Airspeed Ambassador G-AKRD
Airspeed Consul G-AJLN Static display only
Armstrong Whitworth AW52 TS363 Nene engines
Armstrong Whitworth AW52 TS368 Derwent engines; static display only
Auster A2/45 VL522
Auster J/1 Autocrat G-AJIZ
Auster P2 Avis G-AJXW
Auster T7 VF665
Avro Athena T1 VM125
Avro Athena T2 VW890
Avro Lancastrian VM732 Avon engine testbed
Avro Lincoln RE339 Theseus engine testbed
Avro Lincoln RF530 Naiad engine testbed
Avro Lincoln B2 RE292
Avro Tudor VIII VX195
Blackburn Firebrand V EK844 Static display only
Blackburn S28/43 VT173
Boulton Paul Balliol T1 VL935
Boulton Paul Balliol T2 VW897
Bristol 171 Mk2 VW905 Static display only
Bristol Brigand B1 RH809
Bristol Freighter Mk21E G-AIFO
Chrislea Super Ace G-AKUX Static display only
G-AKUY
Cierva Air Horse G-ALCV Static display only
Cierva Skeeter G-AJCJ Static display only
de Havilland DH104 Dove G-AKSV
de Havilland DH108 TG306 Public days only
de Havilland Mosquito TT39 PF606 Static display only
de Havilland Sea Hornet F20 VR892
de Havilland Vampire I TG278 Ghost engine testbed; static display only
de Havilland Vampire FB5 VV218
VV219 Static display only
de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk G-AKDN
Elliotts of Newbury Eon G-AKBC
Fairey Firefly T1 DK428
Fairey Firefly V VT487 Static display only
Fairey Gyrodyne G-AIKF
G-AJJP Static display only
Fairey Primer G-ALBL
General Aircraft GAL61 TS515 Static display only
Gloster Meteor F4 RA490 Beryl engine testbed
VT256
Gloster Meteor T7 G-AKPK
Handley Page Hastings C1 TG527
Handley Page Hermes IV G-AKFP
Handley Page Marathon G-AILH
Hawker N7/46 VP413 Static display only
Hawker P1040 VP401
Hawker Sea Fury FB11 VW564
Percival Prentice T1 G-23-1 Static display only
Percival Prentice T2 VR211
Percival Prince G-ALCM
Percival Proctor IV G-AKYJ Static display only
Percival Proctor V G-AKYA Static display only
Planet Satellite - Static display only
Portsmouth Aerocar G-AGTG
Saunders-Roe SRA/1 TG271 Did not land
Scottish Aviation Prestwick Pioneer G-31-1
Short Sealand G-AIVX
Short Solent G-AHIM Did not land
Short Sturgeon 2 VR363
Supermarine Seagull PR363
Supermarine Spitfire VIII Trainer G-AIDN
Vickers Valetta VW140
Vickers Viking G-AJPH
Vickers Viscount G-AHRFFARNBOROUGH 1948: THE AIRCRAFT
yet flown. The same went for Cierva’s
rather more conventional Skeeter light
helicopter. Others had run out of time.
Supermarine’s Attacker and Westland’s
Wyvern didn’t make it.
For de Havilland, flight-testing
of the DH108 took priority over a
Farnborough appearance. However, it
hit the headlines nonetheless. On the
Wednesday of the show came reports
that John Derry had used the second
example, TG306, to break the sound
barrier. An editorial in The Aeroplane
entitled ‘A Time for Adventure’,
heralding the achievements of both
the DH108 and the Gyrodyne,
captured the mood. Never mind the
fact that Derry’s supersonic flight was
not officially verified — these were
heady days.
Less heady were conditions on
the opening Tuesday, low cloud
and rain seriously disrupting the
programme, especially in terms of
appearances by higher-performance
types. From Wednesday the weather
improved, allowing more expansive
performances, though to use the
word ‘unrestricted’ would be pushing
things. Under the control of Gp Capt
G. Silyn Roberts, the flying display
was an extremely tight affair. Many
pilots, The Aeroplane reported, “had
quite a difficult job owing to lack of
time. There were 50 aircraft on the
programme, and to compress the
flying into a reasonable length there
were two circuses. Pilots flying aircraft
in the circus were allowed only a
couple of minutes over the crowd and
there is not much a pilot can do in
this short time.”Many impressed despite this
handicap. For many, the abiding
image of Farnborough 1948 was
Geoffrey Tyson in the Saunders-Roe
SRA/1 jet fighter flying boat. In The
Aeroplane’s words, he “came down to
within a few feet of Farnborough’s
long runway at about 450mph, and
followed this by some magnificent
slow rolls... This was certainly also
the first time any large section of the
British public have been treated to
inverted flight by a flying-boat”. The
reporter added, “Occasionally he flew
the right way up.”
Others made their mark. ‘Wimpey’
Wade in the Hawker P1040, Fossett in
the DH Dove and John Derry in the
Vampire were singled out for particular
praise. So were the Auster T7 and
Prestwick Pioneer for their slow-flying
capabilities. By contrast, The Aeroplane
felt that neither the Tudor VIII nor
Armstrong Whitworth’s taillessThe above list, with the exception of a few edits and additions, is taken from The Aeroplane for 17 September 1948.
Incidentally, two of the above airframes are still flying: the Chipmunk and Spitfire VIII Trainer. Wouldn’t it be nice to see both
of them at the 70th anniversary Farnborough show this July?56 http://www.aeroplanemonthly.com AEROPLANE JULY 201854-56,61-66_AM_Farnborough_July18_cc C.indd 56 04/06/2018 13:48