Developing Rolls-Royce engines for the civil jets…an interview with Professor Geoffrey Kirk CEng FREng FRAeS

Royal Aeronautical Society Podcast · Jun 30, 2026 · 52m

From resolving problems with the RB211 fitted on the TriStar to persuading Airbus that the Trent 500 was what they needed for the A340, Professor Geoffrey Kirk led many of the design teams that kept Roll-Royce’s engines powering civil airliners from the 1960s to the 2000s. After retiring as Chief Designer of Civil Engines at Rolls-Royce in 2007, he has turned to education, becoming an Honorary Professor at the University of Nottingham and inspiring the next generation of engineers and designers.

In this interview, Geoff shows how a childhood fascination with flying and making model aeroplanes…