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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 1254.PDF
356 FLIGHT, 31 August 1961 The location of Farnborough and the routes recom- mended by the motoring organizations. This Farn- borough, incidentally, is in Hampshire; hopeful visitors have been known to journey to the other one, in Kent DESTINATION FARNBOROUGH Routes, Times and Prices for SBAC Show Visitors from READING and THE NORTH from LONDON ALTERNATIVE LONDON RECOMMENDED ROUTE SOUTH-EAST ALL the world seems to go to Farnborough in September—or so it seems when one is trying to get away from the- SBAC Show on one of the public days. This Hampshire town, location of the Royal Aircraft Establishment, becomes aMecca for everyone interested in aviation—whether aircraft industry employees, technicians, spotters, members of the Services,airline representatives, Civil Servants or just enthusiasts. What is the magnetism that attracts so many thousands to theSociety of British Aircraft Constructors' annual flying display and exhibition? Partly its open-air setting; partly the splendid skillshown by the pilots; partly the wish to see what the British industry is producing (this goes especially for foreign visitors); partly thecuriosity of one company to see what another is doing; partly the social atmosphere, meeting old friends (and rivals) convivially;and partly the wish for a jolly good day's outing. This year's show begins next Monday, September 4, with thetraditional Press and technicians' preview day; and the following three days, Tuesday to Thursday inclusive, are reserved for SBACguests. Then come the public days: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 8,9 and 10. All through the week the airfield gates openat ten in the morning and close at seven in the evening; but there is a half-hour variation in starting-time for the flying display: on thethree public days this begins at 3 p.m.; on all other days at 2.30 p.m. The road to Farnborough in early September is now almost asfabulous as the roads trodden by Bob Hope and Bing Crosby; but although (in a collective sense) the highway forms the mostwidely used means of getting to the show, it is not the only one. Guests of the SBAC may fly into RAF Odiham, whence the Societyruns a special coach service to Farnborough airfield, operating on the private days and on Friday, first of the public days. It willcommute as frequently as possible (e.g., at half-hourly intervals in the busy periods) and guests have only to show their badges ortickets. For those travelling to Farnborough by train, special facilities arebeing provided by British Railways. The airfield is well situated near main lines, the Waterloo - Salisbury section passing throughFarnborough station and a Waterloo - Portsmouth line via Ash Vale and Aldershot; in addition a route comes in from Reading andthe Midlands to North Camp station. BR are providing through booking facilities from stations in the Southern Region, and specialtrains are being run from some centres in the other BR regions. Extra trains are being run between London and Farnborough andthere are special road-rail cheap day tickets from London (11s return) and other stations to Farnborough and Aldershot. This isdone through the co-operation of the Aldershot and District Traction £o Ltd, who arrange a shuttle service of buses from NorthCamp and Aldershot stations to points near the airfield. Alter- natively, the whole journey may be made by Aldershot and Districtcoach from London. Services leave Victoria Coach Station at 8.50 a.m., and thereafter hourly at fifty minutes past each hour,arriving at Farnborough Town Hall (a 250yd walk from the airfield) about an hour and thirty-five minutes later. The fares for thisjourney are 4s 9d (single), 6s 9d (day return) and 8s (period return). Having mentioned the cost of coach fares, and the special com-bined road-rail ticket, it is appropriate to set out the admission costs to Farnborough on the public days. These have not changed fromlast year. They are higher on the Friday, the only day for which advance bookings may be made. On this day admission charges are20s for adults and 10s for children under 14; parking costs 20s for cars or motor coaches, 5s for motor cycles and 2s 6d for pedalcycles, these payments covering parking only, all occupants of vehicles having to pay normal admission charges. Advance book-ings can be made either with Auto-Parks Ltd (1 Maclise Road, London W14: SHEpherd's Bush 5385-6-7) or through the usualticket agencies. Pay-at-the-gates is the form if no advance bookings are made. Advance bookings cannot be made for Saturday and Sunday(September 9 and 10), when admission charges are 5s for adults, 2s 6d for children (under 14) and 30s for private cars with up to sixoccupants. If a car has more than six the extra passengers must pay normal admission charges. Parking fees for motor cycles and pedalcycles on the Saturday and Sunday are 2s 6d and Is respectively; for motor coaches the fee is 10s, but in practice the parking-space is sotaxed on these public days that coaches have to be parked outside the airfield—within easy walking distance, however, of one of thegates. Many hundreds, if not thousands, of people will be driving theirown cars and other vehicles to Farnborough. For their benefit we reproduce on this page a map of the main routes from all pointsof the compass: from the North, through Reading and down the A327; from London and the South-East, by Guildford and the A31(Hog's Back), or from London an alternative route is the A30 to Bagshot and down the A325; from the Portsmouth area and theSouth Coast, up the A31 or A325 or A287; and from Basingstoke and the West, along the A30 and A287, then the A325 from Aider-shot. Both the motoring organizations, the Royal Automobile Cluband the Automobile Association, are doing all they can to help road- users going to the show. Inside the airfield at Farnborough theRAC will have a mobile service unit, with Land-Rovers standing by, ready to go out in answer to emergency calls. It will also have anoffice, manned by "patrolettes" (as the RAC girls are called) and other staff; a radio link is being maintained with club vehiclespatrolling the approach roads—on which, this year, they will have at least two extra offices; within a 25-mile radius special road-signswill direct drivers, and the RAC is co-operating with the police in putting up temporary signs for the diversion of traffic if necessary.Similarly, A A patrols will work closely with the Hampshire police; patrolmen in the airfield car-parks are again being equipped withwalkie-talkie sets; breakdown vehicles are being stationed on all approach roads; and "Jumbo," one of the Association's big mobileoffices, is once more on duty to maintain radio contact between AA men inside and outside the display. Refreshment, solid and liquid, is obtainable in the airfield area,and other amenities include a post office, bookstalls and a generous provision of litter bins (in past years the clearance of litter has beenone of the most formidable tasks in the restoration of the airfield for its normal use by the Royal Aircraft Establishment on the post-show Monday). Footnote: Every year Flight is asked, by letter or telephone,"Are cameras permitted?" The answer is "yes."
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