Press Release![]() ‘Royal Aero Club Aviators’ Certificates’ collection reveals the names and faces of Britain’s magnificent men (and women) and their flying machines The Royal Aero Club Aviators’ Certificates, 1910-1950, now available online for the first time at leading social and family history website Ancestry.co.uk, contains over 28,000 records and 13,000 photographs of men and women who qualified as pilots in the golden age of British aviation, as powered flight went from science fiction to reality. Originally founded by Frank Hedges Butler, one of the earliest owners of a motor car in the UK, the Hon. Charles Rolls of Rolls-Royce fame, and also Frank’s daughter, the socialite Vera Hedges-Butler, the Royal Aero Club (RAeC) was the first organisation responsible for licensing and controlling flying at the dawn of the aviation era. The collection, which is fully indexed and includes original images, is comprised of 28,000 index cards of early RAeC pilots, which reveal details about their flying lives and exploits. The collection is searchable by name, date of birth, location and rank or profession as well as the plane they qualified on, where and when. ![]()
While the records feature predominantly British fliers, early aviators from as far flung as Poland, Russia and America also appear. The collection also includes 13,000 photographs of RAeC pilots across 34 albums; the majority of these photographs will never before have been available to the public. ![]()
RAeC Trust spokesperson Andrew Dawrant comments: “The RAeC is thrilled to be able to share its historical archive and in the process help to promote Britain’s rich aviation history, particularly in the year which marks the 90th anniversary of the creation of the RAF.
The Royal Aero Club Aviators’ Certificates, 1910-1950 collection is available to Ancestry members and through a 14-Day Free Trial. | The Royal Aero Club Trust Registered with The Charity Commission No. 1068451 |