I'm sure that many outside the UK have heard of Farnborough. It was the equivalent of the the United States' Edwards AFB. It was a place where prototypes and those facilities that undertook testing and training of those who do the testing gathered. You probably note that I'm speaking in the past tense. While Farnborough still exists, all the various concerns that made it such a magical place have dispersed to other areas. Like many bases around the world, Farnborough is no longer a place to do testing as the land has been judged much more useful for other things and the place is surrounded by town where there was once open country. Down have come many of the famous building to be replaced by more corporate looking structures. Fortunately, a few have been saved and there is a small museum operated by the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust, who also house a large collection of images, culled from the tens of thousands taken over the last century.

It is from these images that the author, Peter J. Cooper (why is it that authors insist on using a middle initial when the rest of us get along well without it? I could tell you stories...), was able to find the images needed to illustrate this book, a history of the aviation activities of Britain's foremost testing area.

It starts with balloons and continues until events of earlier this year. It is a fascinating story of the earliest aviation activities, the development of aircraft during WWI, the secrecy of turbine projects during WWII and the ever expanding development in things like aviation medicine, test pilot school, meteorological research, crash investigation and many others. Some of this continues to this day, though in more modern surroundings and in basically a civilian mode with little military input. These have hall moved elsewhere.

These stories are divided by decade starting in 1905, which is really the birth of British Aviation and continuing right up until today. Each segment is superbly illustrated with photos of the aircraft being tested or modified at the time. Those of us who love these older planes will be delighted with the images, most of which I've not seen before. It includes the various displays starting with the SBAC displays of the 30s and continuing right up to the modern era where it alternates each time with Le Bourget.

Overall, this is a superb book that is absolutely full of interesting information that most of us rarely consider. The easy to read prose, outstanding photos and subject make this one a book you simply must have in your library.

November 2006

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