Tues 9th Oct saw the second branch visit to Farnborough to enjoy an airside tour courtesy of TAG Aviation.

TAG Aviation is a part of the TAG-Huer conglomerate which has interests in Watch & Timekeeping manufacture through to Motorsport.

The tour started with a potted history of the change of ownership from MoD to the current TAG Aviation operation from our guide Tony Knight. Tony has spent almost all his working life at Farnborough in various posts so probably knows more of the minutia of the airfield than anyone.

The coach-bound part of the tour started with a visit to 2 of the futuristically designed hangars to see the immaculate conditions the executive aircraft are stored in but for £500+ per night you’d expect something special. From there it was a drive down to the Lafans Plain end where Tony explained how to maximize the available runway length the thresholds were moved & how trees & 6mtrs of earth along with a complete wood were removed from nearby high-ground to increase ground clearances for arriving/departing aircraft.

Having driven the length of the runway we arrived at the spot Cody landed on his first flight, we also saw the original Balloon Factory sheds now Listed Buildings on the edge of Farnborough town.

From here we returned to the Control Tower where splitting into 2 separate groups we in turn visited the visual control-room which provided superb photo-opportunities. The other group were given a short explanation of TAG’s work to maintain environmental control in the event of fuel/chemical spills onsite.

Altogether a successful trip, despite the anticipated traffic hassles all bar 1 managed to arrive on time. Thanks go to Kevin Jarvis for squeezing Derek Harknett into his car following Derek’s recent incident which left him lacking in transport … a great team spirit.

Mike Kemp