Air League

Founded in 1909 as "The Aerial League of The British Empire", The Air League was formed to counter 'the backwardness and apathy' shown by the UK in the face of emerging aeronautical developments and to stress the 'vital importance from a commercial and national defence point of view of this new means of communication'.

The founders of the Air League were concerned that Britain was falling behind other nations in the development of its aviation capability. They foresaw the threats, both military and commercial, to the country's future wellbeing if aviation was not made central to government thinking. When the First World War broke out five years later, Britain was taking aviation sufficiently seriously to be able to develop and produce aircraft that could hold their own in the rapidly evolving scramble for air superiority.[2]

In 1938 The Air League founded the Air Defence Cadet Corps, which is now the Air Training Corps.[2]

• Archibald Sinclair, 1st Viscount Thurso (1956–1958)[3]
• Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton (1959–1968)[4]
• Marshal of the RAF Sir John Grandy (1984–1987)[5]
• Air Marshal Sir Charles Ness (1987–1990)[6]
• Michael Cobham (1990–1993)[6]
• Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Knight (1993–2004)[7]
• Sir Michael Marshall (2004–2009)[8]
• Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Burridge (2009–2014)
• Sir Roger Bone (2014–present)

• Air League web site