LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN

In recognition of his significant contribution to

design and engineering, RAeC Council member for

the BBAC, Don Cameron, was awarded an MBE in

the New Year’s Honours List. Don, and his

business Cameron Balloons, have been

synonymous with ballooning for many years. His

honour is richly deserved – congratulations, Don.

Don Cameron (photo:

Tom Sage)

Trying to

summarise Don’s

achievements in a

few short words is

impossible. I

would strongly

encourage you to

look up the history of Cameron Balloons on the

internet, you will find it a breath-taking read. His

balloons have been used for most of the

extraordinary ballooning records set in recent years.

Don also pioneered the development of specially

shaped balloons, and has built more ‘character’

balloons than all other balloon manufacturers put

together. So, the next time you look out in the

morning, and you see Bertie Bassett, the Disney

Castle, or the ghostly head of Van Gogh float past,

don’t immediately think of how much you might or

might not have had to drink the night before. Blame

the surreal vision on Cameron Balloons.

One of the most inspiring things about aviation is

that it is full of inspiring individuals. The Club is

looking forward to honouring some of them at its

Awards Ceremony, which takes place at the RAF

Club in May. We are very pleased that HRH The

Duke of York will be attending as our guest of

honour, and will be giving recipients their awards

personally.

Many people are involved in the organisation of the

Awards Ceremony. Breitling UK helps us with the

secure transportation of awards and trophies, and

with the publication of the very impressive Awards

Brochure given out on the evening. Aviation and

Breitling have also been synonymous since the first

aviation pioneers appeared in the modern era.

Aviation history features prominently in the

company’s marketing and branding activities. The

RAeC has some of the rarest and most iconic

aviation trophies, images and documents in its

collection. The Club recently met Breitling and

took the opportunity to look at a number of items

from the collection. It is hoped that Breitling might

use some of the Club’s collection in support of its

marketing activities. This is just one small way in

which we can thank Breitling for their help.

At this point, I’d like to shift the focus of my report

to matters entirely outside of the RAeC –

specifically, the Red Tape Challenge (“RTC”) and

the proposal for controlled airspace recently put out

for consultation by TAG Aviation, the

owner/operator of Farnborough airport on the

Hampshire/Surrey borders.

The RTC was launched last year with general

aviation identified as an area of focus. The RTC is

due to deliver its aviation report sometime after

April, and is supported by a Challenge Panel of

general aviation experts. The panel has delivered

its interim report. It makes for a very interesting

read. The report can be viewed at

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/syste

m/uploads/attachment_data/file/276478/GA-

challenge-panel-interim-report.pdf and I urge

you to read it. It includes 53 draft

recommendations. If these are followed through,

then we should see a number of things happen that

will be directly beneficial to all areas of general

aviation. Of course, the operative word is ‘if’. The

RTC has ministerial-level sponsorship, the full

involvement of the CAA, the Department for

THE ROYAL AERO CLUB

OF THE UNITED KINGDOM The Coordinating Body of British Airsport Organisations

Patron: Her Majesty The Queen

President: His Royal Highness The Duke of York, KG,

NEWSLETTER

Spring 2014

Transport, and has actively engaged with the

general aviation community. We should, therefore,

be optimistic that the RTC ought to be able to pave

the way for beneficial change. I, like many others,

will be awaiting its final report with keen interest.

I don’t like closing on a concerning note, but on this

occasion, I am going to have to. At the end of this

piece, you will find a body of text that I recently

drafted. Please read it carefully, and think about

how it might affect you.

Happy aviating.

Patrick Naegeli

Chairman

Farnborough Airspace Change Proposal

The operator of Farnborough Airport, TAG

Farnborough, has begun the formal process of

applying for controlled airspace.

Their proposals directly affect current controlled

and uncontrolled airspace across a large area of

southern England – not only in the immediate

vicinity to Farnborough Airport. If approved, their

airspace would extend:

Out as far as Reading and Aldermaston to the

north west

All the way from Farnborough to the

Solent/Southampton area to the west and south

west

Right down and off the south coast as far as the

south part of the Isle of Wight

Along the south coast to a point just north of

Shoreham

Well beyond Guildford to the east.

The base of many areas of existing airspace would

be lowered, and large areas of new airspace would

be introduced. Their plans represent the most

substantial redesign and increase of airspace in the

UK for many years.

You can find the details of what TAG want to do

through the following link:

http://www.consultation.tagfarnborough.com

If TAG get what they want, the likely impact on

general aviation would be significant. Pilots and

airfield/airstrip operators will be affected. The

impact would range from catastrophic for some

groups, through to extremely disruptive for others.

The impacts are not restricted to aviators and

aviation. Many other local groups are also likely to

be adversely affected.

The only party to benefit will be TAG.

At the moment, TAG’s proposals are out for

consultation up until 2 May 2014. TAG will then

formally submit their application to the CAA

sometime during the summer.

It is vitally important that everybody that is part of

the aviation community provides input to the

consultation and makes their opposition clear. The

main general aviation organisations are already

working closely and will be providing information

to help people understand the issues that are of most

concern.

So, if you fly in the south-east of the country, or

ever fly through the area, then please take notice.

Make sure that you read the TAG proposals,

and reflect on how they might affect you – you

should do this as soon as possible

Keep a regular watch on the air sport or general

aviation websites, forums and publications for

more information and advice – expect more

communications and advice to be available

shortly and then on a regular basis

Be prepared to submit your formal response to

the consultation process, but don’t do so until

you are ready to, or have been advised to by

your air sport association – you should be

planning on getting your input to TAG in

the early part of April

Don’t imagine for one moment that this will not

affect you. It will.

Don’t imagine for one moment that others will sort

the situation out for you. They won’t be able to do

that unless you play your part and actively support

the campaign to oppose TAG.

ROYAL AERO CLUB AWARDS

The names of award winners for 2013 have been

announced as follows:

The Britannia Trophy Jon Hilton – Nominated by BMAA

Prince of Wales Cup

2013 World Championship Team – Nominated by

BMAA

Silver Medals

Ayala Truelove – Nominated by BGA

Barry Plumb – Nominated by LAA

Stewart Jackson – Nominated by LAA

John Curtis – Nominated by BPA

Richard Carter – Nominated by BHPA

Russell Ogden – Nominated by BHPA

Bronze Medals

Robin Morton – Nominated by LAA

Stan Dauncey – Nominated by LAA

Terry Viner – Nominated by BMAA

Chris Draper – Nominated by BMAA

Paul Farley – Nominated by BHPA

Ed Cleasby - Nominated by BHPA

Royal Aero Club Diploma

Mike Randle –

Nominated by BGA

Paul Conran – Nominated by BAeA

Paul Dewhurst – Nominated by BMAA

Arthur Ord-Hume – Nominated by LAA

Royal Aero Club Certificates of Merit

Aware Project Team – Nominated by LAA

Ian Rickard – Nominated by LAA

David & Susan Dunn – Nominated by LAA

Barbara Moreton – Nominated by BBAC

Dr Sally Evans - Nominated by BGA

Ian Dandie – Nominated by BGA

Martin Shuttleworth - Nominated by BPA

Stuart Buchanan – Nominated by BMAA

Tim Wassell – Nominated by RRRA

Rex Levi – Nominated by RRRA

Norton-Griffiths Challenge Trophy

Mark Albery – Nominated by LAA

The President’s Breitling Trophy

Alicia Hempleman-Adams – Nominated by Jim

Crocker & Don Cameron

Breitling Certificate of Recognition

Devon Build a Plane Project (Naomi Green &

Nathan Borroughs) – Nominated by LAA

Nexus Aviation Journalist of the Year Trophy

Liz Ashley – Nominated by BPA

Certificates of Appreciation

Dr. Gillian Jenkins –

Nominated by HCGB

Michael Littler – Nominated by HCGB

Members of Prospect ATCO’s Branch –

Nominated by Aerobility

Richard Deakin – Nominated by Aerobility

Companion of The Royal Aero Club

John Downer – Nominated by the RAeC & RAeC

Trust

Ann Welch Memorial Award

Deepak Mahajan – Nominated by BMAA

Congratulations to all. The Awards Ceremony will

be held on Tuesday 13th May at the RAF Club.

BRITISH PILOTS AT INTERNATIONAL

EVENTS

Congratulations to Martin Robe, who came third in

the 2013 European Grand Prix for parascending

accuracy.

Well done also to Mark Benns, Tony Hebb and

Derek Richards, F1D team, for their team Silver

medals at the 2013 European Championships for

Free Flight Model Aircraft in Belgrade last August.

RECORDS and OTHER AWARDS

Don Cameron MBE – an appreciation by Derek

Maltby

Don Cameron is the designer and manufacturer of

the first hot air balloon to be constructed and flown

in the United Kingdom, in 1967. He set up

Cameron Balloons in 1969 from the basement of his

house in Bristol.

Through Don’s dedication, commitment and

leadership, the world of ballooning has seen a great

many triumphs and ‘firsts’ in endurance and world

records. Amongst the most notable was the first

helium/hot air balloon to circumnavigate the world

in 1999 followed by the same achievement three

years later by a solo pilot.

Under Don’s guidance, the first Bristol Balloon

Fiesta took place in 1979; this has gone on to

become the biggest annual balloon event in Europe

with over 140 balloons participating. This annual

event attracts more than 250,000 spectators and

continues to be a free event for all spectators.

Don is an iconic figurehead in the world of

ballooning; he is respected for his knowledge,

technical and innovative skill and practical ability

by balloonists worldwide. He has unique childlike

enthusiasm coupled with great engineering

prowess; it is very unusual to have both qualities in

an aeronautical engineer but ‘essential’ for a

balloon engineer!

Don’s ballooning achievements as a pilot include

being the first man to cross the Sahara and the Alps

by hot-air balloon, and making the first flight

between the UK and what was then the USSR in

1990. After an unsuccessful attempt in 1978 at the

first Atlantic crossing by balloon, his dream came

true in 1992 when he flew a balloon of his own

design from the US to Portugal and took second

place in the first ever transatlantic balloon race.

No one has contributed more to the world of

ballooning, especially in the UK, than Don.

World Records

Congratulations to Daniel Pangbourne for four

record-setting flights last July and August. In July

he set a new record with a flight from

Wolverhampton to Enniskillen at a speed of 175.9

kph. Two days later his return flight set a record

speed of 195.3 kph. Daniel was flying an AA-5B

Grumman Tiger. In August, Daniel took a Piper

PA-28-161 from North Weald Airfield to

Ronaldsway at a record 201.7 kph, returning at

193.2 kph, to set his fourth record.

And finally, on 29 July 2013, Douglas Cairns set a

new record of 214.34 kph for a flight from Omaha,

Nebraska to Madison, Wisconsin. Douglas was

flying a PA-28 Piper Cherokee. This was a

simultaneous record with Christopher Isler of the

USA, flying a Cessna 172 and Jason N. Harmon

also of the USA in a DA40 D Diamond.

European Records

Congratulations to Kirsty Cameron for a flight on 2

June 2013, which set two new European female

paragliding records. Flying an Ozone Enzo from

Lawley (Shropshire) to Dorchester, Kirsty set a

straight distance record of 210.3 km and a straight

distance to a declared goal of 208.2 km.

RAeC COUNCIL NEWS

At the recent Council meeting, a number of projects

were discussed. It was agreed to find funding for a

Future Airspace Strategy Programme Manager, to

oversee and co-ordinate work on the Future

Airspace Strategy, which should provide some

excellent opportunities over the next couple of

years. 50% of the funding had already been

sourced, and Council agreed that it would be a good

initiative for the RAeC to support. The RAeC’s

contribution for the first year is to be covered from

Reserves.

There are a number of active airspace consultations.

Among them, the RAeC has written to all councils

within the Southend area to draw attention to the

potential impact of proposed changes there.

FAI

Secretary General

The FAI has announced

the appointment of

Susanne Schödel as its

new Secretary General,

starting on 1 March 2014.

Schödel, a 41 year old

German native, combines

experience in airsports,

management of non-

profit organisations and

political matters. She is a world-class glider pilot,

member of the German National Gliding Team

from 2004 to 2013, twice winner of the FAI

Women’s World Gliding championships in 2009

and 2011 and holder of several gliding records,

including five African records and two World

records set last December and January and ratified

this week. She is also a volunteer for several

organisations such as the Dr. Angelika Machinek

association which supports young female pilots in

gliding.

FAI Sporting Licence Database

The database is now fully operational and details of

all sporting licences issued during 2014 will be

entered onto the database.

SCHOLARSHIPS and BURSARIES

de Havilland Educational Trust

The Trust has announced flying and engineering

bursaries for 2014.

The Fiona McKay Bursary provides five hours

flying on a Tiger Moth to assist in the conversion of

UK-based PPLs onto type.

The Amy Johnson Engineering Bursary is designed

to assist the personal development of engineers

involved with vintage aircraft. The closing date is

31 March and application forms are available from

dhet@dhmothclub.co.uk.

RAeC Trust Bursaries

A reminder that the Royal Aero Club Trust bursary

scheme will be operating again in 2014.

Bursaries include the President’s Award (two

bursaries each worth up to £750), the Peter Cruddas

Foundation Scholarship worth up to £1,000, the

Breitling Bursary worth up to £750, and the

Bramson Bursary worth up to £500, as well as a

number of additional bursaries worth up to £500

each. Bursaries are available to those wishing to

advance from one recognised level of air sport to

the next and/or wishing to upgrade existing

qualifications.

Applicants must be British Citizens aged 16-21 and

permanently resident in the UK. Full details and

application forms are available at

http://www.royalaeroclubtrust.org/bursaries.

Applications must be submitted through your

member association by 31 March 2014.

REGULATORY MATTERS

Europe Air Sports

News of recent developments in Europe will shortly

be published in the EAS Newsletter, accessible at www.europe-air-sports.org/activities/newsletter/.

EVENTS and NEWS from RAeC MEMBERS

Short Brothers Blue Plaque

In September 2013 an English Heritage Blue Plaque

commemorating the Short brothers was unveiled at

Battersea by Jenny Body OBE, FRAeS, President

of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

The three brothers Horace, Eustace & Oswald Short

had their factory in Battersea, initially building

balloons and subsequently diversifying into

aeroplanes. They came to Battersea because

Charles S. Rolls was searching for a balloon builder

to design and construct his entry for the first Gordon

Bennett International Balloon race in 1906. Rolls

gave the Shorts the contract to build balloon

“Britannia”. Rolls, a founder-member of the Aero

Club, had a vision to establish a permanent

ballooning ground near central London with

professional aeronauts and balloon builders at its

core. Battersea and the Shorts fitted Rolls’ bill and

the brothers moved their business to Battersea. In

August 1907 Eustace and Oswald were appointed

Aeronauts to the Aero Club and built about 30

balloons at Battersea, mostly for members of the

Aero Club.

The partnership’s first order for an aeroplane came

from Frank McLean, a member of the Aero Club

and the Short No. 1 was built underneath the arches

at Battersea and displayed at the 1909 Aero

Exhibition. The focus of Shorts aeroplane-building

business later moved to Kent, but Battersea

continued to be used for Shorts ballooning and

airship activities until late 1919.

In 1936 a subsidiary Short company was

established in Northern Ireland and, after the

Second World War, the Kent-based arm of Shorts

business was transferred to Belfast where many

famous names were added to the litany of Short

aircraft and guided weapons. Shorts became a

subsidiary of the Canadian company Bombardier in

1989 and, in 1993, Shorts built their last complete

aircraft. Shorts are still in the front line of the

aircraft industry, building major structural

components for Bombardier using advanced

composite materials in their construction.

Surviving all of these changes, the corporate name

of the enterprise at Belfast – Short Brothers Plc –

still honours the three founding brothers.

RAeC Collection

The web-site at http://raec.sds.websds.net/ has been

developed to include a “News & Blog” feature and

a “Showcase” feature.

Red Bull Air Races

Following the announcement of the resumption of

the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in

2014, the FAI and the Red Bull Air Race

management have signed an agreement confirming

FAI’s official international recognition of the Red

Bull Air Race World Championship as well as

detailing the FAI’s support in the form of safety

supervision. The 4th race of the series will be held

at Ascot on 16/17 August.

Newsletter edited by Diana King. Please send items for future Newsletters to Royal Aero Club, Hebbs Acre,

Presteigne, Powys, LD8 2HG or to diana@king618.co.uk

For further information on any items contained in this Newsletter, please contact the RAeC Office at 31 St

Andrew’s Road, Leicester, LE2 8RE or on 0116 244 0182 or at secretary@royalaeroclub.org.