Chris Stott, Chairman of Isle of Man-based ManSat, was one of the key speakers invited to attend the Manfred Lachs Conference on Regulation of Emerging Modes of Aerospace Transportation held recently in Montreal Canada.

The conference was a global first event organized under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) together with McGill University, Montreal, and the International Association for Advancement of Space Safety.

The rapid technological and commercial development of air and space transportation systems over the last decade has prompted ICAO to consider the implications of new generation aerospace vehicles for international air travel. The recent success of Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic Spaceship 2 has highlighted the need to agree viable international and regulatory mechanisms to facilitate aerospace transportation and to ensure the safety of global aviation.

Chris was among high profile speakers such as Dr George Nield, Director of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office for Commercial Space Transportation.

Chris said: “It was a fascinating conference, most topical and vitally relevant for the industry in many ways. It was such an honour to be asked to speak and a wonderful opportunity to remind the influential attendees about the Island’s capabilities in the space industry.”

The conference was attended by aviation and space experts from around the world including many countries that are already in the process of developing the next generation of aerospace vehicles.

Chris also made some Manx connections at the conference. Martin Griffin, the ICAO coordinator for the conference, is a Manxman who was an Air Traffic Control examiner at Ronaldsway Airport before he left the Island in 1994 to join EUROCONTROL (the European Organisation for the Safety of Navigation) based in Brussels.