EGUF till 1995,EGLF:Lat/Long 50 16 45N/00 45 53W .Grid ref SU 856538 . 220 feet ASL:1.5 miles NNE of Aldershot.
RUNWAYS(1945),Concrete: 18/36 1000x50 yds.25/07 2050x50 yds later extended to 2600 yds.22/04 1360x50 yds.12/30 1000x50
yds.
First use of the site which became Farnborough airfield was by the Army Balloon Factory in 1904 ,which moved to Farnborough from nearby Aldershot in 1905.Britain's first Military airship was designed and built at Farnborough in 1907.
Four contempory postcards showing the wreck of the Morning Post LeBaudy Airship which ,on 4th May 1911,hit "Woodlands Cottage"in Farnborough and crashed.
Postcards showing (LEFT)Army airship Gamma and (RIGHT)the Army Airship Beta....both at Farnborough..
The photos taken in 1911 & 1910 respectively show the 250ft long by 70ft high Airship Hangar. This hangar was dismantled but is now being reconstructed at Farnborough as the centrepiece of Farnborough Air Sciences Trust's business park.
Samuel Cody,who was a civilian Kite Instructor with the Balloon Factory,made his famous first powered flight there on 16/10/08.He was later to die in a crash on Cove Common 7/8/13(Newspaper Article and pictures.).
French postcard showing the arrival of Cody's machine at Farnborough.
LEFT:Unidentified Avro aircraft in 1914 - possibly at Farnborough.RIGHT:"Maurice Farman Biplane in Flight Farnboro"
1913 overhead view of the Royal Aircraft Factory
As the emphasis moved from balloons to aeroplanes,the Balloon Factory became the Army Aircraft Factory April 1911.The RFC was formed on 13/5/1912,and with it,the first Squadron ,No 1 Sq, was formed.Throughout WW1 the establishment,by now renamed the Royal Aircraft Factory,produced and repaired hundreds of aircraft for the RFC.
Geoffrey De Havilland- one of the early pioneers at Farnborough.
At the end of WW1,the RFC became the Royal Air Force,and the Royal Aircraft Factory was renamed the Royal Aircraft Establishment.This was the starting point of some 70 years of aircraft research and experimental work which has made Farnborough world famous.During WW2 ,the hard runways ,which had been extended several times,were again extended ,and in the 60s the main runway was added to yet again.
Farnborough seen from the air early in WW2
Farnborough in the late 60s with the SBAC site at the bottom,the RAE buildings at the top right.
From 1948 onwards,the annual(later bi-annual) SBAC Show has been held at Farnborough,and ,hopefully will continue to held at this famous location.The RAE began a gradual rundown of it's presence at Farnborough in the early 80s,and a civil enclave opened in 1989.This has grown as the RAE presence has diminished and is now the main source of aircraft movements.The airfield is now operated by Tag Aviation and is also the home of the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust (FAST) aircraft museum.
A more recent airshot of Farnborough showing the new commercial terminal area on the northwest side.
It is impossible to cover the history of somewhere like Farnborough in a few paragraphs.If you want to know more I suggest reading some of the many books that have been written on the subject.
The Farnborough(EGLF)2007 Aviation Group provides very up-to-the-minute information on all movements etc. at Farnborough.You need to follow the link and join the group to receive the Emails(Either individually or as a daily digest).
RFC/RAF Units
1 Sq Formed 13/5/12 from No.1(Airship)Company.dep 1/1/14
2 Sq.Boxkite/Longhorn/BE1/BE2/Farman Formed from No.2 (Aeroplane)Company.dep 26/2/13
2 Sq,NBE.2/RE.1,arr 5/8/14,dep 12/8/14.
2 Sq ,F-2B,arr 27/9/22.dep 17/9/23.
4 Sq,Cody V/Breguet/BE.1/BE.4/Caudron G11,formed from part of 2 Sq 16/9/12 dep 14/6/13
4 Sq,F-2B,re-established 30/4/20,dep 26/9/22.
4 Sq ,F-2B/Atlas/audax,arr 18/9/23,dep 16/2/37
5 Sq,Avro E/F.20/SE.2A/BE.1/Tabloid,formed 26/7/13 from part of 3 Sq,dep 28/5/14
