Keith Noel Everal ("Bill") Bradfield ,
FIEAust (25 December 1910 – 12 June 2006), also known as K. N. E. Bradfield, was an Australian civil and
aviation engineer, public servant and diplomat, who served two terms as Australia's Permanent Representative to the
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sc ...
. Bradfield is one of four Australian recipients of the ICAO
Edward Warner Award The Edward Warner Award is an award that's given in the field of aviation to aviation pioneers or organizations that have contributed to civil aviation. The award is named after Edward Pearson Warner, the first President of the council of ICAO.
T ...
, civil aviation's highest honour (alongside
Don Anderson,
Brian O'Keeffe
Brian O'Keeffe (born 1977) is an Irish hurler who played as a right corner-forward for the Cork senior team.
Born in Blackrock, Cork, O'Keeffe first arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the ...
and
David Warren).
Early life and education
Keith Noel Everal Bradfield was born 25 December 1910 in Gordon, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, the youngest child of civil engineer and creator of the
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North Shore. The view of the bridg ...
and
Story Bridge
The Story Bridge is a heritage-listed steel cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River that carries vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the northern and the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is the long ...
,
John Bradfield, and Edith Jenkins. Bradfield was educated at
Gordon Public School
The Gordon Public School is a heritage-listed former Government of New South Wales, government Primary school, public school located at 799 Pacific Highway (Australia), Pacific Highway, in the Sydney suburb of Gordon, New South Wales, Gordon i ...
,
and the
Sydney Church of England Grammar School from 1922 to 1928, where he was a
prefect
Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area.
A prefect's ...
. On leaving school he was admitted to the
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
in 1929, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1932 and Bachelor of Engineering with First Class Honours in 1934.
During this time Bradfield resided in
St Paul's College (1930–1933). After finishing his studies he went to Brisbane to assist his father's work on the Story Bridge.
In November 1934, at age 24 Bradfield was selected as the
Rhodes Scholar
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
for New South Wales, and began doctoral studies in Engineering Science at
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...
. Under the supervision of Professor
R.V. Southwell, he completed his doctoral thesis in 1938 on methods of stress analysis in mathematically indeterminate frameworks, such as occur in aircraft structures.
Whilst at Oxford, Bradfield joined the
Oxford University Air Squadron
The Oxford University Air Squadron, abbreviated Oxford UAS, or OUAS, formed in 1925, is the training unit of the Royal Air Force at the University of Oxford and forms part of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. OUAS is one of fifteen Universi ...
, gaining his pilot certification flying the
Avro Tutor
The Avro Type 621 Tutor is a two-seat British radial-engined biplane from the interwar period. It was a simple but rugged basic trainer (aircraft), trainer that was used by the Royal Air Force as well as many other air arms worldwide.
Design ...
and the
Hawker Hart
The Hawker Hart is a British two-seater biplane light bomber aircraft that saw service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft. The Hart was a prominent British aircraf ...
. Originally intending to complete a final year of study at
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
(which conducted the world's only course in airport design), with the continuing tensions leading up to the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the Rhodes trustees asked him to remain in England and Bradfield spent the remaining time of his scholarship working for the airport design firm
Norman and Dawbarn
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
.
Public service
Returning to Australia in 1939, Bradfield found that preparations for war included much work for expanding and designing various aerodromes and airports. First working for the
Queensland Main Roads Department and later with the Commonwealth
Department of Civil Aviation
A civil aviation authority (CAA) is a national or supranational statutory authority that oversees the regulation of civil aviation, including the maintenance of an aircraft register.
Role
Due to the inherent dangers in the use of flight vehicles, ...
, Bradfield's first assignments were to design aerodromes at
Bowen,
Mackay Mackay may refer to:
*Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives
Mackay may also refer to:
Places Australia
* Mackay Region, a local government area
** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region
*** Mackay Airpor ...
,
Rockhampton
Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...
and
Bundaberg
Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...
. Promoted to Superintendent of Ground Operations in 1941, he held that position until the Department was re-organised in 1945, upon which he was appointed Chief Airport Engineer.
In this role, Bradfield created designs for a significant expansion of
Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney, with his plans approved by Prime Minister
Ben Chifley
Joseph Benedict Chifley (; 22 September 1885 – 13 June 1951) was an Australian politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Australia from 1945 to 1949. He held office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1945, follow ...
in March 1946.
In 1947 Bradfield was appointed as Australia's
Permanent Representative
A permanent representative is a diplomat who is the head of a country’s diplomatic mission to an international organisation.
Organizations that receive permanent representatives from their member states include the United Nations, the World Tr ...
on the Council of the
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sc ...
(ICAO) in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, Quebec, Canada. While there, Bradfield was involved in discussions on the limitations of runway lengths and meetings of the organisation's
aerodromes, air routes and ground aids committee, which worked on determining international aerodrome standards. Bradfield was elected Vice-President of the Council in 1949–50 and also served on the
Air Navigation Commission, the technical agency of ICAO that works towards the uniformity of Air regulations and standards, from 1949 to 1952.
Returning to Australia in 1952, Bradfield was appointed Director of Airports for the Department of Civil Aviation and was responsible for designing expansions of
Essendon Airport
Essendon Fields Airport , colloquially known by its former name Essendon Airport, is a public airport serving scheduled commercial, corporate-jet, charter and general aviation flights. It is located next to the intersection of the Tullamarin ...
in Melbourne as the second international airport in Australia. In 1957 he was promoted to Assistant Director-General (ground Facilities), and in 1964 became First Assistant Director-General (Ground Facilities). Faced with the growing challenges to airport infrastructure posed by the growth of the number and size of passenger jets entering service, requiring redesigns of runways and taxiways, and larger terminals.
Bradfield was instrumental in the plans and designs for a new international airport for Melbourne
at Tullamarine, which were formally unveiled in August 1965.
However, these plans, costed at
£9.3 million, underwent significant criticism from certain representatives in NSW who alleged that Bradfield's plans gave Melbourne an unfair advantage over Sydney as the premier international air terminal in Australia. NSW Labor MP for Shortland,
Charles Griffiths, in particular questioned Bradfield on this in a sitting of the Parliamentary Works Committee, "I think you will admit that you will give Tullamarine a distinct edge, in that for five or seven years this sort of thing will have to occur." This was an accusation Bradfield firmly denied. Although heavily involved in the Tullamarine project, Bradfield also started planning for a new international terminal for Sydney to replace the greatly outmoded Mascot terminal that had been built prior to the growth of jet aircraft passenger travel.
On leaving his role as Assistant Director-General in 1968, Bradfield gave a speech before the Melbourne Branch of the
Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest aeronautical society in the world. Members, Fellows ...
, noting his thoughts on his guiding principles behind airport design: "It is sometimes not realised that an airport is a place of transit, and an airport terminal building is a place where a traveller wants to spend a minimum, not a maximum, of time. The efficiency of an airport terminal is best measured by the time it takes the traveller to pass through it in comfort."
Later career and legacy
Bradfield returned to ICAO for another term as the Australian Representative on the Council from 1968 to 1972 and was involved in formulating ICAO provisions on aircraft noise and planning for the introduction of new types of aircraft such as the
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022.
After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...
and
Concorde
The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC).
Studies started in 1954, and France an ...
. In addition to his work with ICAO, he also served as a member and Chairman of the South Pacific Air Transport Council and in 1960 was a member of the West Indies Civil Aviation Commission, established to advise the
West Indies Government. On his return from Montreal in 1972, Bradfield retired from the Department of Civil Aviation.
During his service to the Commonwealth Bradfield was awarded the Award of Merit of the
Commonwealth Professional Officers' Association (1963) and the Medal of Civil Aviation Council of
Arab States
The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western As ...
(1971).
[ In the 1966 ]New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...
he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(OBE).
From 1973 to 1976 he was the Civil Aviation Advisor to the Australian Territory of Papua and New Guinea
The Territory of Papua and New Guinea, officially the Administrative Union of the Territory of Papua and the Territory of New Guinea, was established by an administrative union between the Australian-administered territories of Papua and New G ...
and the Independent Government of Papua New Guinea
The politics of Papua New Guinea takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic multi-party system, whereby the prime minister is the head of government. Papua New Guinea is an independent Commonwealth realm, with the mo ...
from 1975, serving as the PNG Controller of Civil Aviation and a founding member of the National Airlines Commission and Air Niugini
Air Niugini Limited is the national airline of Papua New Guinea, based in Air Niugini House on the property of Jacksons International Airport, Port Moresby. It operates a domestic network from Port Moresby to 12 major airports while its subsidi ...
. For his service in PNG he was awarded the Papua New Guinea Independence Medal
The Papua New Guinea Independence Medal was created in 1975 to commemorate the transition from self-government to the full independence of Papua New Guinea. It is a part of the Papua New Guinea honours system.
Criteria
The Government of Papua Ne ...
in 1976.[ In 1991, Bradfield became the twenty-fifth recipient of the ICAO ]Edward Warner Award The Edward Warner Award is an award that's given in the field of aviation to aviation pioneers or organizations that have contributed to civil aviation. The award is named after Edward Pearson Warner, the first President of the council of ICAO.
T ...
, the highest award in civil aviation, "for his eminent contribution to the development and provision of the technical and operational requirements of the ground‑based infrastructure of international civil aviation." In 1993 he was made a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia
Engineers Australia (EA) is an Australian professional body and not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to advance the science and practice of engineering for the benefit of the community. Engineers Australia is Australia's recognized org ...
(FIEAust).[ Returning to Sydney, Bradfield lived in retirement until he died aged 95 on 12 June 2006, survived by his wife Jeannette, two sons, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradfield, Keith Noel Everal
1910 births
2006 deaths
Alumni of New College, Oxford
Australian aerospace engineers
Australian civil engineers
Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Papua New Guinean civil servants
Australian Rhodes Scholars
People educated at Sydney Church of England Grammar School
Permanent Representatives of Australia to the International Civil Aviation Organization
University of Sydney alumni