Royal Aeronautical Society Celebrates 160 Years of Aerospace

The Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) is marking 160 years of advancing global aerospace knowledge in 2026, reflecting on more than a century and a half of contributions to the science, engineering and professional practice of flight.

Founded in 1866 and incorporated by Royal Charter, the RAeS is one of the world's oldest aeronautical organisations. Its community spans pilots, engineers, scientists, academics, students and industry professionals in more than 100 countries, and the Society works across aviation, aerospace and space to advance knowledge, foster professional development and shape industry standards.

The anniversary year is already producing a busy programme of events and publications. In March, the Society published a blog piece reporting on a joint RAeS and Eurofighter flagship lecture held in Berlin in February, at which aerospace professionals discussed the evolving role of the Eurofighter Typhoon in European defence and the challenges facing the European aerospace sector more broadly.

Dr Alisdair Wood FRAeS serves as Society President for 2025–26, providing leadership of the professional community throughout the anniversary year. A full calendar of RAeS events, including branch lectures, technical conferences and CPD activities, is listed on the RAeS events pages.