RAeS & ICAO –“Nancy-Bird Walton Lecture”

Side by Side: Two “birds in a gilded cage” (by Coplu, coplu.com)

I am honoured to present the inaugural Nancy-Bird Walton Lecture on behalf of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS)  at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Headquarters Assembly Hall, Montreal from 6 pm on Monday, 25th January, 2016.

Nancy-Bird walton (photo: Sue Stafford. Reproduced courtesy of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences)

ICAO was created in 1944 to provide administration and governance for 191 UN Member States and industry groups.

ICAO is the pinnacle of aviation organisations.  It will be my career highlight to present to friends and representatives from organisations that include:

• IATA, Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transport Association of Canada – airlines,
• IFALPA, Air Canada Pilots Association, Retired Airline Pilots of Canada  – pilots,
• RAeS, GAPAN aviation organisations,
• NASA, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics,  Canadian Space Agency – space
• FSF safety organisations,
• FAA,  EASA, CAA, CASA  regulators ..
• NTSB, ATSB, BEA , ISASI accident investigators  ..
• Royal Canadian Air Force,
• NASA, DARPA, ODG, McGill University–  researchers,
• CAE – industry
• Airbus,  Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer – aircraft manufacturers,
• GE, P&W, Roll-Royce engine manufacturers, and
• many more …

Nancy-Bird Walton Lecture

I will talk and take questions about:

• QF32
• Resilience  (the focus of my next book)
• Nancy-Bird Walton
• and my life’s love of aviation..

Australia Day 2016

Fortunately the 25th January in Canada will be “Australia Day“, the 26th January in Australia.

I hope everyone will be able to mix and enjoy refreshments after the presentation.

Register

Come and join Coral and me in Montreal to celebrate aviation and Australia Day.

Click here (http://www.raes-montreall.org) to view details and register for the evening.

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QF32 by Jaak de Koninck (https://www.jaakdekoninck.be)

Nancy-Bird Walton

“My God, I’m not going to fly in that. The pilot’s a woman!”  (My God it’s a Woman p214)

I applaud ICAO for honouring Nancy-Bird Walton, one of Australia’s most iconic aviatrices.  Nancy-Bird is a role model for any pilot.    The “Nancy-Bird Walton” named lecture” is the second of just two named RAeS lectures at Montreal.  The “Assad Kotaite Lecture” is the other.

Passengers in KLM aircraft at that time were equipped with a helmet, goggles and hot water bag!  (My God it’s a Woman p124)

Australia’s first subsidised air service was the Adelaide/Sydney flight in 1924. It took two hours longer than the train  (My God it’s a Woman p196)

Sydney Nancy-Bird Walton International Airport

Australia could follow the RAeS and ICAO’s lead and honour Nancy-Bird Walton.

OQA (Nancy Bird-Walton) taking off at Sydney Airport on her first commercial flight after repairs (2012) (Photo, RDC)

I have proposed that the new Western Sydney Airport be named “Sydney Nancy-Bird Walton International Airport” (to honour a great Australian aviatrix) that would sit beside “Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport” (that honours a great Australian aviator).

The Honourable Warren Truss MP, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and the the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development has acknowledged my proposal.

Why am I doing this?

• Many airports are named after famous people,
• Nancy-Bird’s name lives on as a proud part of our heritage,
• It’s time Australia recognised a role model aviatrix
• Nancy-Bird Walton and Charles Kingsford Smith airports should be situated side-by-side, and
• From Nancy-Bird herself:

No matter how foolish, it is not the things in life that you do, but the things that you don’t do, that you regret  (My God it’s a Woman p174)

Another wonderful painting by Jaak De Koninck (www.jaakdekoninck.be)