Supporting Companies

ADS represents and supports more than 1100 UK businesses operating in the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors. Their membership ranges from major multinational businesses with substantial UK presences, to hundreds of small and medium sized companies in every part of the country. Companies part of the group employ 415,000 people in the UK and generate exports worth £34 billion a year. In May 2020 Paul Everitt, ADS Chief Executive said:

“Innovation is at the core of the UK aerospace, defence, space and security industries and founded on our members’ commitment to investing in skills. ADS is a keen supporter of Project AA810 which aims to restore to flight Spitfire AA810 and the associated Sandy Gunn Aerospace Careers Programme is a great initiative to bring the next generation on this journey, opening their eyes to the world of engineering and its opportunities.”

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Cranfield is a postgraduate university, specialising in technology and management. The theme running through Cranfield’s history is a commitment to and passion for applied research which makes a difference to the world in the fields of science, technology and management. The forerunner of Cranfield University was the College of Aeronautics, created in 1946 and based at the RAF station in Cranfield, Bedfordshire. Through the 1950s and 1960s, the development of many aspects of aircraft research and design led to considerable growth and diversification into other areas such as manufacturing and management. In 1967, the School of Management was founded, in 1969, the College of Aeronautics became The Cranfield Institute of Technology incorporated by Royal Charter with full degree-awarding powers. More recently, there has been further substantial progress, including an academic partnership with the Defence Academy, UK, at Shrivenham in Wiltshire.

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GKN Aerospace is the world’s leading multi-technology tier 1 aerospace supplier. With 38 manufacturing locations in 12 countries, GKN serves over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers. Their key business drive is to design and manufacture innovative smart aerospace systems and components. Their technologies are used in aircraft ranging from the most used single aisle aircraft and the largest passenger planes in the world, to business jets and the world’s advanced 5th generation fighter aircraft.

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Leading Edge Aviation is a CAA and EASA Flight Training provider based at Oxford Airport. Created by a team with more than 200 years of combined experience, leading Edge is the result of an unswerving commitment to delivering a fresh approach to flight training. Leading Edge opened in 2018 and uses the very latest in technology and delivers a highly personalised approach to provide the ultimate modern training programme for the 21st Century.

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Meggitt PLC is a world leader in aerospace, defence and selected energy markets. With a focus on innovation and technology, they employ more than 12,000 people throughout Europe, Asia and North America. Their civil aerospace presence covers cargo planes, regional aircraft, business jets, rotary craft and general aviation. More than 73,000 aircraft rely on their critical technologies, sub-systems and components.

The origins of their aviation history can be traced back to 1850 when two Italian craftsmen Negretti & Zambra moved to England and were appointed meteorological instrument maker to Queen Victoria, for their creation of the world’s first altimeter for hot air balloons. Their company later became Meggitt Avionics. Their legacy continued to grow and in 1936 through subsidiary companies, they began to supply the radiator, wheels, brakes and gun firing systems for the now iconic Spitfire.

Supplying nose to tail solutions, their product portfolio includes; thermal solutions, wheel and brake systems, fire detection, safety equipment, advanced polymers and composites, radomes, seals, avionics, sensing and condition monitoring. As a supplier of lifecycle solutions, they also operate regional centres of excellence to support aftermarket services and support.

Their defence activities cover all military aircraft types, land systems and naval platforms. They also specialise in aerial, land and marine threat simulation training and weapons system development. The firearms element of this capability extends into law enforcement and security organisations. Not only is Meggitt supporting the return to flight of AA810, but also assisting the Sandy Gunn ACP in our nationwide activities with schoolchildren.

Company information coming soon.

As the world’s only professional body dedicated to the aerospace community, the RAeS exists to further the advancement of aeronautical art, science and engineering around the world. Established in 1866, the Society has been at the forefront of developments in aerospace, seeking to promote the highest professional standards and provide a central forum for sharing knowledge. In 1940, the RAeS responded to the wartime need to expand the aircraft industry. The Society established a Technical Department to bring together the best available knowledge and present it in an authoritative and accessible form – a working tool for engineers who might come from other industries and lack the specialised knowledge required for aircraft design. This technical department became known as the Engineering Sciences Data Unit (ESDU) and eventually became a separate entity in the 1980s.

In 2016, the Society celebrated its 150th anniversary and members took the opportunity to celebrate achievement and excellence within the aeronautics community, and to look ahead to the next 50 years of innovation in aerospace. The Society now has over 25,000 members and has become an international, multidisciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community.

The Sandy Gunn Aerospace Careers Programme (SGACP) are working with Speakers for Schools (SfS) whose aim is to provide all young people, regardless of background and circumstances, with access to the same prestigious networks available to the top fee-paying schools in the UK. The SGACP will be involved in the SfS Inspiration Programme with Dr Michael Smith and Tony Hoskins, the co-creators of the SGACP and two of its founding trustees, being speakers.

Speakers for Schools is a youth social mobility charity, founded in 2010 by ITV’s Political Editor Robert Peston, and supported by the Law Family Charitable Foundation. The charity’s aim is to end educational inequality by giving all young people access to the same networks available to fee-paying schools. It provides talks from influential figures as well as work experiences linking students to hundreds of the UK’s leading employers. It also includes Youth Card, a personalised app that brings work experience, inspirational talks and discounts into the hands of young people across the UK.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Transport have welcomed an initiative that recognises that more needs to be done to greater enhance the gender balance in aviation and as such, the UK’s aviation and aerospace sectors are making a commitment to work together to build a more balanced and fair industry for women by launching a Charter for Women. Made up of over 212 global companies, the Sandy Gunn Aerospace Careers Programme is supporting member organisation of this charter.

The Charter:
– commits organisations to supporting the progression of women into senior roles in the aviation and aerospace sectors by focusing on the executive pipeline and the mid-tier level;
– recognises the diversity of the sector and that organisations will have different starting points – each organisation should therefore set its own targets, where appropriate, and implement the right strategy for their organisation; and
– requires organisations to publicly report on progress to deliver against any internal targets to support the transparency and accountability needed to drive change.