Recent developments in constant frequency alternating current (ac) generating systems for aircraft have realised substantial increases in power-to-weight ratio and potential reduction in cost-of-ownership.

Essentially this has been achieved by employment of maximum synchronous generator speed, refinement and corresponding advantage of hydromechanical variable-ratio transmission technology and a more highly integrated configuration.

Each of these aspects has required an innovative philosophy and extensive testing to bring the technology to a point where such equipment can be confidently specified for the next generation of aircraft.

With drastic increases in oil prices fresh in our memories, with a world recession in full swing, and with two Middle-East countries at war, this is not an auspicious time to speak about the future of civil aviation. But I am following an excellent precedent. In 1940, in circumstances of unrelieved gloom, Dr. Roxbee Cox, now Lord Kings Norton, addressed this Society on ‘Looking Forward’. His lecture was a message of confidence in the long term future of civil aviation, fully justified by later events. Though the energy threat is barely comparable with the state of affairs in 1940, its potential is very serious.

I am wholly confident that aviation can once again rise to the occasion. But this by itself is a small part of a big picture. We need to be satisfied that the world will cope sufficiently well with the energy situation that our future way of life will not be so impoverished that flying becomes an unjustifiable luxury.

A little time ago Peter Martin suggested that it would be of some interest to airlines and others if someone from the CAA were to come along tonight and talk about the Civil Aviation Authority's future policy. We had to reply that this was something we could not usefully do at a time when we would be in the middle of our consultations with the industry about what that future policy should be. There the matter rested until July when I was discussing another matter with Peter Martin. I happened to say, in response to an observation of his, that I had in my mind a clear picture of where the industry had been, where it stands now and — perhaps rather less clearly — what the options were for its future development. Mr Martin seized upon this, believing that it would not only be interesting but even helpful to the industry and others if I were to share this personal vision with you. He may be right.

In any event that is how I come to be standing here before you tonight, in essence to talk about my own view of the industry as it was and as it is, together perhaps with a few glimpses of the way things might develop in future.

With the achievement of a man powered flight across the English Channel by Bryan Allen flying the ‘Gossamer Albatross’ aircraft in 1979, attention is now centred on new performance objectives for man powered aircraft.

In the long term it is widely recognised that man powered flight must develop as a sport and this requires an improvement in the design and construction of the necessary aircraft. It is anticipated that this trend will be stimulated in the short term by speed competitions which will encourage the design and construction of compact man powered aircraft.

With such compact machines the prospect of sporting flights for duration no longer relies on the reduction of the pilot's continuous power input, but on the utilisation of help from the atmosphere, in particular, by using dynamic soaring techniques.

The advent of the commercial jet air liner, two decades ago, and growing public awareness of the noise of aircraft operations, led to the adoption by airlines of two distinct take-off departure procedures. A Standard Procedure for aircraft departures is usually recommended by the aircraft manufacturer, such that the air liner is operated in a safe and expeditious manner. A Noise Abatement Procedure was devised to reduce the noise impact of airline operations in the airport community environs. Generally, noise abatement procedures were thought to increase pilot work load and, therefore, reduce margins of safety, and increase fuel consumption.

In the 1960s, when most of the air liners were powered by low by-pass ratio engines, the noise abatement procedure included a so called cut-back. This procedure included throttling back from take-off thrust (TOT) to less than climb thrust shortly after take-off (during cut-back) to benefit those communities living close to the airport. Subsequently climb thrust (MCLT) would be applied.