UK airshow and arms trade exhibition
The
Farnborough International Airshow
is a trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries, where civilian and military aircraft are demonstrated to potential customers and investors in
Farnborough, Hampshire
. Since its first show in 1948, Farnborough has seen the debut of many famous aeroplanes, including the
Vickers VC10
,
Concorde
, the
Eurofighter
, the
Airbus A380
, and the
Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
. At the 1958 show,
Hawker Hunters
the
RAF
's
Black Arrows
executed a 22-aircraft formation loop, setting a new world record.
The international trade show is put together every two years by FIL Farnborough International Ltd. and runs for five days. Until 2020, the show ran for a full week with the first five days reserved for trade visitors and the general public attending on the weekend. Programming takes place at the Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre, which lies roughly 31 miles south-west of
London
.
[1]
Status
[
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]
The Farnborough International Airshow is the second-largest show of its kind after the
Paris Air Show
.
[2]
It is a biennial week-long event to demonstrate civilian and military aircraft to potential customers and investors, and to announce new developments and orders.
The event is held in mid-July in even-numbered years at Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre in
Hampshire
,
United Kingdom
. Flying occurs on all five days, and there are also static displays of aircraft outside and booths and stands in the indoor exhibition halls. The airshow alternates with the Paris Air Show, which is held in odd-numbered years and has a similar format, and is held in the same years as the
Berlin Air Show
. It is organised by Farnborough International Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the
ADS Group
. In 2012, it attracted 109,000 trade visitors over the first five days, and 100,000 public visitors during the weekend. Orders and commitments for 758 aircraft were announced, worth US$72 billion.
[3]
History
[
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]
The
Society of British Aircraft Constructors
held its first flying and static display at Hendon Aerodrome in June 1932.
[4]
An invitation only flying display was held on 27 June 1932 and some of the aircraft were on static display in the "new aircraft park" during the previous weekend when the Royal Air Force pageant was held.
[4]
For the sixth annual display in 1938 the event moved to the nearby
de Havilland
airfield at
Hatfield
,
[5]
the last before
WWII
occurred the next year.
The show recommenced in 1946 at
Handley Page
works at
Radlett
in north London until 1947.
In 1948, it moved to the
Royal Aircraft Establishment
field at
Farnborough, Hampshire
.
[6]
1940s
[
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]
The inaugural show took place on the first week of September 1948 and all of the static aircraft and supporting display stands were concentrated in the NE corner of the airfield with 'A-Shed' as the main 'West Exhibition Hall' and the soon-to-be famous 'Black Sheds' housing a smaller 'East Exhibition Hall' and refreshments for guests on trade days and the public at the weekend. Among the many aircraft on display were the
Armstrong Whitworth A.W.52
jet-powered flying wing and the prototype
Vickers Viscount
airliner.
The
de Havilland Comet
jet airliner was shown in 1949.
In 1950 the huge
Bristol Brabazon
airliner made its debut, powered by coupled
Bristol Centaurus
piston engines before the
Bristol Proteus
turboprops for longer ranges like London-New York nonstop.
A modified
Vickers Viscount
was shown with
Rolls-Royce Tay
turbojets in a configuration mimicked later by the
Boeing 737
.
[6]
1950s
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]
In 1952, the futuristic
Avro Vulcan
delta bomber was displayed a few days after its first flight, along with the giant
Saunders-Roe Princess
double-decker flying boat powered by ten Proteus turboprops, one month after its maiden flight, but a
de Havilland 110
disintegrated and
crashed
into the spectator area, killing 29 and its two crew.
In 1958, the
Fairey Rotodyne
was the star attraction, with its "tip-jet" powered rotors, transitioning from a
helicopter
vertical takeoff and hover to
autogiro
flight, exceeding helicopter speeds.
[6]
1960s
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]
In 1962, the last time the show was held annually, the
Hawker P.1127
, the
VTOL
precursor to the
Harrier jump jet
, made its debut, along with the corporate
de Havilland DH.125 Jet Dragon
, and the
de Havilland Comet 4C
,
de Havilland Trident
,
BAC 1-11
and
Vickers VC10
airliners.
From 1966, foreign aircraft were allowed if they had British major components, such as the Rolls-Royce-powered
Aermacchi MB-326
trainer and
Fokker F27
turboprop airliner. Also, the
Red Arrows
, the RAF aerobatic display team, debuted their
Hawker Siddeley Gnats
.
[6]
1970s
[
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]
In 1970,
Concorde
was shown after it had begun flight-testing the year before.
The double-delta
Saab Viggen
debuted in 1972 along with the
Lockheed TriStar
trijet
widebody
, powered by
Rolls-Royce RB211s
, in national British carrier
BEA
colours.
The Mach 3
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
, and the
C-5 Galaxy
military airlifter, were shown in 1974.
[6]
In 1978, the
CASA C-101
was flown in the airshow after flight-testing earlier that same year.
[7]
1980s
[
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]
In 1982, the civil aviation transatlantic rivalry was exemplified by the European
Airbus A310
against the American
Boeing 767
widebody
twinjets
, along with its
narrowbody
sibling, the
Boeing 757
, while the
Rockwell B-1
large
swing-wing
bomber was the main military interest.
In 1984, to demonstrate its short landing capability, a
de Havilland Canada Buffalo
made a steep descent but hit the runway, collapsed its landing gear and broke its main wing spar without a tragic outcome.
At the 1986 show were demonstrated the
BAe EAP
, the Eurofighter predecessor, and
Dassault Rafale
rival fighters, as an
A300
fly-by-wire
testbed flying at very high
angles of attack
showing the
wind-shear
stall
protection capabilities, later equipping the
A320
.
In 1988, the
GE36
propfan
-powered
McDonnell Douglas MD-80
was demonstrated as a precursor for the
MD-94X
but propfan airliners remain elusive, while the Soviet Union brought the giant
Antonov An-124 Ruslan
airlifter and two
MiG-29
fighters.
[6]
1990s
[
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]
The
Eurofighter
made its debut in 1996 in an
air display
showing its airborne capabilities.
[6]
The
Antonov An-225 Mriya
also took flight in 1990.
2000s
[
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]
The biggest passenger aircraft to ever appear at Farnborough, the
Airbus A380
debuted with a flypast in 2006 while in the midst of its flight-test programme.
[6]
2010s
[
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]
In 2012, a
Boeing 787 Dreamliner
from
Qatar Airways
was in flying display, after a Boeing absence for 13 air shows.
The
Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
made its show debut in 2016, two years later than planned, with UK's first F-35B and two US Marine Corps examples.
In 2018, the
UK Ministry of Defence
unveiled a full-scale
Tempest
model for its
Future Combat Air strategy
, as the
Mitsubishi MRJ
regional jet made its first flying display.
[6]
End of the Public Show
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]
In March 2019 it was announced that the public flying days at the airshow would not continue. "Negative and vitriolic feedback" following the 2018 airshow, falling visitor numbers and tighter regulations introduced in the wake of the crash at
Shoreham
? which made it impossible for exhibitors such as the Red Arrows to perform aerobatics close to populated areas ? were given as factors that contributed towards the decision. Farnborough would be a five-day trade show, with public admittance on the Friday only.
[8]
[9]
2020s
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]
The 2020 Farnborough Airshow was to take place on 20 to 24 July 2020, but it was cancelled for the first time in its 72-year history because of the
COVID-19 pandemic
; it was held online from 20 to 24 July (Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) Connect & Farnborough Friday).
[
citation needed
]
The 2022 show was staged successfully from 18 to 22 July despite a major heatwave in the UK at the time.
[
citation needed
]
Accidents
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]
On 6 September 1952, a
DH.110 jet fighter
disintegrated in flight and
crashed
into the airshow audience, killing 29 spectators and its pilot
John Derry
and navigator Tony Richards. The worst airshow accident in the UK, it led to new safety procedures at British air displays.
On 13 September 1964, a Bristol Bulldog
G-ABBB
, marked (incorrectly) as
K2227
and owned by the Shuttleworth Trust, crashed while performing a loop.
[10]
The pilot was only slightly hurt.
On 20 September 1968, a French Air Force
Breguet Atlantic
crashed into the offices of the
Royal Aircraft Establishment
(RAE) while performing a display at the air show. One of the RAE's civilian maintenance staff was killed, as were all five members of the crew.
[11]
[12]
On 11 September 1970, a Wallis WA-117 autogyro
G-AXAR
crashed, killing the pilot, J.W.C. Judge.
[13]
On 1 September 1974, the Sikorsky S-67 Blackhawk helicopter prototype crashed on the runway after a low roll, killing both crew.
[13]
On 4 September 1984 a de Havilland Canada DHC-5D Buffalo crashed on the runway, with no casualties, after a badly judged steep approach to an intended short landing in a gusting crosswind.
[13]
Radio
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]
Since 1994, the airshow has operated a temporary radio station called Farnborough International Airshow Radio. Since 2000, the radio station was managed by the nearby
Farnborough College of Technology
's media department, led by broadcaster and media tutor Fred Marden with help from students. In 2016, the show was broadcast on DAB alongside FM analogue, reaching a potential audience of 3.8 million in the southeast of England. Broadcasting from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the nine days of the airshow, the show features highlights from the days' events, interviews, traffic updates, and competitions. It also re-broadcasts the air display commentary by Stratton Richey.
Complementary information
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At the 1958 show, the
Black Arrows
executed a 22-
plane formation
loop.
[14]
This remains a world record for the greatest number of aircraft looped in formation.
[15]
The show was initially an annual event, but has been biennial since 1962. It has become an international event that attracts exhibitors from all over the world ? with the exception, during the
Cold War
, of countries aligned with the
Soviet Union
.
See also
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References
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External links
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