The Full Story Of Farnborough Airshow

The Farnborough International Airshow is aAir Force and other flying service demonstration
weeklong aviation tradeshow. It features militaryteams from around will perform or at least be
and civilian aircraft and brings togetherseen, and with thirty plus countries sending wares,
manufacturers, customers and the public.the latest aircraft on the open market will be
There are five exhibit halls and an outdoors staticpresent to support the billions of dollars worth of
display, with daily demonstration flights. The lastdeals and agreements that will take place.
two days are open to the general public. In 2004Eurofighter Typhoons, V-22 Ospreys, MiG-29
there were more than 1,300 exhibitors that wereOVT, Airbus A380, Gripen, Apache Longbow and
seen by 150,000 visitors. The airshow alsoothers were present in 2006 and are likely to
attracts protests against the arms trade.attend in 2008.
HistoryExhibition
The Farnborough Airshow traces its origins to theThe exhibition features a combination of static
annual RAF Airshow at Hendon between 1920 anddisplays of aircraft, flights by various aircraft and
1937. In 1916 the Society of British Aerospaceother aerospace components, such as engines,
Companies or SBAC was formed. Thisradars or software. There is a Media Center and
organization went to the Hendon show toconferences that occur during the program.
showcase the British aviation industry.Eighty-three defense delegations from forty-three
Sixteen companies presented thirty-five aircraftnations, and forty civil aerospace delegations from
that first year. After a pause for WWII, thefifteen nations attended the 2006 Farnborough
show resumed in 1946 at Radlett. The showInternational Airshow, and future events are
moved to Farnborough in 1948, which is alsoexpected to be of similar size. The size and
where BAE Systems, Britain's premier aviationprestige of the show ensures that anyone in the
company is located. In 1962 it changed from aaerospace market, selling or buying, attends to
yearly event to biennial.seek the best deals possible.
Over the years it has grown into an internationalAt the 2006 show, $42 billion in deals were
event and the world's largest aerospace tradeannounced, $5 billion military sales and $37 billion in
show and is held every even numbered year,the civilian aerospace market. 130,000 visitors
alternating with the Paris Airshow. The 2008attended on the open days. There is an
Farnborough International Airshow will alsoEnthusiast's Day, which allows Friends of
celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of fixedFarnborough with an interest in aviation to attend
wing flight in the UK, a flight by Samuel Cody,on one of the days that are otherwise open only
which took off at Farnborough itself.to industry figures. There is also an International
Aircraft DisplaysYouth Program, designed to encourage youths to
Each day of the airshow features more than apursue careers in the aerospace industry.
hundred aircraft on display. There are displaysTraditionally, the RAF Red Arrows will perform
devoted to business aircraft, unmanned aerialtowards the end of the program.
vehicles, spacecraft and of course military aircraft.