Origins
The idea for the creation of the ACA originated with the then"With a view to securing that the highest scientific talent shall he brought to hear on the problems which will have to be solved in the course of the work of the two departments, the National Physical Laboratory has been requested to organize at its establishment at Teddington a special department for continuous investigation, experimental and otherwise,of questions which must from time to time be solved in order to obtain adequate guidance in construction.Haldane was criticised for what some considered the undue preponderance of academics on the committee (7 of the original 10 members were Fellows of the premier British learned society for science, the Royal Society, founded in 1660). To these criticisms Asquith replied in the House of Commons:
"For the superintendence of the investigations at the National Physical Laboratory and for general advice on the scientific problems arising in connection with the work of theAdmiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...andWar Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from t ...in aerial construction and navigation, I have appointed a special Committee...."
"It is no part of the general duty of the Advisory Committee For Aeronautics either to construct or invent. Its function is not to initiate, but to consider what is initiated elsewhere, and is referred to it by the executive officers of the Navy and Army Construction Departments. The problems which are likely to arise ... for solutions are numerous, and it will be the work of the Committee to advise on these problems, and to seek their solution by the application of both theoretical and experimental methods of research".
History
The Advisory Committee For Aeronautics proceeded to coordinate research in the following years and produced a series of annual reports, the first of which summarised the purpose of the committee as "the scientific study of the problems of flight, with a view to their practical solution". It was kept out of the political ambit of any one ministry, reporting directly to the Prime Minister and receiving its funds from the "Civil Service Estimate". This arrangement changed with the creation of the Royal Air Force, after which it reported to the Secretary of State for Air. "Annual Technical Reports" were produced by the committee from 1910 until 1919, at which time its name was changed to the "Aeronautical Research Committee". From 1920 reports were made to the Air Ministry. In addition, technical papers known as "Reports & Memoranda" (R&M) were produced. The Aeronautical Research Committee's scope was both military and civil applications. During the deteriorating international situation of the 1930s (see '' Events preceding World War II in Europe''), the committee was given fresh impetus with the appointment of SirInitial members of the Committee
From the time of its appointment on 30 April 1909 until the publication of its first report, the committee's members were as follows:Publications
The committee and its successor agencies published several series of reports which could be purchased fromFootnotes and references
Further reading
* David Bloor. 2011. ''The Enigma of the Aerofoil: Rival theories in aerodynamics, 1909–1930''. University of Chicago Press. * Alex Roland. 1985. ''Model Research: The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, 1915–1958''. 2 vols. Washington, DC: Scientific and Technical Information Branch, NASA. {{DEFAULTSORT:Advisory Committee For Aeronautics 1909 establishments in the United Kingdom 1979 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Aeronautics organizations Aviation history of the United Kingdom Aviation organisations based in the United Kingdom