The latest 'bumper' batch of historic recordings from the National Aerospace Library's archives - a real 'Who's Who' of aviation personalities and historical subjects - has just been released via the Royal Aeronautical Society's SoundCloud site (just click on the arrow button to 'Play')
They include a sound recording of Captain John Cecil Kelly-Rogers' 1964 lecture on his experiences across the Atlantic during the 1930s and 1940s, Sir George Edwards 1972 lecture on the UK aerospace industry, John Farley's 2006 lecture on the evolution of V/STOL aircraft, Col. Al Worden's 1972 lecture 'Apollo 15 - By Command Module Pilot' and the recording of a 2004 lecture by past Royal Aeronautical Society President Peter Hearne HonFRAeS 'The Right Size Matters' surveying from his personal perspective the post-WW2 evolution of British aircraft industry.
A quick link to the historic lectures and speeches available so far (including Sir Frederick Handley Page, Igor Sikorsky, Jeffrey Quill, Peter Twiss, Charles H. Gibbs-Smith, Andrew Brookes, Silvius Dornier, Sir Richard Glazebrook, Commander Graeme Rowan-Thomson, Keith Hayward, Sir Dermot Boyle, Philip Wills and Chris Yeo) is:-
https://soundcloud.com/aerosociety-podcast/sets/classic-lecture-series
A quick link to the extended interviews available so far (including interviews with Captain Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown, Chuck Yeager, Scott Crossfield, Handel Davies, Al White, Bill Humble, Pete Knight, Dick Johnson, Philip Lucas, Peter Bugge, Col. Emil ‘Ted’ Sturmthal, Harald Penrose, John Morton, D. P. Davies, Jeffrey Quill, John Cunningham, Sir Barnes Wallis, R. A. C. Brie and Sir Harry Ricardo) is :-
https://soundcloud.com/aerosociety-podcast/sets/an-interview-with
All the historic podcasts released via the National Aerospace Library Sound Archive can also now be downloaded for free via iTunes:-
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/aerosociety-podcast/id1216235459?mt=2
The intention of the National Aerospace Library Sound Archive project is to create a historically significant oral history archive which makes the voices of the past (pilots, engineers, scientists etc.) 'alive' once more to inspire and inform current and future generations and the sound archive has attracted a number of favourable comments / interest via social media.
Please note that if these recordings or extracts from these recordings are to be reproduced in any way (book, journal article, web-site etc.), acknowledgement should be made to the ‘Royal Aeronautical Society (National Aerospace Library)’ as being the source of the original.
Please feel welcome to forward details of these historic aviation recordings to anyone who may be interested.
An online version of an article published in the Royal Aeronautical Society's magazine Aerospace December 2017 which reviews the latest developments with the National Aerospace Library Sound Archive is available via the following web-site:-
https://www.aerosociety.com/news/listen-to-aviation-voices-come-alive/