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S&T - Ejector Seats
In May 2026 a small group of us heard about the development of the ejector seat. A brief review of early history told us the first evidence of somebody trying to leave a plane was using a bungy rope in 1910. But it was not until the 1920s when a Romanian engineer, Dragormiri, patented an…
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S&T - Microchips
In April 2026 we looked at how microchips are made and then had a quick glimpse of future chips. Now we are not talking about the chips on your plate, but the micro electronic circuits that power and control all our electric devices, whether they are in the kitchen, the living room or the office.…
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S&T - Behind the scenes at European F1 Racing
The presentation for March 2026 was all about going behind the scenes of European Formula 1 Racing. The authors interest was initiated when his son started to work for the logistics team behind Renault Alpine and this ignited his interest in all aspects of the annual set of Grand prix races around the world. We…
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S&T - The low-altitude economy
At February 2026's meeting we learnt about the low altitude economy, which China is pioneering and pouring large amounts of money into in order to maintain market leadership. We learnt that the low altitude economy covers a multitude of applications up to 1000m of altitude., including small drones for agricultural or structural surveys, larger drones…
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S&T - The Fehmarn Belt Tunnel
October 2025''s meeting was about the construction of the Fehmarn Belt Tunnel between the island of Lolland in Denmark, under the Baltic onto the mainland of Germany. There is not much known in the UK about this project which is currently the largest construction project in Europe. The cost is estimated to be around €8…
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S&T - The Science of Archery
We started September with a talk on the Science of Archery. We can all recall the days of yesteryear playing 'Cowboys and Indians' as it was known, and even tales of Robin Hood. Both involved the use of bow and arrows as weapons of war, as well as a means of catching and killing your…
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S&T July 2025: Power Storage
This month's meeting addressed the problem of power generation when the sun does not shine and the wind does not blow. The answer was to store energy in the times of excess so that it is available to address times of energy shortfalls. When there is a shortage of electrical energy the first thing is…
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S&T June 2025: Glenair Visit
On Friday 6 June, The Science and Technology Group visited Glenair UK in Mansfield. Glenair Inc. was founded in 1956, in Glendale, California on Air Way, hence the name Glenair. It is a privately owned company and whilst the head office continues to be located on Air Way, in Glendale, there are subsidiary manufacturing companies in the UK,…
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S&T May 2025: High Voltage Direct Current Cables
This month we had 17 members attend to learn about High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) cables used in securing our supplies of electricity. There are frequent reports and comments about the need for more pylons to bring electricity from where it is “harvested”, i.e solar farms and offshore wind turbines, to areas of high population…
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S&T April 2025: Sevens
Our April meeting was the third annual Sevens concept where members are asked to give a short talk of no more than seven minutes and seven slides, sufficient to educate the group on topics which they would normally not know too much about. Pheromones Carol Payze gave a talk about pheromones. In the 19th Century,…