by Ben Woods. 
A group of 5 researchers and academics from the BCI and Bristol Department of Aerospace Engineering recently attended the 2022 Glastonbury Festival. Due to pandemic cancellations, this was the first Glastonbury in 3 years and was also the 50th Glastonbury ever, which lined up nicely with the 75th anniversary of the Department of Aerospace Engineering. But while there were quite a few reasons to celebrate – this festival trip was all about outreach. The group spent their days talking to the members of the public about the exciting Green Aviation research going on at Bristol. They set up a marquee in the brand new Science Futures area of the festival and filled it with hands-on technology demonstrators, laser-cut plywood posters, and smiling faces in brightly coloured t-shirts.
The stall featured a series of posters and demos that reflected the diverse, multi-disciplinary work required to make sustainable air transport a reality. It started with a discussion of the multi-disciplinary nature of modern commercial aircraft design, which requires us to improve all aspects of aircraft design.
After this, the ability of composite materials to reduce fuel burn by reducing mass was shown, highlighting both the incredible progress made to date and a range of promising new concepts under development at BCI. Several new morphing wing technologies were then demonstrated, which take inspiration from the way birds continuously adapt and optimize their wings to reduce fuel burn. The next poster highlighted the importance of also reducing non-CO2 emissions, including contrails, NOx, and noise. The final table included a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Bristol Department of Aerospace Engineering and a wishing tree where the public were invited to share their visions of a more sustainable future for aviation.
The response from the public was fantastic: the stall was busy throughout the duration and hundreds of engaging conversations were had around the challenging topic of how we can make aviation more sustainable. The wide range of people who attend Glastonbury kept things exciting – visitors spanned the gamut from people who hadn’t flown in over a decade because of the climate impact to people who make their living in the aviation industry – with the discussions and messages delivered being adapted accordingly.
The team, led by Dr. Benjamin Woods, camped out behind the stall and had plenty of time to explore the festival and watch acts in the evenings – including electronic music set from a giant fire-breathing, laser-eyed, spider stage, complete with a trapeze artist floating by beneath a giant helium balloon: which is slightly beyond our day-to-day experiences at the Bristol Composites Institute.
