Dr Guy Gratton

Academic Career

• 2005-2008: Lecturer in Aeronautics, School of Engineering and Design, Brunel University
• 1997-2004:  Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Southampton [PhD, part time] Airworthiness evaluation techniques for small light aeroplanes.
• 1996: Empire Test Pilots School Boscombe Down, Wiltshire
  To my lasting regret, I did not graduate from this course, but it taught me an enormous amount which I have been using ever since.
• 1989 -1992: Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Southampton [BEng(Hons)]
• 1988-1989: MoD Student Engineers Training Centre, Royal Aerospace Establishment, Farnborough
• 1982 - 1988: Aylesbury Grammar School 

Aerospace Industry Career

• 2008 - : Head of FAAM, Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements, Cranfield University
  (please judge for yourself whether this is an industry of academic job – I’m not sure whether I know either!  Whilst based at Cranfield, I’m actually an employee of the Natural Environment Research Council and we’re joint funded by they and the Met Office)
• 1997 - 2005:  Chief Technical Officer,British Microlight Aircraft Association, Banbury Oxfordshire
• • 2004 - 2005:  Chief Check Pilot, British Microlight Aircraft Association
• 1996-1997:  Manager, Environmental Test Facilities, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, Boscombe Down, Wiltshire
• 1993-1996:  Trials Officer (Flight test Engineer), Aircraft and Armaments Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down, Wiltshire
• 1989-1993: Student then graduate engineer, UK Ministry of Defence.
  Variously at RAE Farnborough (aircraft drawing office), RAE Bedford (wind tunnel testing), Westland Helicopters (quality assurance and flight test), RAF Leeming (aircraft maintenance), DRA Farnborough (health and safety management).

Consultancy and pro-bono

Being a workaholic, I've also generally been doing something else as well.  The most interesting bits are:-

• Ongoing: For some years I’ve done bits of expert witness work, mostly related to aircraft accidents and determining the liability issues, and most recently I’ve also done a bit of training and lecturing in safety management for some oil companies.  I’m also on the books of the “Science Media Centre” in London where I (pro-bono) occasionally help explain aircraft accidents via the media – including occasional appearances on Newsnight, Channel 4 News and others.
• 1999-2003: Britten-Norman Group, consultant flight test engineer
• 1997:RDF television, specialist consultant for Scrapheap Challenge  (the first flying machines episode)
• 1990-1993: Project manager, Espy amateur satellite programme.

Research Interests

• Airworthiness / aircraft certification and design for certification practice
• Aeroplane flying qualities
• Flight test practice of aeroplanes and simulators.
• Aeroplane design practice, particularly in part-23 and lighter aeroplanes.
• Communications within aviation environments

I have become a bit of a specialist in part time PhDs for industry professionals, and am particularly happy to talk to anybody looking at this route.

Current Research

• Formerly member of EC Funded COST297 (High Altitude Platforms for Communications and Other Applications: HAPCOS) working group 3: platforms.
• Supervisor of Brunel Flight Safety Laboratory
• Current research projects cover aspects of aviation industry history, communications in aircraft maintenance, and aspects of loss of control in light aeroplanes.

Teaching

Teaching is no longer a major occupation of mine, however…

• At Brunel University :
• • Previously taught: Aircraft design, Airworthiness, Aerodynamics and Flight mechanics, Aerospace vehicle design
  • Now: 1/5th module in Aerospace Test and Evaluation on the Aerospace Engineering MEng level 5 and MSc
• At Sheffield University:
• • Aircraft certification: short partial modules to level 3 BEng and MEng, and MSc (with assignment)
• For University of the West of England
• • Teaching a day annually on aeroplane flight testing on the CPDA Flight Test module run at Flightsafety, Farnborough
• For BMAA:
• • Voluntarily assist in training microlight check and test pilots. 
• For fun!:
• • I Run Bucks Kempo club, teaching Aiki Kempo Jiu Jitsu.  (Teaching certificate and 3rd Dan black belt from British Kempo Society.)
  • I do a bit of flying instruction in my spare time, mostly on unusual and vintage aeroplanes for already qualified pilots.

Memberships

• Royal Aeronautical Society: Fellow
• Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Fellow
• Society of Experimental Test Pilots: Member
• Society of Flight Test Engineers: Member

Awards

• 2006 - SETP Herman R Salmon Technical Publications Award  (jointly with Dr Simon Newman)
• 2003 - IMechE Safety award in Mechanical Engineering (jointly with Dr Simon Newman)
• 2003 - Derek G Astridge Medal for safety in aerospace (jointly with Dr Simon Newman)  

Flying

It is my prejudice that nobody should attempt to design or certify an aircraft (much less teach other people how to do it) without a knowledge and understanding of the operating environment.

In my case, I hold three pilots licences, am EASA-FCL CPL(SEP) with tailwheel, EFIS and turbocharged engine qualifications, the UK Instrument Rating (Restricted) and a Class Rating Instructor rating for single pilot aeroplanes.  An FAA PPL(SEL) with the same aeroplane qualifications plus “high performance”, and a UK NPPL rated for 3-axis and weightshift microlights.

I regularly fly three aeroplanes, which are a Mainair Blade 582 (in which I won the 2012 Round Britain (microlight) Rally, a Grumman AA5a Cheetah, and a 1947 Stinson S108-2 Voyager (when it’s serviceable).  In practice however, I usually manage to fly around a dozen types per year, for a variety of transport, training and flight test purposes.

I'm also a British Microlight Aircraft Association check pilot and test pilot.

To date I've had the privilege of flying as operating crew in 96 aircraft types: 64 of those as pilot in command, including being pilot in command for six first-flights of new-build aeroplanes, and crew for another 4.

Professional Committees

• Vice Chairman, Royal Aeronautical Society General Aviation Group (RAeS GAG)
• Chairman, Royal Aeronautical Society Oxford Branch.
• Chairman, Association of Aerospace Universities Aircraft Operations and Flight Simulation Group
• Member, Civil Aviation Authority General Aviation Consultative Committee (GACC)

Why I became an Engineer

When I was a boy, man was busy landing on the moon, Concorde was just going into service and the Space Shuttle was being built; most of my reading or viewing was science fiction, or science fact, interspersed with Biggles and Professor Branestawm. So, as it was the nearest I could see to working with all of this exciting stuff, I'd decided that I wanted to go to university to study physics.  Then, professor Heinz Wolff (Brunel Professor of Bioengineering, also well known at the time for TV appearances) gave a talk at my school on the science behind spaceflight.  I was absolutely fascinated and went up to talk to him afterwards; I asked him "how do I get to work on all this great stuff".  Without a pause he said "go to university and study engineering - any sort except civil".

I did, and so far, he was right - I've had great fun, working on all manner of fascinating toys (and in more recent years, flying them), and I still am.  Thank you professor Wolff.

Publications

Journal Papers

(2012) Gratton, G. and Hoff, RI., Camera Tracking and Qualitative Airflow Assessment of a 2-turn Erect Spin, The Aeronautical Journal 116 541- 562

(2012) Gratton, G. and Bromfield, MA., Factors affecting the apparent longitudinal stick-free static stability of a typical high-wing light aeroplane, The Aeronautical Journal 116 (1179) : 467- 600

(2011) Gratton, G., Mares, C. and Saeed, B., A feasibility assessment of annular winged VTOL flight vehicles, The Aeronautical Journal 115 (1173) : 683- 692

(2011) Saeed, B. and Gratton, G., Exploring the aerodynamic characteristics of a blown annular wing for vertical/short take-off and landing applications, PROCEEDINGS OF THE INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS PART G-JOURNAL OF AEROSPACE ENGINEERING 225 (G6) : 689- 707

(2008) Gratton, GB., A timed method for the estimation of aeroplane take-off and landing distances, Aeronautical Journal 112 (1136) : 613- 619 Download publication

(2008) Gratton, G., Stalling speeds and determination of maneuver speed for rogallo-winged microlight airplanes, Journal of Aircraft 45 (2) : 723- 725 Download publication

(2007) Gratton, GB., Use of global positioning system velocity outputs for determining airspeed measurement error, Aeronautical Journal 111 (1120) : 381- 388 Download publication

Books

(2009) Gratton, G., The Microlight Flyers Handbook. AFE