The Air League is an aviation and aerospace non-profit organisation based in the United Kingdom.[1] It is the UK's largest provider of aviation and aerospace scholarships and bursaries.
| Formation | 17 February 1909 |
|---|---|
| Type | UK Registered Charity |
| Registration no. | 1129969 |
| Headquarters | 4 Hamilton Place, London, United Kingdom |
Region served |  United Kingdom |
Former Patron | The Late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1952-2021) |
President | Air Marshal Sir Christopher Harper |
Chairman | John Steel KC |
| Website | www |
The Air League aims to inspire, enable, and support the next generation of aviation and aerospace professionals from all backgrounds across the UK. Each year thousands of people from around the UK, including disadvantaged youngsters and wounded and injured servicemen and women benefit from Air League support.
History
editFounded 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
edit- Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood, (1945–1947)
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Philip Joubert de la Ferté (1947–1954)
- Samuel Hoare, 1st Viscount Templewood (1954–1956)
- Archibald Sinclair, 1st Viscount Thurso (1956–1958)[3]
- Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton (1959–1968)[4]
- Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1959) – For the period of the Air League Jubilee celebrations
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Francis Fogarty (1968–1972)
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Denis Smallwood (1980–1984)
- Marshal of the RAF Sir John Grandy (1984–1987)[5]
- Air Marshal Sir Charles Ness (1987–1990)[6]
- Sir Michael Cobham (1990–1993)[6]
- James Ewart Henderson CVO (1993–1996)[6]
- Baron Tebbit (1996–1999)[6]
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Knight (1999–2004)[7]
- Sir Michael Marshall (2004–2009)[8]
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Burridge (2009–2014)
- Sir Roger Bone KCMG (2014–2021)
- Air Marshal Sir Christopher Harper (2021–Present)
Women's Aerial League
editThe Women's Aerial League was also set up in 1909 – on 4 May [9][10]
Relations with the Aerial League were friendly, but this organisation led its own existence, and also set up the Boys' and Girls' Aerial League.[11] It was merged into the Aerial League in 1910.
References
edit- ^ "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 c d Air League Flight International, 14 February 1990
- ^ Debrett's People of Today 1994
- ^ "Anglia Ruskin University". Anglia.ac.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Women%27s_Aerial_League. [dead link]
- ^ "Catalogue description the Women's Aerial League of the British Empire. Licence granted for registration with".
- ^ "The other other aerial league – Airminded".