Farnborough 1958-9 in colour!

[Leading Observer]

Weavers Nimrod link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsIZ1tfEw9wled me to this

[Nick]

That was amazing! Wish I could have been there. 

[PR19_Kit]

Very fond memories there, I was there those two years, and indeed every Farnborough from 1949 to the late 90s. 

High spots of '58 were the LABS runs by the Victor and Vulcan, the Fairey Ultra Light doing its thing off the back of a truck(!), the Rotodyne (of course...) the ULTRA-low runs by the Hunters, and the 22 x Hunter loop.

Then in '59 it was the first time I'd seen a Buccaneer, and I'd never even heard of a hovercraft then, but Saunders-Roe 'flew' the original SRN-1 down the runway at about 6" altitude! The amazing 5 engined Short SC-1 was the first VTOL aircraft I'd ever seen, but by far the most abiding memory was the FAA's 4 x Scimitar display. Not only did the pilots sling the heavy jets around the sky like Gnats (that was there too....) but the landing, not shown in the video, was awesome! They landed in pairs, but from OPPOSITE ends of the runway and before they crossed in the middle all four folded their wings and passed between each other! 

The things that were allowed back then, the ultra-low passes, the photographers lined up inches from the runway edge, the sheer numbers of aircraft in the air at the same time, would have given the present day CAA collective heart failure!

[kitnut617]

The things that were allowed back then, the ultra-low passes, the photographers lined up inches from the runway edge, the sheer numbers of aircraft in the air at the same time, would have given the present day CAA collective heart failure!

Yeah! reminded me of my last couple of weeks at the airport last year. The contractors were doing panel replacement on some of the fast exits coming off runway 17R/35L and they had to stay there and complete the work they were doing by a certain time. The runway would be closed up to that time and then we had to pull the barrels back to the threshold line and make sure the contractors stayed inside the barreled area. Then the planes would take off from the runway and we were really close to that ---

[Leading Observer]

A few more:
1949 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r06V_svnB8

1950 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbAqyHRSS8w


1951 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjhOnB2AgOs


1953 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DDHL8-5L7s


1955 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=432uUVv12T8

[rickshaw]

As a kid, the ABC downunder in the 1960s-70s used to show each year, a Farnborough show on TV.  I always particularly liked the Lightnings simulating a QRA - screaming down the runway and then climbing vertically, straight up, usually into the cloudcover.  The noise from the twin Avons was tremendous and the speed was breath taking!   I just wish I could have seen it for real.   

[PR19_Kit]

In those days we had Battle of Britain displays at numerous RAF airfields all over the country, close to September 15th of course. And when the Lightnings were in service that pseudo-QRA display was quite common, but never boring. 

[Nick]

As a kid, the ABC downunder in the 1960s-70s used to show each year, a Farnborough show on TV.  I always particularly liked the Lightnings simulating a QRA - screaming down the runway and then climbing vertically, straight up, usually into the cloudcover.  The noise from the twin Avons was tremendous and the speed was breath taking!   I just wish I could have seen it for real.   

I saw one of the last Lightning displays at Biggin Hill in 1988-ish. I wasn't really into the Lightning and fast jets bored me back then but the sheer noise and seeing it go vertical into the clouds was something to remember!

[zenrat]

I went once.  In the early eighties.
All I can remember is the Battle of Britain Lanc doing a zero feet pass over the crowd from behind while we were distracted watching Spits & Hurris over the runway.

[Rheged]

As a kid, the ABC downunder in the 1960s-70s used to show each year, a Farnborough show on TV.  I always particularly liked the Lightnings simulating a QRA - screaming down the runway and then climbing vertically, straight up, usually into the cloudcover.  The noise from the twin Avons was tremendous and the speed was breath taking!   I just wish I could have seen it for real.   

I am lucky enough to have seen, heard and felt this.

In the early 1960's, a young Rheged and family holidayed at Crail, in Fife.  Leuchars was nearby, and most days we had Lightnings out to play above us.  In those days you could sit at the end of the runway on a public footpath . It's a remarkable sight on a cloudless day watching a pair of Lightnings going straight up until they almost vanished. Then there would be a blast of what a friend of dad's in the light blues called Avon music as one came in to land above us.

[NARSES2]

I used to go to Biggin every year, despite the awkward trip by public transport, and they were great days.

May try and pop over again this summer as the BoB museum has just opened and there are a couple of decent pubs nearby. Mind you it's still awkward to get to by public transport