Their Finest Hour - RJ Mitchell, The Spitfire and the Battle of Britain
- Location
- Atrium, Engineering Building, Y8
- Dates
- Wednesday 6 November 2024 (16:00-18:30)
RJ Mitchell
Their Finest Hour - RJ Mitchell, The Spitfire and the Battle of Britain
We would like to welcome students, colleagues and alumni to hear the story of how an Engineer led a small team to change the course of British, if not World, History, presented by Master Coachmaker and alumni of the University, Tony Edwards (BSc MBA CEng FRAeS). Tony is President of Aviation Heritage UK (AHUK), Vice President of the Guild of Aviation Artists and Member of Birmingham University’s Aerospace Engineering Industrial Advisory Board.
Who was R.J. Mitchell and how can we properly assess his contribution to aviation? These were just some of the questions that Master Coachmaker Tony Edwards set out to answer in his lecture, “R. J. Mitchell, the Spitfire and the Battle of Britain.” The talk came alive through his extensive knowledge and interest in the aerospace sector. The Spitfire was the culmination of many years work on high-speed aircraft for Mitchell and his team at Supermarine. Mitchell’s drawing board was the birthplace of many aircraft designs of all types, but it was his work on the UK’s Schneider Trophy race winners – Supermarine S4 to S6b, that paved the way to the Spitfire. Mitchell and Supermarine’s dogged determination to show the need for speed and manoeuvrability eventually helped to re-write the rule book and the Spitfire arrived only just in time for the Battle of Britain in which it played such a decisive part.Mitchell’s untimely death robbed us of much detail about his career and it is Tony Edwards’ painstaking work that is helping to ensure that the man and his extraordinary genius for aircraft design is properly recognised.
Biography
Tony Edwards is President of Aviation Heritage UK (AHUK), Vice President of the Guild of Aviation Artists and Member of Birmingham University’s Aerospace Engineering Industrial Advisory Board.Uniquely, Tony was elected President of the Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC), President of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Chairman of The Air League. He was a trustee of five charities associated with the Armed ForcesTony was a Visiting Professor at the UK Defence Academy and was Chairman of the Defence and Aerospace Sector Panel of the UK Technology Foresight programme. He was a member of the Aviation Committee for the Department of Trade and Industry and a member of the National Defence Industries Council and Head of Defence Export Services (DESO) for the Ministry of Defence.
Tony attended Abingdon School, then gained an engineering apprenticeship with Rolls-Royce Aero Engines and read Engineering Production at the University of Birmingham. He achieved an MBA with Distinction at Harvard Business School, subsequently joining the faculty as Lecturer. He held senior managerial positions in four countries: General Electric (USA), Motorola (Denmark), Bombardier/Canadair (Canada), Lucas Aerospace and TI/Dowty Group/Messier-Dowty (UK). He is a Freeman of the City of London, Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers and Coach Harness Makers, Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Engineers, and Liveryman of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots.HRH the Duke of Edinburgh presented him with The Air League Gold Medal and later he was invited to the Coronation Garden Party for Services to the Cause of Aviation.
Agenda:
- Welcome reception: commencing at 16:00
- Lecture and Q+A (approximately 75 minutes for the lecture and questions).
Please arrive by 16:00 at the lecture venue.
- Closing reception
Getting here
Bus
Nxbus numbers 48 and X20 Platinum, X21 Platinum and X22 Platinum run from the city centre and stop near to the University Railway Station on Vincent Drive for the University and QE hospital, bus stop ID: nwmapjgj. This is 0.2 miles, a walk of around 5 minutes across campus (with sections at a gradient).
Train
From Birmingham New Street Station around six trains an hour call at University Station and take 8 - 10 minutes. The final destinations for trains are Bromsgrove, Redditch, Hereford and Cardiff Central. The building is a 4 minute walk from the University Station across Campus (with sections at a gradient).
Car parking
There are various staff car parks located throughout the campus; all require a staff permit.
All Blue Badge holders can park on Campus (without a permit) and must use the intercom to Security to pass through the security barriers at each entrance. The nearest visitor parking is located at the North East Car Park off Pritchatts Road at B15 2SA which is 1 mile and a 20 minute walk from the building, through the Green Heart of Campus (with extended sections at a gradient).
Registration
Registration for this event is free, but space is limited. Please secure your place by registering your attendance, ideally by 16:00 on 25 October 2024.
If you have any queries or need any assistance with registration, please contact either Alema Khatoon or
eng-office@contacts.bham.ac.uk.