Andy Green OBE, World Land Speed Record Holder

Newbury, UK, October 12, 2009 – National Instruments UK & Ireland today announced that Wing Commander Andy Green OBE, British Royal Air Force fighter pilot and the holder of the World Land Speed Record, will deliver the Keynote at NIDays, the UK’s annual professional development conference and exhibition for engineers, scientists and educators involved in test, control and design.  Entitled “Adventures in Engineering and Innovation”, Green’s Keynote will discuss his experiences as the driver of Richard Noble's Thrust SSC (SuperSonic Car) and the importance of British engineering innovation.  In addition, Green will describe how, through the BLOODHOUND SSC project, he and Noble plan to inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists, whilst setting the most remarkable Land Speed Record of all time.

Green is a First Class Honours degree graduate in mathematics from Oxford University, which he attended on an RAF scholarship.  In 1997, driving Thrust SSC, Green set the world’s first and only supersonic Land Speed Record at an astonishing 763 mph (Mach 1), breaking Noble's own 1983 record, and driving literally ‘faster than a speeding bullet’ - becoming ‘The Fastest Mathematician on Earth’.  In 2006, he drove the JCB DIESELMAX car, smashing the Diesel Land Speed Record, achieving a speed of 350 mph.

A veteran of combat theatres around the world, Green has commanded Royal Air Force operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. His career has included flying the F4 Phantom and Tornado F3 aircraft and he was Officer Commanding Operations Wing at RAF Wittering, 'Home of the Harrier'.  Currently working at the Ministry of Defence in Whitehall, Green supports RAF operations around the globe.

Green is now working with Noble again on their new record attempt to break the 1,000 mph mark (Mach 1.4) and, via a major educational programme for schools across the UK, inspire tomorrow’s engineers and scientists.  BLOODHOUND SSC is a pencil-shaped car powered by a Eurojet EJ200 jet engine (a prototype for the Eurofighter Typhoon) and a hybrid rocket.

“We are thrilled to have such an inspiring and iconic Keynote speaker at NIDays” said Robert Morton, National Instruments UK & Ireland Managing Director.  “Andy Green understands the value of British engineering innovation, and NI shares the BLOODHOUND SSC project’s aim to inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists.  I’m positive the audience will enjoy hearing about his experiences as the World Land Speed Record driver.”

Engineers, scientists and educators involved in test and measurement, industrial control and automation, and embedded design are invited to attend NIDays 2009, the free, one day multi-track conference and exhibition.  Hosted by NI, in association with the Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET) and media partners, The Engineer, New Electronics and Electronics Manufacture & Test, the event is now in its 12th year.  It takes place at the IET's London headquarters, Savoy Place, on Tuesday 17th November 2009.

Green’s NIDays Keynote will be preceded by two National Instruments presentations: “Do More. With Less.” where NI engineers and industry leaders highlight new technologies, products and solutions that set new standards for improving system value, performance and efficiency;  also, John Hanks, Vice President of Industrial and Embedded, will speak about lowering costs, speeding up development cycles and “Innovating in Tough Times”.

NIDays 2009 features over 40 hours of technical content over six tracks, including 18 hours of hands-on sessions, and around 20 exhibitors, including Tektronix, LEGO and The IET.  In addition, LabVIEW users can take the Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer (CLAD) free of charge at NIDays, providing a saving of £109.  For more details about NIDays, including the full agenda, or to pre-register for a hands-on session, please go to ni.com/uk/nidays

For more information about the exciting BLOODHOUND SSC project, please visit www.bloodhoundssc.com/

How to register for NIDays

Registration for NIDays is free.  Register through our website at ni.com/uk/nidays, call 01635 572498, or send an e-mail to events.uk@ni.com

About National Instruments

National Instruments (www.ni.com) is transforming the way engineers and scientists design, prototype and deploy systems for measurement, automation and embedded applications. NI empowers customers with off-the-shelf software such as NI LabVIEW and modular cost-effective hardware, and sells to a broad base of more than 30,000 different companies worldwide, with no one customer representing more than 3 percent of revenue and no one industry representing more than 15 percent of revenue. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 5,000 employees and direct operations in more than 40 countries. In the UK & Ireland, NI is headquartered in Newbury, Berkshire, providing local sales, marketing and support, and has been named in the Financial Times 50 Best Workplaces for the past four years.