The first meeting of the 1928-29 Session of the Royal Aeronautical Society was held in the rooms of the Royal Society of Arts, John Street, Adelphi, London, W.C.2, on Thursday, October 4th, 1928.

The President : Mr. North is one of the foremost designers in the country. Since early in 1911 he had devoted his activities exclusively to aeronautics and for many years had been responsible for the design of all aircraft produced by Boulton and Paul, of Norwich.

Mr. North had been very intimately connected with the design of the Government airship now in an advanced stage of construction at Cardington. His great experience of light steel structures had been utilised to the full in this connection.

A meeting of the Royal Aeronautical Society was held in the rooms of the Royal Society of Arts, John Street, Adelphi, London, W.C.2, on Thursday, October 18th.

The President (Colonel the Master of Sempill): Dr. Schutte, the President of the German Aeronautical Society, had stated that his Council had scanned the list of lectures to be delivered to the Royal Aeronautical Society during the present session, and had come to the conclusion that Mr. Sutton’s lecture was from their point of view one of the most interesting. That indicated how very closely they were following the Society’s work, and how extremely interested they were in the problem of corrosion. Having in view the increasing popularit} in this country of marine type aircraft, the investigations of light alloys assumed ever greater importance than previously, if that were possible.

He was sorry to be compelled to leave the meeting early in order to represent the Society at a function of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and he asked Mr. Pye (Deputy Director of Scientific Research), Air Ministry, acting for Major H. E. Wimperis (Director of Scientific Research), to preside.

For the purpose of one brief lecture, it is necessary to set close boundaries. In expansive mood one might, with your permission, discuss the aim in general of aeronautical research, the bending of this Force of Nature to the Use and Convenience of Man; a subject so wide and so difficult, especially our critics would say in respect of Convenience, as to call for a series of lectures rather than this single one. The immediate aims can be dealt with more briefly, and it is that which T propose to attempt. They are, in the first place, safety im flight, and, in the second, increase in what is termed performance. No other aim 6f aeronautical research compares in importance with these.