Farnborough 2016 preview
With weeks to go to the air show I thought it was time for a show preview for those planning to visit in 2016. Farnborough international air show 2016 will take place between July 11th and 19th at Farnborough airport Hampshire, England. The airport is owned and operated by TAG aviation as London's dedicated business airport.
As ever this is primarily a trade show for the aerospace industry with the public being admitted on the weekend.
This guide is a personal view and not connected with the air show in any way. The official website is WWW.FARNBOROUGH.com which will provide further information.
Getting here
Farnborough is located 35miles South West of London and is very easy to get to.
By rail
There are frequent fast trains operated by South West Trains to Farnborough Main station. We are located on the London Waterloo to Southampton line. Shuttle buses will run from the station to the air show.
There is also a rail service from Reading and Gatwick airport via Guildford with these trains stopping at North Camp station from where, again, a shuttle bus will run
By road
Farnborough is close to the M3 London-Southampton motorway as is accessible by both junctions 4 and 4a and the air show is well signposted from both. For those with advance tickets I recommended using the ‘I’ gate carpark. Exit the M3 at junction 4a and follow the Farnborough signs, turn left at the first roundabout, then at the second turn back on yourself, and turn left along Kennels Lane. This is a twisty minor road, at the end turn right at the roundabout. Continue straight across the next roundabout, and at the second take the second exit signed as Aldershot A323. Continue a mile or so and you will see the airport on your left and take the first left over the bridge. This is not an official route so is less congested. Once parked there is a very short shuttle bus ride to the show entrance. It’s also a great place to watch the show from in the afternoon. The main airshow route will be via junction 4 of the M3 and take you to Queens Parade part and ride.
by air
By scheduled flight Heathrow, Gatwick and Southampton airports are easily accessible. Luton and Stansted airports will require travelling into London to get a connection.
From Heathrow take the Rail-Air shuttle to Woking. It is then a 10 minute train journey to Farnborough main station.
From Gatwick you can get a direct train to North Camp, and a shuttle bus.
For those with the money there are limited slots at Farnborough for private aircraft up to 737 size, contact TAG Aviation. There is also a helicopter service from London Battersea heliport. For smaller aircraft (up to small jets) Blackbushe airport is only 5 miles away and will offer all you need .
What's the Farnborough area like?
Farnborough is a town of around 60,000 people with the towns of Fleet, Camberley, Frimley and Aldershot close by. The airport has always been integral to the town both in its former military role and current civil role.
Farnborough town centre is very much adjacent to the show site and can offer accommodation and limited entertainment. There are several hotels ranging from the 5* 'Aviator' adjacent to the show site, to the Travelodge motel in the town centre. Farnborough town centre has suffering a protracted redevelopment but now boasts a cinema and a limited number of restaurants and pubs. For those seeking evening entertainment it would be best to stay in London and commute down by train.
At the show
Arrivals for the show will commence on Monday 4th July and will finish on Sunday 10th. During this week each pilot that participates in the flying display undertakes practice displays. There are then approved by the flying control committee. These flights will take place between 12:30pm and 4:30pm 4-9th July only.
The trade show will open on Monday 11th July at 09:00 and will feature flying each afternoon. Trade tickets can be purchased on the day or in advance from the website. The Friday, Saturday and Sunday will see the show open to the public
There is a large outdoor static display of aircraft as well as indoor exhibition halls. The static starts at the eastern end of the site, near the main entrance. The area nearest the entrance will see the aircraft from Finmeccia Group featuring Agusta-Westland, Aleina, Aermacchi and ATR military. Following this is the large aircraft park dominated by the US military .This leads down to the crowd line and the rest of the static runs west from here. The aircraft are then strung out parallel to the main runway. The static will finish with the business aircraft park on Monday-Wednesday. This area will be occupied by different aircraft during the public weekend.
The exhibition area is sited on the side of a hill overlooking the airfield, giving excellent views. There are four main halls as well as other exhibition space spread amongst the static areas. These halls will be closed on the public weekend. During the trade week they contain aerospace exhibitors large, and small and is always excellent for 'freebees'.
The afternoon flying display takes place each day and varies from day to day. A list for each day will appear on the official website. The fast jets are grouped tougher due to airspace restrictions. The display line is further than some air shows but the crowd line is very close to the runway.
There are several food courts located in the show ground but these are, as per normal, overpriced. There are Sainsbury’s and Asda supermarkets located in the town center which may be a better bet for picking up food on the way.
Viewing from outside
The show organizers have announced there will be restricted public access to the surrounding areas, and changes in the display axis in the wake of Shoreham.
Every parking area along the entire length of the A323 has been blocked off. I gate (Eelmoor Bridge) is open for show deliveries 7am-7pm 7 days. This means there is limited parking (6 cars?) at the bridge and there is no right turn in/or out of this road. There will be no parking here during the air show.
During both the flying display and practice the A323 Fleet-Aldershot road will be closed to all traffic and pedestrians where it backs on the the airport. This is believed to be from the Church Crookham turn (the Foresters road) until the Junction on the A325 by the Potters Hotel. This will cover roughly 12:30-16:00 July 4-8 and 11-17. The canal will also be closed for this entire period.
The area to the west of this is open MoD land and there are signs everywhere warning people not to enter this area during the airshow.
The display axis has now been moved west so that aircraft will no longer turn over populated areas of Farnborough. It remains to be seen how this will affect viewing from outside fully but it will mean some familiar places will have a far more restricted view. I will update this further once the practice week starts and we see the results.
This leaves a couple of areas.
The Swan Pub on the A325 Farnborough road near the college. There will be some parking restrictions in the area but it is normally possible to find somewhere off Alexandra Road. Alternatively you can park in the town center and its a 15 min walk. This will give you a close up of aircraft on finals and a view down the display line. The Swan pub charges for admission during show week. The Gloster pub behind the BMW show room also charges admission during the show for its garden.
On the north side by the main TAG entrance there will be some views of the flying but not of aircraft on the ground. The Business park next door by Costco will be staff and Costco members only. There is some street parking in the area behind.
The views from the likes of Southwood recreation ground, Cove Cricket Club and Southwood Morrisons will become clearer when we see the first practice displays.
Tweseldown Racecourse may offer good views of the flying although it may not be open to the public but is worth a try.
Further updates to come
With weeks to go to the air show I thought it was time for a show preview for those planning to visit in 2016. Farnborough international air show 2016 will take place between July 11th and 19th at Farnborough airport Hampshire, England. The airport is owned and operated by TAG aviation as London's dedicated business airport.
As ever this is primarily a trade show for the aerospace industry with the public being admitted on the weekend.
This guide is a personal view and not connected with the air show in any way. The official website is WWW.FARNBOROUGH.com which will provide further information.
Getting here
Farnborough is located 35miles South West of London and is very easy to get to.
By rail
There are frequent fast trains operated by South West Trains to Farnborough Main station. We are located on the London Waterloo to Southampton line. Shuttle buses will run from the station to the air show.
There is also a rail service from Reading and Gatwick airport via Guildford with these trains stopping at North Camp station from where, again, a shuttle bus will run
By road
Farnborough is close to the M3 London-Southampton motorway as is accessible by both junctions 4 and 4a and the air show is well signposted from both. For those with advance tickets I recommended using the ‘I’ gate carpark. Exit the M3 at junction 4a and follow the Farnborough signs, turn left at the first roundabout, then at the second turn back on yourself, and turn left along Kennels Lane. This is a twisty minor road, at the end turn right at the roundabout. Continue straight across the next roundabout, and at the second take the second exit signed as Aldershot A323. Continue a mile or so and you will see the airport on your left and take the first left over the bridge. This is not an official route so is less congested. Once parked there is a very short shuttle bus ride to the show entrance. It’s also a great place to watch the show from in the afternoon. The main airshow route will be via junction 4 of the M3 and take you to Queens Parade part and ride.
by air
By scheduled flight Heathrow, Gatwick and Southampton airports are easily accessible. Luton and Stansted airports will require travelling into London to get a connection.
From Heathrow take the Rail-Air shuttle to Woking. It is then a 10 minute train journey to Farnborough main station.
From Gatwick you can get a direct train to North Camp, and a shuttle bus.
For those with the money there are limited slots at Farnborough for private aircraft up to 737 size, contact TAG Aviation. There is also a helicopter service from London Battersea heliport. For smaller aircraft (up to small jets) Blackbushe airport is only 5 miles away and will offer all you need .
What's the Farnborough area like?
Farnborough is a town of around 60,000 people with the towns of Fleet, Camberley, Frimley and Aldershot close by. The airport has always been integral to the town both in its former military role and current civil role.
Farnborough town centre is very much adjacent to the show site and can offer accommodation and limited entertainment. There are several hotels ranging from the 5* 'Aviator' adjacent to the show site, to the Travelodge motel in the town centre. Farnborough town centre has suffering a protracted redevelopment but now boasts a cinema and a limited number of restaurants and pubs. For those seeking evening entertainment it would be best to stay in London and commute down by train.
At the show
Arrivals for the show will commence on Monday 4th July and will finish on Sunday 10th. During this week each pilot that participates in the flying display undertakes practice displays. There are then approved by the flying control committee. These flights will take place between 12:30pm and 4:30pm 4-9th July only.
The trade show will open on Monday 11th July at 09:00 and will feature flying each afternoon. Trade tickets can be purchased on the day or in advance from the website. The Friday, Saturday and Sunday will see the show open to the public
There is a large outdoor static display of aircraft as well as indoor exhibition halls. The static starts at the eastern end of the site, near the main entrance. The area nearest the entrance will see the aircraft from Finmeccia Group featuring Agusta-Westland, Aleina, Aermacchi and ATR military. Following this is the large aircraft park dominated by the US military .This leads down to the crowd line and the rest of the static runs west from here. The aircraft are then strung out parallel to the main runway. The static will finish with the business aircraft park on Monday-Wednesday. This area will be occupied by different aircraft during the public weekend.
The exhibition area is sited on the side of a hill overlooking the airfield, giving excellent views. There are four main halls as well as other exhibition space spread amongst the static areas. These halls will be closed on the public weekend. During the trade week they contain aerospace exhibitors large, and small and is always excellent for 'freebees'.
The afternoon flying display takes place each day and varies from day to day. A list for each day will appear on the official website. The fast jets are grouped tougher due to airspace restrictions. The display line is further than some air shows but the crowd line is very close to the runway.
There are several food courts located in the show ground but these are, as per normal, overpriced. There are Sainsbury’s and Asda supermarkets located in the town center which may be a better bet for picking up food on the way.
Viewing from outside
The show organizers have announced there will be restricted public access to the surrounding areas, and changes in the display axis in the wake of Shoreham.
Every parking area along the entire length of the A323 has been blocked off. I gate (Eelmoor Bridge) is open for show deliveries 7am-7pm 7 days. This means there is limited parking (6 cars?) at the bridge and there is no right turn in/or out of this road. There will be no parking here during the air show.
During both the flying display and practice the A323 Fleet-Aldershot road will be closed to all traffic and pedestrians where it backs on the the airport. This is believed to be from the Church Crookham turn (the Foresters road) until the Junction on the A325 by the Potters Hotel. This will cover roughly 12:30-16:00 July 4-8 and 11-17. The canal will also be closed for this entire period.
The area to the west of this is open MoD land and there are signs everywhere warning people not to enter this area during the airshow.
The display axis has now been moved west so that aircraft will no longer turn over populated areas of Farnborough. It remains to be seen how this will affect viewing from outside fully but it will mean some familiar places will have a far more restricted view. I will update this further once the practice week starts and we see the results.
This leaves a couple of areas.
The Swan Pub on the A325 Farnborough road near the college. There will be some parking restrictions in the area but it is normally possible to find somewhere off Alexandra Road. Alternatively you can park in the town center and its a 15 min walk. This will give you a close up of aircraft on finals and a view down the display line. The Swan pub charges for admission during show week. The Gloster pub behind the BMW show room also charges admission during the show for its garden.
On the north side by the main TAG entrance there will be some views of the flying but not of aircraft on the ground. The Business park next door by Costco will be staff and Costco members only. There is some street parking in the area behind.
The views from the likes of Southwood recreation ground, Cove Cricket Club and Southwood Morrisons will become clearer when we see the first practice displays.
Tweseldown Racecourse may offer good views of the flying although it may not be open to the public but is worth a try.
Further updates to come