A key driver for the aerospace industry is the development of
more efficient aircraft that have much less effect upon the
environment in terms of both emissions and noise. The EU is
meeting this challenge through initiatives such as ACARE
2020-VISION and FLIGHTPATH2050, which aim to reduce aircraft C02
emissions by 75%, NOx by 90% and perceived noise by 65%,
compared to a typical new aircraft in 2000. New aircraft flying
in 20-30 years time will contain many novel technologies to
achieve these goals, and may look very different from the
conventional designs that have been used over the past 50 years.
This lecture will start by reviewing some of the rich heritage
of aircraft research and development in Bristol, in particular
Sir George White, who formed the Bristol Aeroplane Company in
1910, and also key research developments, including those of
Pugsley and Collar on aeroelasticity, and Robertson and Farrar
on aircraft structures, through to the present day. Current
research at the University of Bristol will b