Farnborough: 100 Years of British Aviation

Home to the famous biennial Farnborough Air Show, the town of Farnborough in Hampshire in the South of England has had a pivotal role in the history of British Aviation from 1905 when flying first commenced from the site. In 1908, His Majesty’s Balloon Factory was set up there. This was subsequently replaced by the Royal Aircraft Factory which was later renamed the Royal Aircraft Establishment to differentiate it from the Royal Air Force.

The Royal Aircraft Establishment rapidly expanded and was the scene of many significant developments in British aviation for many decades. Over the years a range of buildings were constructed for various purposes and to house specific functions such as wind tunnels. Many of these are now listed and protected as being of historical importance. Some of these buildings now form part of a museum on site.

It is probably as the base for experimental and development aircraft types, that Farnborough is best known After the Second World War it played host to a considerable variety of aircraft, including a number of Axis types captured during the war. Farnborough’s role as a development base continued after the war, although the name ‘RAE’ was to disappear when this part of the Britain’s defence establishment was re-organised. This led to the creation of DERA (Defence Evaluation and Research Agency) which was later partially privatised as QinetiQ.