The FAST Museum
The Farnborough Museum presents a selection from the FAST collection in the setting of a historic listed building. The Museum building dates from 1908 and was built as the headquarters of the Royal Balloon School. Located on a hill overlooking the runway of TAG's Fanborough airfield there planes to seen in the air as well as historic planes on display around the Museum building.
The Museum is managed by the Trustees of FAST and the day to day running is in the capable hands of the volunteers of the FAST Association. In the Musuem you can see photographs and exhibits from the early years of aviation and important pieces of aviation history, like Sir Frank Whittle's earliest jet engines and research models of Concorde. You can watch demonstrations of a working wind tunnel and there are experts on hand to answer your questions.
Opening times:
The bad weather is over and we are able to re-open.
Normal opening times will resume from 23th January.
Saturdays and Sundays 10:00am to 4:00pm
Weekdays and school parties by arrangement
please call:
Tel: 01252 375050
Entry is free
The Museum has a Visitors Car Park
How to find us:
Trenchard House
85 Farnborough Road
Farnborough
GU14 6TF
New Road Sign
Activities for Children:
There is
plenty for our younger visitors in Kidz
Corner
Aircraft on display
- aircraft chosen by the FAST Trustees for their RAE Farnborough connections
- nose sections and cockpits
In the museum you will see on display:
- displays of original RAE research and development
- photographs spanning the history of the site
- photographs and documents relating to military and civil aviation
- artifacts illustrating landmarks in technical achievement
- examples of pioneering materials development e.g. carbon fibre
- jet engines and helicopter rotors
- fully working demonstration wind tunnel
- scale models
- educational material
The Museum Shop
The shop is a valuable source of income for the Trust. Here is somthing about two key figures in the running of the shop.
The Shop Manager
is Colin Fidler, seen here doing the Accounts and preparing the Cash
Boxes for the weekend.
Colin also keeps control of the Stock with the new stock being ordered
by Gwen Moody.
The range of stock in the shop has been expanded recently, and includes books on Cody, Pyestock and the RAE plus many donated books covering a wide range aspects of aviation.
One
of the
regular "Shopkeepers" is Ken Scivier who is probably the
oldest Shopkeeper in Farnborough he started work in the RAE in 1936.
A selection of what is on sale
Historical books are proving
to be very popular - look out for the section labelled "Vintage Books".
Is the Museum really in Farnborough?
For those who do not know how close the Museum is to a major runway here is picture to show you. The Airbus A380 flew into TAG's Farnborough airfield for SBAC's 2006 Farnborough International air show and in this photo you can see the Museum framed by the wing and tail of the A380 (the white building just breaking the horizon). Also in the shot is a Typhoon coming in to land.
Copyright © Farnborough Air Sciences Trust
Registered Charity 1040199
http://www.farnboroughairsciences.org.uk
Version: 1.18 date: 17 January 2010