The Accessor Winter 2025 Web - Flipbook - Page 20
JOURNAL
LONDON REGION MEETING
Senior Avionics Systems Engineer, David Gaitley, speaks at the IAEA London Region meeting.
AN INSIGHT INTO DAVID
GAITLEY’S CAREER
IN BRITISH AEROSPACE
David Gaitley, a Senior Avionics Systems Engineer, played an integral role in the
development of the Harrier and Hawk jets at British Aerospace. His extensive career
offers a unique perspective on the evolution of these iconic aircraft.
t the IAEA London
Region’s meeting in
January, David spoke
about his wide-ranging
career in British
Aerospace. This included the strategic
and operational requirements that
led to the development of the Hawk
and Harrier jets, highlighting their
signi昀椀cance in modern aviation, the
similarities and differences between
the production of cars and aircraft, and
the unique challenges and precision
required in aerospace engineering.
After talking for a while I learned that
David was the Senior Avionics Engineer
for BAE Systems and was heavily
involved with development of the
Harrier Jump Jet and Hawk aeroplanes.
A
David also shared incidents and
learning experiences from the
production, testing, and operational
phases of both the Hawk and Harrier,
providing insights into the complexities
of aerospace projects, and recountted
his interactions with colleagues and
MOD of昀椀cials, shedding light on
the collaborative efforts and
decision-making processes within
British Aerospace.
20
Here, Paul Rickard, Vehicle Damage
Assessor at Harwoods Crawley
Accident Repair Centre, reports:
I had the pleasure of meeting David
Gaitley at Harwoods Crawley Accident
Repair Centre while we were carrying
out some repairs on his beloved Land
Rover. Whilst discussing the repairs
it was evident that David possessed
a lot of technical knowledge, and he
took a keen interest in the repairs that
we were doing, especially regarding
electronics.
It soon became apparent how many
similarities the two industries share
in common, which led me to ask if
David wouldn’t mind giving up an
evening to come and share some of
his wide ranging knowledge and a
few anecdotes about his time at BAE
Systems with the Southern region
of the IAEA as I was sure that my
colleagues would be as interested as
I was. David very kindly agreed and
on Wednesday 15 January we met
at the Reigate Manor Hotel where
food and drinks were provided, and
a good crowd of around 20 members
of the IAEA gathered with guests and
professionals from the motor industry.
David’s engaging talk, which lasted
almost two hours, was 昀椀lled with
THE ASSESSORS JOURNAL | WINTER 2025 | www.iaea-online.org/news/the-assessor
