Countdown Farnborough Airshow
The Farnborough Airshow has been displaying the cutting edge of aviation technology since its very inception
FARNBOROUGH Airshow has celebrated a history of firsts ever since the worldfamous event moved to the home of aviation in 1948.
A year later the De Havilland Comet I, the world’s first jet airliner, made its debut.
In 1950 the Bristol Brabazon I flew, while the following year a Hawker P1067 gave the fastest speed demonstration that had even been seen in public.
The 1952 show saw the first appearance of the Avro Vulcan B1, while in 1956 the then-world air speed record holder, the Fairey FD2, wowed the crowds.
In 1958, the first aerobatic display by the Black Arrows was held, while in 1964 the Yellowjacks, the forerunners of the famous Red Arrows, put on a display.
The 1966 show was the first year that European aircraft took part and the first year of the Red Arrows. Two years later Concorde made its triumphant debut.
The first fully international display graced the town in 1974 – it led to the show being renamed Farnborough International in 1978 and a specially built ski-jump was built to enable a Harrier T52 to show off its capability.
In 1980 the Red Arrows performed with their new Hawk T1s and there were displays from the Mirage 2000, Super Mirage 4000 and Tornado. Skipping forward four years and the show featured an appearance by the world’s largest helicopter, a Mil Mi-26 Halo, while two years on Russian fighters in the form of two Fulcrums MiG-29A 10 and MiG-29UB 53 attended.
The world’s largest aircraft of 1990 – the Antonov An-225 Mriya – was displayed. Two years on the airshow had a rare display of former Soviet aircraft.
The 1996 show featured a flypast by a USAF B-2A Spirit, while in 1998 (the 50th anniversary of the show) aircraft and jets from the 1950s and 60s were on display.
The 2000 show featured a de Havilland formation flypast, while 2002 saw a formation flight of four Eurofighter Typhoons. The 2004 show was the first held under civil rather than military regulation. Two years later visitor numbers surged to 263,000.
In 2008 the airshow celebrated its 60th anniversary. The Airbus A380 double-decker made its debut while other traditional crowd-pleasers such as the Red Arrows appeared alongside the Vulcan XH558.
Two years later Farnborough International said deals worth £31bn were made during the trade days. Aerobatics team the Blades were out flying along with Airbus A400M military transport, C27J Spartan military transport and M346 fighter jet trainer.
The most recent show in 2012 saw Sir Richard Branson unveil the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo.