It is indeed a privilege to be invited to address this Seventh European Pioneers’ Day conference here in Toulouse. It was suggested that I might say something on Research and Development, (R&D); in approaching this topic I have borne in mind the themes of previous Pioneers’ Day conferences and tried to embody at least something of the approach adopted by the Pioneer I have in mind. I refer to Mr C. C. Walker who, with Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, provided the technical foundation for the outstanding growth of the de Havilland Aircraft Company during the three decades of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. In this partnership Mr Walker’s penchant for engineering science blended effectively with Sir Geoffrey’s flair for design.