A tribute to Ken Smart, CBE, FRAeS

Richard Clarke writes:

It is with great sadness that we have to announce that the former Trustee of Vulcan to the Sky, Ken Smart, CBE, FRAeS has sadly passed away.

Ken’s daughter, Gail, informed the Trust that Ken “passed away in his sleep with his family at his side.”

Ken had a highly successful career in the Aviation industry, holding a number of Senior positions in the sector. He joined the Department for Transport’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) in 1975, becoming the UK’s Chief Inspector of Air Accidents and Head of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch in September 1990, until his retirement in April 2005, he was one of the key players in the investigation into the bombing of the Pan Am Boeing 747 over Lockerbie in Scotland in December 1988, playing a vital role in painstakingly obtaining vital evidence to identify the origin and causes of this terrible incident and the eventual prosecution of the individuals responsible.

In addition to these significant achievements, Ken also held a number of other important positions in the industry. He was a Non-Executive Director and Board Member of British Airways, where he was Chairman of the Safety Review Committee. He also served on the Company Audit Committee. 

He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the UK Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Programme, European President of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators and a Visiting Professor at Cranfield University. Ken sadly lost his wife three years ago. He has two children and his interests included sport, especially tennis and mountaineering.

As previously outlined, Ken’s role as a member of the Vulcan to the Sky Trust Board was highly significant and, absolutely critical and far reaching in helping to ensure that the complex process to return XH558 was given credibility and ran smoothly. This, of course, thankfully came to a highly successful conclusion and his vital and exemplary contributions cannot be over emphasised.

From my own personal viewpoint, I found Ken to be a very nice person and a highly valued colleague to work alongside, with his incredible knowledge and expertise being second to none. Ken was a real gentleman in the true sense of the word and extremely polite and courteous. He always had a kind word and was highly professional and extremely supportive and will be sadly missed, both as a person and as a member of the Board, as we enter into the next phase of the life of the aircraft.

In conclusion, it is down to Ken’s exceptional CV that he was held in such high regard, not only amongst the team at VTST but also the wider aviation industry. It was largely due to his skills and knowledge on airworthiness and air safety that the CAA awarded Vulcan XH558 her Permit to Fly on 3 July 2008. Two days later she performed her first display for an enthralled British public at the RAF Waddington Airshow and went on to fly for many more years before making her final landing on 28 October 2015.

Ed Jarron, a fellow Trustee said “We will all mourn the loss of a great supporter of the Vulcan cause and a very great friend.