Fast paced developments in power production which will help the sector reduce its climate impact whilst still allowing the world to move, collaborate and develop are with us. The advent of eVTOL and drone technology is providing new ways of transporting goods and, in the near future, people in a way that existing technology can’t, and space is becoming increasingly accessible to all. With it we’re captivating the next generation of talent for our extraordinary sectors.

Over our history, the Royal Aeronautical Society has brought together the brightest minds, the most critical thinkers and forward-looking individuals to challenge us to strive for greater things and exploring the very edges of our universe. That continues today with our work on the non-CO₂ climate effects of aviation, studies on human factors in aircraft maintenance and conferences on delivering a net-zero earth by harnessing the power of space, through to reports on gender discrimination in flight training, representation at the ICAO on skills, the climate challenge and the change from magnetic to true north to seminars on future combat air systems.

This year the Society has delivered 393 apprenticeship assessments, we’ve delivered in-person inspiration to over 2,300 children around the country through our Cool Aeronautics programme, provided free Fun Radio Kids podcasts and Amy's Aviation YouTube videos which have now reached nearly half a million views, we’ve launched our Falcon 2 programme which will design and build accessible flight simulators, received over 100,000 unique visits to our Careers in Aerospace platform, supported over 1,200 students with careers and employability workshops at colleges and universities, as well as boosting the delivery of our unique woman-to-women mentoring platform alta to over 400 users.

We’ve recognised individuals and teams through our Medals and Awards, covering a variety of aviation, aerospace and space topics. We’ve welcomed over 1,900 people to our headquarter lectures, briefings and webinars, as well as seeing a return for a number of events and groups which were curtailed by the pandemic. Our Specialist Group seminars and Technical Conferences attracted over 980 attendees. Of particular note was the in-person return of our network of Branches, with over 400 events offered around the world.

The Aeronautical Journal, our academic publication, celebrated its 125th anniversary with an increased impact factor of 49%. Our magazine AEROSPACE celebrated its 50th anniversary and continues to win awards for its work. The National Aerospace Library, at Farnborough, implemented its new catalogue, increasing the accessibility of our collection for the nation and the world.

As a result of the pandemic, the Society took the opportunity to undertake a Governance Review to ensure that our By-Laws and Regulations were fit for purpose for the next chapter of our story, in a very different world to that which preceded it. That work will also feed into the 2023 Society Relevance Project which will assess what the future offering needs to be for the coming decades.

Financially, despite challenges of the pandemic and the rising cost of living, the Society fared well. We delivered a strong surplus which will allow us to continue to invest in our work and the IT systems needed to provide a modern membership organisation.

Our Society relies on a huge number of volunteers who give their time freely to support our sectors and our wider membership. In addition, the hard work and commitment of the Society’s staff team at No.4 Hamilton Place is integral to what we offer. We are indebted to them all and incredibly grateful for what they do.