LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

Our lecturer today is too well known to all of you to need any introduction from me” MR HAFNER is a member of the Council of our Association, a member of the Helicopter Committee of the Aeronautical Research Council and Chief Designer, Helicopter Division, of the Bristol Aeroplane Co Ltd

Since he talked to a joint meeting of the S L A E and our Association in April, 1946, the Bristol Helicopter 171 has successfully flown and is now accumulating flying time at a rapid pace I am sure we shall all watch the progress of the 171 with very great interest, particularly as it would appear to have possibilities of being the first British helicopter to go into production

On behalf of the Association I extend a cordial welcome to all our guests

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,—A number of you may not know our lecturer of this afternoon and I am glad to be able to tell you something of his past experience by way of an introduction

Mr SHAPIRO has had several years of engineering experience and his first aircraft appointment was in France working on the design of gyroscopic instruments, which post was rudely terminated by happenings in 1940 He came to this country and joined Power Jets, working on jet propulsion and then had a further period on aircraft instruments design This was followed by work on electric assister units for aircraft before he joined the Cierva Autogiro Company in 1943 as Senior Technical Officer

Mr SHAPIRO is a Founder Member of our Association, an A F R Ae S and holds an engineering diploma of the Federal Polytechnic in Zurich