OPEN LETTER TO DAVID WILLETTS

Dear Mr. Willetts,

Having developed what many in the international world of Rocket engineering see as the best, most cost effective and most innovative Nitrous Oxide Rocket system on the planet, and one that is already producing spin-off technology with wider export potential, I decided to have look at what development support there may be in the East of England.

So I searched and searched for support in such categories as Mechanical Engineering and aerospace technology. On all the sites representing the various Government-funded agencies, form NGOs to Universities I found nothing that fit those categories, except for things aimed at big businesses.

If you’re a small operation, there is absolutely nothing out there.

Here we are, needing to develop high-end engineering capacity and to grow the small-business sector, (the largest sector for employment in the U.K.), and what do we find?
Nothing!

We’ve done more to get youngsters involved in engineering, by taking our rocket-powered car to schools and events aimed at young people, than most others. We recently took the car to the new Ormiston Victory Academy in Norwich, where one of the teachers reckons we inspired up to thirty youngsters to take a real interest in engineering as a career, in one day!

We have had agreements with two universities to work together to develop our technology. Both found it too much work and gave up before we could get started.

If the government wants to promote innovation, the last thing it should do is give development money to institutions and let them pick and choose. Development money has to follow the technology, not the system.

Universities are populated by people on tenure with so much ‘academic freedom’ they can behave as they like with no fear of consequences. Agencies are populated by people from big business who tend to structure their offerings around their own industrial experience. There is no room, or recognition, in this system for the small innovator.

Frank Whittle was a small innovator. Look what we did for him and his little innovation (the GAS Turbine Engine!). Ken Tyrrell took three F1 world championships for the UK, working from a woodshed. Small is beautiful, efficient and creative.

If you want to see what we have, please look at:
www.laffin-gas.com and follow all the links.

One of our spin-offs has world-wide export potential. This is technology we have built and made to work – not simply a nice idea needing money to check it out.

I would like to meet with you, or a senior member of your staff, to go through these issues.

We are true champions of technology education and development who are out there ‘doing’ without help or ‘push’ from any agency or institution. Maybe we are worth a listen?

Cheers