About Farnborough

With it's world-renowned air-show and bustling airfield, Farnborough has rightly become associated with aviation over recent decades, but this link goes back further than that: in fact the town has borne witness to some of the formative events in modern flight.

As well as being the birthplace of one Colonel Samuel Cody, a pioneer in the early days of aviation in this country, Farnborough's best known resident was the inventor of the jet engine - Sir Frank Whittle.

Indeed, Sir Frank's contribution to both the industry and the area has been immortalised in the shape of a replica plane, an exact copy of his original prototype, which takes pride of place near the aerodrome.

Nowadays the town finds it's fame every two years as one of the biggest collections of aircraft (both classic and modern) to be gathered in one place descends (literally) on Farnborough, as do large numbers of spectators hoping to see some of the many air displays on offer, from B52's to the Red Arrows.

The aviation heritage of the town is still very much in evidence, as it also plays host to the HQ of the British aeronautical engineers, BAE Systems. As one of the few remaining firms of it's type in the country, BAE is an important employer to Farnborough and surrounding towns, carrying out work for some of the largest avionics companies worldwide - Lockheed Martin and Boeing to name but two.

For those who seek a more tranquil kind of entertainment, the town is also home to a number of parks and scenic footpaths - the Blackwater Valley being a particular local favourite, with it's combination of picturesque walks and a choice of mountain-biking and windsurfing for those adrenaline junkies.

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