About RAeS

The History

The Royal Aeronautical Society was formed in 1866 by the 8th Duke of Argyll and a group of "aerial navigation enthusiasts".

This unique group set about prompting heavier-than-air flight 37 years before the Wright Brothers made the first successful, powered flight.

Throughout its history the RAeS can be shown to have stimulated the industry and been at the heart of advances in the state-of-the-art. Much of the pioneering work in many aspects of aeronautical study was either presented to, and/or published by, the RAeS.