John K. Davies is staff astronomer at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UKATC) in Edinburgh. Before that he was a support astronomer for the UK Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) in Hawaii. He is helping to organize a European Network called OPTICON and also does research on comets and asteroids. Over the years he has also been involved in building and operating astronomical satellites, flight testing fighter aeroplanes and doing chemistry.

• Conception.- Design and Planning.- The Project Advances.- To Hawaii.- Making It Work.-  Early Operations 1980-1981.- Consolidation 1982-1985.- IRCAM:The beginning of the Array Revolution.- Cooled grating Spectrographs.- Changes at the Top.- Upgrading the telescope for the 21st century.- Restructuring ( 1995).- ORAC It pipes, therefore it is. 1996-2000.- Michelle (95-2004).- Departures 2000-2002.- Flexible Scheduling and the OMP 2001-2003.- UIST 2000-2009.- The new era of Wide-field Astronomy at UKIRT.- Into A Third decade.- UKIRT under threat.- Battle for Survival.- The Axe Falls.- Epilogue.

John K. Davies is staff astronomer at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UKATC) in Edinburgh. Before that he was a support astronomer for the UK Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) in Hawaii. He is helping to organize a European Network called OPTICON and also does research on comets and asteroids. Over the years he has also been involved in building and operating astronomical satellites, flight testing fighter aeroplanes and doing chemistry.

• Conception.- Design and Planning.- The Project Advances.- To Hawaii.- Making It Work.-  Early Operations 1980-1981.- Consolidation 1982-1985.- IRCAM:The beginning of the Array Revolution.- Cooled grating Spectrographs.- Changes at the Top.- Upgrading the telescope for the 21st century.- Restructuring ( 1995).- ORAC It pipes, therefore it is. 1996-2000.- Michelle (95-2004).- Departures 2000-2002.- Flexible Scheduling and the OMP 2001-2003.- UIST 2000-2009.- The new era of Wide-field Astronomy at UKIRT.- Into A Third decade.- UKIRT under threat.- Battle for Survival.- The Axe Falls.- Epilogue.