Air League
| Founded | 1909 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-Profit Organisation[1] |
| Location |
|
Area served | United Kingdom |
Key people | Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh (Patron)
John Steel QC (Chairman) Sir Roger Bone (President) Nick West (Chief Executive) |
| Website | www |
The Air League is an aviation and aerospace charity focused on aviation.
History
Founded in 1909 as The Aerial League of The British Empire, The Air League was formed to counter 'the backwardness and apathy' shown by the UK in the face of emerging aeronautical developments and to stress the 'vital importance from a commercial and national defence point of view of this new means of communication'.[citation needed]
The founders of the Air League were concerned that Britain was falling behind other nations in the development of its aviation capability. They foresaw the threats, both military and commercial, to the country's future wellbeing if aviation was not made central to government thinking. When the First World War broke out five years later, Britain was taking aviation sufficiently seriously to be able to develop and produce aircraft that could hold their own in the rapidly evolving scramble for air superiority.[2]
In 1938 The Air League founded the Air Defence Cadet Corps, which is now the Air Training Corps.[2]
Presidents
- Archibald Sinclair, 1st Viscount Thurso (1956 - 1958)[3]
- Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton (1959 - 1968)[4]
- Marshal of the RAF Sir John Grandy (1984 - 1987)[5]
- Air Marshal Sir Charles Ness (1987 - 1990)[6]
- Michael Cobham (1990 - 1993)[6]
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Knight (1993 - 2004 )[7]
- Sir Michael Marshall (2004 - 2009)[8]
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Burridge (2009 - 2014)
- Sir Roger Bone (2014–Present)
References
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b "History of The Air League". Kenleyairshow.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ "Biography of Viscount Thurso Archibald Sinclair". Liberalhistory.org.uk. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ "Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, the 14th Duke of Hamilton". Spartacus-Educational.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ "Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Marshal of the RAF Sir John Grandy". Rafweb.org. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ a b Air League Flight International, 14 February 1990
- ^ Debrett's People of Today 1994
- ^ "Anglia Ruskin University". Anglia.ac.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2014.