Farnborough Tour Set To Fly

Our Farnborough Tour will be hosted by Stewart Wilson, long time AA historical correspondent and author of numerous books on aviation including several new projects that we will be launching later this year.

Stewart and his lucky team will be departing KSA on the 6th September aboard their Cathay Pacific 747 for a one stop flight to Gatwick. We might also mention that on both the US and UK tours, departure and return are entirely flexible provided you meet the ticket requirements as to length of stay, etc. so that you can better see the sights either at your destination or en route. Hong Kong, of course, is one of the better diversions that one can plan as a viable stopover, so if you wish a few extra days there (or in China) then that, like most other things, can be arranged.

After settling in at London, the group will visit the famous RAF Museum at Hendon. If you have been to Hendon then we don’t need to tell you how it is one of the world’s best examples of what a WW2 aircraft museum should be. Hendon is simply great.

For the following three days it is onto the greatest of air shows at Farnborough with the numerous highlights that only the weekend air display provides. Over 600 companies exhibit every two years at Farnborough and for 1988 it is anticipated by the SBAC that over 180 different aircraft will display to a vast worldwide audience. You won’t want to miss that!

After Farnborough, it is off to the British Aerospace facility at Hatfield, which dare we say it, is probably the world’s most famous aircraft factory. It was from here that Geoffery de Havilland built up his legendary line of aeronautics from the primitive biplanes of early WW1 through to the world’s first commercial jet airliner – the Comet. Nowadays BAe Hatfield is more involved in producing components to support the successful BAe 125 and Airbus programmes in addition to being the main base for 146 production in the UK. Apart from the impressive production line the original DH Museum at Hatfield is also definitely ‘a must see’.

After the hustle and bustle of London, it is off to enchanting Cambridge, which apart from the famous university is also home of the Imperial War Museum’s vast facility at Duxford Aerodrome. Duxford indeed hosts one of the finest collections of aircraft to be found anywhere in the world. There is almost one of everything here: Concorde, Britannia, Comet, Ambassador, Shackleton, Vulcan, Victor, V-1 with ramp, Me 163, 8-29, 8-17, Lancaster, TSR-2 and almost every warbird that you could imagine including even an Aussie CA-18 Mustang. Duxford must be seen to be believed and that is just what you will be doing on our specialised tour.

From Duxford, our tour begins to hunt out the remnants of the huge USAAF and RAF bomber bases of WW2 which are scattered throughout Lincolnshire and Norfolk. These disused bases exude with the ghostly memories of another era and certainly are surefire stuff to make any aviation historian appreciate first-hand the incredible sacrifice these brave bomber crews made during those dark days of their life or death battle against the Third Reich.

With Norfolk behind us we head northwards to the beautiful Minster City of York, itself a most pleasant destination in addition to being home of RAF Finningley where we enjoy one of ttie many special Battle of Britain air shows which are due to be held in England throughout September. In fact, we visit a similar show a weekend later at RAF Abingdon.

From York the tour heads into Scotland and a visit to historic Edinburgh. Heading south again we set course for the delightful Lakes District, where you might just catch a glimpse of Tornados, Phantoms, Buccaneers and Harriers transiting the LJRs at extremely low level with their throttles to the firewall. Aviation aside, the Lakes District of course is truly beautiful as is the famous Cotswolds, our next destination. From the Cotswolds and Shakespeare country we visit Yeovilton ancf the Royal Navy’s excellent Museum in addition to Westland Helicopters. The RN Fleet Air Arm Museum is particularly fascinating and also includes much war booty, including captured aircraft from the Falklands conflict.

From Yeovilton and Salisbury, it’s on to the Army Aviation Museum at Middle Wallop in Hampshire where displays cover early ballooning through to the latest missile-firing helicopters of the modern battlefield. And so it is onwards to London and a departure for Hong Kong, half a world away aboard our CX 747-300.

A free day is thoughtfully included in this shoppers’ paradise which rounds up nicely with a farewell dinner before heading home” ward on our final leg for an arrival at KSA on the morning of the 2rid October. We would also like to remind readers that a full, and very interesting, parallel tour schedule will be in operation for those companions wtio are not totally committed to aviation. So if you are putting off taking just such a specialist tour because you feel your spouse would be bored, then don’t delay any further, as this has been more than remedied by some thoughtful planning by Torii Tours. We might also mention that you don’t have to return home or even depart with the group if your desire is to see more of Europe, or

for that matter China – then this can be easily arranged.

Please Note: Due to circumstances beyond our control some minor aspects of this schedule might change. Please verify final schedule with Torii Tours prior to booking.