successor, the Centre of Aviation Medicine.

This golden anniversary offers the opportunity to highlight some of the key challenges and developments in the science and medicine of this unique specialty as well as a glimpse into what the future may hold for aviation and for the aeromedical scientists and physicians that support it.