11 December 2020
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Operation Safeguard will create a green environmental hub around the Vulcan bomber
A Green Technology Hub will be at the heart of the new Vulcan Experience, giving young people an insight into how scientists and engineers are tackling the climate change challenge.
The charity responsible for returning Vulcan XH558 to flight is now fundraising to build a permanent home for the iconic aircraft that will honour the past and inspire the future. The Vulcan to the Sky Trust has developed plans for a visitor experience that will be a legacy of this heritage restoration project and will inspire young people to pursue careers in science, engineering, technology, and maths (STEM) roles.
Dr Robert Pleming, Chief Executive of the Vulcan to the Sky Trust explained, “The younger generation are demanding action on climate change and want to see action now. The Green Technology Hub (GTH) will be an opportunity for young people to see what can be done to protect the environment for the future. A key focus will be on the evolution of greener aircraft design and the materials that make them, looking at future technical solutions to the climate change issues generated by aviation.
“Our exciting and interactive GTH will inform and educate the public, in an easily-understandable way, about the causes of climate change, especially those arising from aviation, and what engineers are doing to devise new solutions to reduce and eliminate these causes.
“Visitors will be encouraged to contribute to solving the climate challenge by following careers in aviation, engineering, and technology. They will leave knowing that the route to these careers is through choosing the right science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM) subjects at GCSE.”
Dr Pleming continued, “The historic growth of air travel, both passenger and freight, has highlighted the fact that whilst air transport currently only contributes a small percentage to the world production of greenhouse gases, that proportion will grow very much larger in years to come. Aircraft are reliant on hydrocarbon fuel because of its energy density, whereas other users of hydrocarbon fuel can more easily migrate to less environmentally-damaging sources of energy.
“The messages that will be presented in the Green Technology Hub are in the main applicable across all uses of hydrocarbon fuels, however airlines and the aerospace industry in particular will need to make very significant changes in technologies, specifically those involved in flying.”
The Green Technology Hub will feature explanations and demonstrations of the Climate Change Imperative and aviation’s contribution to climate change but it will offer hope by showing there are solutions, for example, the evolution of greener aircraft design and the materials that make them.
“Our aim is that the GTH will be a catalyst to inspire and educate, and that visitors will leave with an understanding that scientists, engineers, and technicians can and will solve climate change problems,” concluded Dr Pleming.
To support the charity in its Operation Safeguard Appeal visit www.vulcantothesky.org.
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