Advisory Committee for Aeronautics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Agency overview
Formed	30 April 1909
Dissolved	1979
Jurisdiction	Government of the United Kingdom
Footnotes
later "Aeronautical Research Committee" then "Aeronautical Research Council", disbanded 1979

The Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (ACA) was a special group in the UK. It was started on April 30, 1909. Its main job was to study and promote new ideas in flying. This included everything about airplanes and air travel.

Later, the ACA changed its name. In 1919, it became the Aeronautical Research Committee. After that, it was called the Aeronautical Research Council. This group helped make sure the UK was a leader in aviation.

Other countries also started similar groups. For example, France created L’Etablissement Central de l’Aérostation Militaire. Russia had the "Aerodynamic Institute of Koutchino". The USA started the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in 1915. The Aeronautical Research Council stopped its work in 1979.

How the ACA Started

The idea for the ACA came from R.B.Haldane. He was the Secretary of State for War at the time. This means he was in charge of the army. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, H. H. Asquith, also supported the idea.

Asquith announced the new committee on May 5, 1909. He told the House of Commons (like a parliament) about it. He said they wanted to use the best scientific minds to solve problems in flying.

He explained that the National Physical Laboratory would set up a special department. This department would do experiments and research. Its goal was to help guide the building of aircraft. A special committee would oversee this research. They would also give advice to the Admiralty (Navy) and War Office (Army) on air travel.

Some people thought the committee had too many academics. Academics are people who work at universities or do a lot of research. Seven out of the first ten members were from the Royal Society. This is a very old and famous science group in Britain. Asquith replied to these concerns. He said the committee's job was not to invent things. Instead, it was to look at ideas from others. It would then advise on problems and find solutions using science and experiments.

Aviation Research Through the Years

The Advisory Committee for Aeronautics worked to organize research. They published reports every year. The first report said their goal was "the scientific study of the problems of flight." This was to help find practical ways to solve them.

The committee was kept separate from any single government department. It reported directly to the Prime Minister. It also got its money from a special fund. This changed when the Royal Air Force was created. After that, the committee reported to the Secretary of State for Air.

The committee published "Annual Technical Reports" from 1910 to 1919. Then, its name changed to the "Aeronautical Research Committee." From 1920, it reported to the Air Ministry. They also produced special technical papers called "Reports & Memoranda" (R&M).

The Aeronautical Research Committee studied flight for both military and civilian uses. This meant they looked at planes for war and for everyday travel.

In the 1930s, the world situation became tense. This was before the Second World War. The committee got new energy when Sir Henry Tizard joined. He created the Committee for the Scientific Survey of Air Defence. One of their most important decisions was to quickly develop a national air defence system. This system was based on radar, which uses radio waves to detect objects.

After the Second World War in 1945, the committee changed its name again. It became the "Aeronautical Research Council." This council reported to the Ministry of Supply. Instead of annual reports, they published collections of R&Ms. The last one came out in 1972.

The Aeronautical Research Council was officially closed down in 1979.

Cranfield University has a short history of the committee online. They also keep an archive of the R&M papers. These papers show all the different parts of aviation that were studied over the years.

First Members of the Committee

Here are the people who were part of the committee when it first started on April 30, 1909:

See Also

• National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics