Galleries & Collections - Farnborough Air Sciences Trust

Farnborough Air Sciences Museum

What’s at the Museum?

Galleries & Collections

Cody Pavilion I Photography ‘Cupboard’ I Museum Shop I Display Hall 1 I Display Hall 2

Cody Pavilion

The Cody Pavilion was constructed in 2008 to house the full-scale replica of Samuel Cody’s Flyer. The replica is on show in a striking and modern building – the outer cover is similar to the roof of the Millennium Dome. Also – very appropriately – it closely resembles the Balloon Hangar of 1912 that has been restored and re-erected in the adjoining business park, which can be seen in the background from the Museum site.

The Cody Flyer Project was an ambitious undertaking by FAST volunteers to construct a full-scale replica of Samuel Franklin Cody’s British Army Aeroplane No1A. The highly accurate non-flying replica was constructed to commemorate the centenary of the first aeroplane to make a powered, controlled and sustained flight in Great Britain, which took place at Farnborough on 16 October 1908. Built at Farnborough, the replica construction took over 18 months and this extremely large exhibit (53ft wingspan) is now a visitor highlight of the FAST Museum.

Also housed in the pavilion is a replica man-carrying kite. These were developed by Samuel Cody as a pre-cursor to his fixed wing aeroplane, to overcome the problem of not being able to use balloons for military purposes on windy days.

The Pavilion is also home to museum temporary exhibits, currently the Black Arrow Rocket and Zephyr, a lightweight solar powered UAV.

And finally, look out for the Rolls Royce Merlin Engine as used to power Britain’s outstanding Hurricane, Spitfire, Lancaster and Mosquito aircraft, as well as transforming the American Mustang from indifferent to excellent.

For a 360 degree view, please click the icon below.

Plan Your Visit

Full Size Replica of Samuel Cody’s first successful aeroplane (British Army Aeroplane No.1A)

Cody Flyer

Rolls Royce Merlin Engine

Replica 1/4 Scale Cody Artillery Spotting Kite

Zephyr UAV

Photography ‘Cupboard’

This cupboard, situated in the entrance hall of the Museum in Trenchard House, was used as the first photographic darkroom by the Royal Flying Corps in 1912. It was used by Air Mechanic FC Victor Laws who was seconded from the Coldstream Guards to the RFC not only as a mechanic but also a photographer. He was soon put in charge of the photographic section of No 1 Squadron and continued in the field of aerial photography, becoming the aerial photography expert in the RAF and known colloquially as the “Father of RAF Photography”.

It all started here!

Photography Archive

Museum Shop

The FAST Museum shop stocks a wide range of merchandise including:

Books on aviation, aerospace & associated technologies and military history

Aircraft models – model kits, diecast models and pre-built display models

STEM books and learning aids for children

Indoor and outdoor toys with an aviation theme

FAST souvenirs and gifts

The shop is a valuable source of income for the Trust, and we welcome your support.

Display Hall 1

Welcome to the main hall in the Grade 2* listed Trenchard Building.

Many examples of aviation technology are on display. Have you ever wondered what a black box flight recorder looks like? Or how an ejection seat works? You can find out at FAST!

The story of the work undertaken by the Royal Aircraft Factory during the First World War is told in detail, supported by many original artefacts.

Look also for our jet engine exhibits, which include Frank Whittle’s 1943 Whittle W2/700 jet engine, a cross-section of a Rolls-Royce Derwent 5 and the Metropolitan-Vickers F.2, which was tested in November 1943 on the Gloster Meteor. You can learn more about the Royal Aircraft Establishment’s contribution to jet engine research and development here.

A huge collection of model aircraft traces aircraft development through the 20th century in graphic fashion.

This is just a flavour of the many exhibits, which are constantly being updated. There is always something new to discover!

Plan Your Visit

A few highlights…

Part of exhibition commemorating the contribution of the Royal Aircraft Factory during the First World War

Marlin Handanyde Model at the FAST Museum

Example of the Museum’s wide ranging collection of model aircraft

Mk9 Martin Baker Ejection Seat

Single handed gas operated seat firing system fitted to early Harrier and Jaguar aircraft

Black Box Recorder

Sir Frank Whittle’s 1943 W2/700 Jet Engine

Rolls-Royce Derwent 5

Centrifuge Display

The RAF’s Institute of Aviation Medicine, whilst not part of the RAE, was located at Farnborough for many years and our display showcases some of its ground breaking work, as well as containing a working model of the Man Rated Centrifuge used for research into the effects of ‘G’ on the human body and in the development of anti G suits.

Collection of Aircrew Visors and Headgear

Display Hall 2

Hall 2, located in the original 1908/9 Balloon School storage area, provides a number of themed areas: Wind Tunnel Technology; Space; Jet Engines; Sonobuoys; Target Drones, Flight Simulation and more!

Some of the key features of the Hall are:

A rotating and cut-away Rolls Royce Conway jet engine that was used in versions of the Handley Page Victor, Vickers VC 10, Boeing 707-420 and Douglas DC-840. The cut-away allows the workings of a jet engine to be clearly visible.
Dominating the entrance to the hall is a Shorts SD3 Stiletto supersonic target drone (Mach 2.8, 91,000 ft).
Travel a little further into the gallery and you will find the Chevaline Penetration Aid for the Polaris Missile System.
The RAE at Farnborough had a long-established track record supporting the UK space industry, in fact the 6″ Zeiss Coude Refractor used in the observatory on the QinetiQ site by the current RAE Astronomical Society, dates back to the Skylark Project in the 1960s. Much of this history can be explored in the Museum Gallery.
This Hall also contains a working example of a Gottingen wind tunnel recovered from Germany after the war. Find out about how wind tunnels work and see examples of models used in wind tunnel testing.
On 10th January 1954, BOAC Flight 781, a de Havilland Comet Passenger Jet (G-ALYP), crashed after suffering an explosive decompression at altitude. Much of the work investigating the crash was undertaken by the RAE Air Accident Investigation Branch. See a cross section of the aircraft fuselage from that fateful day and find out how the RAE discovered the cause of the aircraft failure.
1:100 Scale Model of the RAE Research Vessel “RV Colonel Templer”.
With the requirement to develop ever more sophisticated air dropped sonobuoys, the RAE purchased the trawler “Criscilla” in 1979 and renamed it “Colonel Templer“. Following the refit the vessel had the following specification: Length: 185ft 6in, Beam: 30ft, Draught: 16ft It had a displacement of 1100 tons and could accommodate 12 scientist and 17 crew. The ship was also equipped with two laboratories. The vessel was operated by the Royal Corps of Transport and the research was the responsibility of the RAE’s Radio and Navigation department. A model of the ship is included in the Sonobuoy display, together with a photo of the ship at sea. As well as undertaking extensive sonobuoy research and development, the ship was also used in conjunction with RN helicopter dipping sonar trials. In addition, it carried out development trials for helicopter approach and landing aids for use on ships and oil rigs. The Vessel had a long and productive career before being sold in 2011.