The Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) is one of the world’s most iconic global aviation events. Every two years in the month of July, the airshow takes place at the Farnborough airfield near London, for one week. The first five days of the show are traditionally trade days only, followed by a weekend where the exhibition is opened up to the public. The most recent airshow, FIA 2008 featured 165 aircraft in static displays and spectacular flying displays and the public weekend attracted a staggering 153,000 visitors.
Schedule: 19-25 July 2010
Location: Farnborough Airfield, Hampshire, UK
Farnborough 2010 will be held from 19-25 July 2010. This year, the airshow focuses on business themes, launching a number of new networking initiatives such as a themed conference and seminar programme, a ‘Meet Your Buyer’ event and a day dedicated to International Futures for Youth. Additionally, FIA 2010 will feature a dedicated ‘Space Zone’ and enhanced UAV presence.
Defense Update will continue to cover Farnborough news to be published in this preview toward the airshow, cover the event with on-site news highlights and provide a post show report featuring the trends, announcements and major exhibitors on site.
UAD Flight DisplaThis year the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA), will include flight demonstration of unmanned aerial vehicles, as a regular part of the display program, for the first time. The organizers have secured an agreement, in principle, from the CAA and Airport authorities to allow Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to approve this initiative.
The inclusion of unmanned vehicles in the flight display addresses a growing interest from exhibitors and customers, to demonstrate UAS’s at airshows. The display at the FIA 2010 comes after the successful debut displays at the Bahrain International Airshow in January 2010.
To enable the flight of unmanned vehicles, a set of guidelines have been developed detailing the rules and regulations required to be approved for flying both indoor and outdoor UAS’s at the airshow this year. The organizers are planning to dedicate 30 minute for the UAS display prior to the start of the flying display. Depending on the level of customer uptake, FIL may even extend the flying display program up to an hour, in line with customer demand.
“We have undergone a great deal of discussion to secure an agreement in principle with the CAA and now have a set of guidelines that will allow UAS manufacturers to demonstrate their aircraft.” Rod Dean, FIA Director of Flight Operations said, “Now that we have reached an agreement, we expect a good number of customers to take up this opportunity. We encourage our customers to get in contact to receive the full set of regulations in order to be approved for UAS flying at the show.”
The following aircraft are expected to participate in the flight displays:
- Airbus A380 / A400m
- ATR 72
- Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
- Bristol Fighter (Shuttleworth Collection)
- Britten Norman Islander
- B-52
- Chinook
- C-27J
- C-130
- DH-6
- Twin Otter 400
- Eurofighter Typhoon
- F-16
- F-18
- F-22
- Great War Display Team
- Gulfstream G550
- Hawk T1
- Hurricane Mk 1
- JF-17 (Flown by the Pakistan Air Force)
- King Air B200
- Mark Jeffries (British Aerobatic Champion
Extra 330SC) - ME 109
- PBY Catalina
- Red Arrows
- Red Devils
(The Parachute Regiment Freefall Team) - Seafire
- Sea Fury
- Sea Hawk
- Swordfish
- Sukhoi Superjet 100
- Spitfire (single seat) Vulcan
