The R.D. Richmond Scholarship in Aerospace Engineering is awarded annually when merited to an outstanding student proceeding from third to fourth year in the Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering program. Eligible students must be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants and have been a resident of Western Canada for at least three years. Scholarship winners will be selected on the basis of their academic records with particular emphasis on performance in aerospace design oriented courses and involvement in extracurricular activities.
The first presentation of this award will be made in Fall 2003 and is valued at $5,000 Canadian dollars.
This Scholarship was endowed in 2002 through the generosity of Robert Dick Richmond, a pioneer of Canadian Aerospace. During the Second World War, he worked in the Mechanical Engineering Division of the National Research Council where he was employed as a junior engineer working on wind tunnel and flight test projects. Later during the war he joined Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. where he subsequently became Chief of Aerodynamics for the Husky, a utility aircraft.
In 2006 Richmond also endowed a Bursary in Aerospace Engineering at the Graduate level, to assist with the costs of travel and accommodation for research or conference trips related to their studies. For more information on this award, please click here to visit this link.
From 1947 to 1960, Richmond worked at Canadair, rising from Section Chief of Aerodynamics to Vice President, Missile and Systems Division. Along the way, he was involved with the development of a number of different aircraft platforms including the C-4 version of the North Star aircraft; the Sabre 5 and 6; the long-range maritime patrol aircraft, ARGUS; and the preliminary design for the CL-41, a precursor to the Tutor.
Richmond then joined Pratt and Whitney Aircraft as Vice President of Operations, and was involved with the company’s drive to increased engine production capability. In 1963, he established a division to partially manufacture and assemble the Sea King Helicopter for the Department of National Defence.
In 1970, he became President of McDonnell Douglas Canada and directed manufacture of DC-9 and DC-10 wings. In 1974 he became President and COO of Spar Aerospace where his most notable achievement was directing the development of the CanadArm for NASA’s space shuttle program.
Richmond returned to Canadair in 1981 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and is credited with turning the Challenger business jet program into a strong international competitor. He retired in 1987 but continued to advise on Canadair’s Regional Jet program.
Some of Richmond’s professional accolades include Fellow, founding Member and Past President of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute; Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aerospace Sciences; and Past Chairman and Honorary Life member of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada. He was conferred with the Carleton University degree Doctor of Engineering, honoris causa in 1998. He was also inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame and is a registered Professional Engineer in Ontario.
Winners to date have been:
| 2003 | S. Best |
| 2004 | J. Murdoch |
| 2005 | S. McTavish |
| 2006 | H. Hochstein |
| 2007 | J. Chung |
| 2008 | N. Jackson |
| 2009 | E. Tripp |
| 2010 | L. Romualdez |
| 2011 | E. Sorensen |
| 2012 | – |
| 2013 | J. Khan |
| 2014 | A. Rajendram |
| 2015 | T. Pinchbeck |
| 2016 | D. Grymonpre |
| 2017 | J. Heapy |
| 2018 | A. Bisson |
| 2019 | A. Bernard |
| 2020 | M. Vatamaniuck |
| 2021 | J. Chang |
| 2022 | – |
| 2023 | A. Watson |