In the latest podcast in series from the Royal Aeronautical Society's monthly AEROSPACE magazine, Editor in Chief Tim Robinson and Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater are joined by freelance author Charlotte Bailey to analyse recent aviation, aerospace and space news - and preview the latest (June 2025) edition of the magazine. In this episode, we also interview incoming RAeS President Alasdair Wood FRAeS. Find out more at www.aerosociety.com
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1:12:49
An interview with….. Arthur Webb FRAeS on bringing carbon fibre to Formula 1
When a young John Barnard was appointed as McLaren’s designer, he decided that carbon fibre was the future of Formula 1, but who should he ask to help him with his design? The answer was Arthur Webb of BAC. For a bit of fun in his own time, Arthur became McLaren’s unofficial carbon fibre consultant. Over the next few years, John and Arthur designed, tested and constructed the first carbon fibre shell of a Formula 1 car – a feet which not only made the car go faster, but saved drivers’ lives.
Arthur also describes other carbon fibre projects, such as how they worked to bring carbon fibre into rowing. We also explore his last years at BAC, including his work on Concorde before describing the depressing time that led up to the nationalisation of Britain’s aircraft industry.
Eur Ing Arthur Webb FRAeS was interviewed by Tony Pilmer FRAeS in 2024 as part of the Royal Aeronautical Society/National Aerospace Library’s oral history project ‘If I only didn’t do it that way…….” Capturing history from the horse’s mouth' to inspire today’s aeronautical professionals'. The recording was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.
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15:22
An interview with….. Arthur Webb FRAeS on bringing Carbon Fibre to Civil Aviation
After marching up to the front gate of the BAC Weybridge factory and demanding to see the Chief Stressman, Arthur Webb was given the job of finding something useful to do with the new magic composite material discovered at the Royal Aircraft Establishment – carbon fibre.
In this part of his oral history interview, Arthur explores how he led a team to design the first certified civil aircraft component for an aeroplane, a pair of load carrying rudder panels on a VC10, with no data, no experience and no background. Arthur also retells the amazing story of he, thanks to good contacts and a lot of guile, persuaded Rolls-Royce that they too should use carbon fibre for structural applications.
Eur Ing Arthur Webb FRAeS was interviewed by Tony Pilmer FRAeS in 2024 as part of the Royal Aeronautical Society/National Aerospace Library’s oral history project ‘If I only didn’t do it that way…….” Capturing history from the horse’s mouth' to inspire today’s aeronautical professionals'. The recording was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.
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35:15
An interview with….. Arthur Webb FRAeS on stressing the Armstrong-Whitworth Argosy and the Lockheed C5 Galaxy wings
Stressing the 3-spar wing Armstrong-Whitworth Series 220 Argosy and the massive Lockheed C5 Galaxy wings was a fascinating way for an aero engineer in his twenties and early thirties to begin his career. As well as describing the design challenges, including the Argosy’s early use of bonded composites, Arthur shares what it was like during the brain drain: firstly working on the Galaxy for a UK contractor, before then moving to the USA with his young family and experiencing the racial tensions of 1960s Georgia.
Between working on the two freighters, he was selected as one of the few that moved from Coventry to Kingston, and tells us about his work keeping Second World War legacy aircraft in the air and his brush with one of the most dominant figures of twentieth century military aviation, Sir Sydney Camm HonFRAeS.
Arthur starts his oral history interview with telling us about watching British aircraft overhead from German occupied Jersey and how, after an encounter with Prof AD Young FRAeS, scraped through Queen Mary’s Aeronautical Engineering degree by the skin of his teeth.
Eur Ing Arthur Webb FRAeS was interviewed by Tony Pilmer FRAeS in 2024 as part of the Royal Aeronautical Society/National Aerospace Library’s oral history project ‘If I only didn’t do it that way…….” Capturing history from the horse’s mouth' to inspire today’s aeronautical professionals'. The recording was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.
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50:02
AEROSPACE NOTAM - May 2025
In this podcast series from the Royal Aeronautical Society's monthly AEROSPACE magazine, Editor in Chief Tim Robinson, Deputy Editor Stephen Bridgewater and Features Editor, Jack Richardson analyse recent aviation, aerospace and space news - and preview the latest (May 2025) edition of the magazine. In this episode, we also interview outgoing RAeS President David Chinn FRAeS. Find out more at www.aerosociety.com
The Royal Aeronautical Society is the world’s only professional body dedicated to the entire aerospace community. Established in 1866 to further the art, science and engineering of aeronautics, the Society has been at the forefront of developments in aerospace ever since.
UK