Countdown to Farnborough: 1964 & 66 – “Gloom and Prosperity”

For this week’s blog post counting down to the 2014 Farnborough Airshow, we take a look at the 1962 & 1964 shows – which both saw varying degrees of positivity about the success of the UK’s Aerospace industry.

1964

The 1964 video below suggests that foreign orders have declined, and that the Aerospace industry is in the ‘critical spotlight’. It also gives a much greater focus to platforms and programmes the industry is pushing, in order to increase its overseas sales revenues.

On the commercial side, the Super VC-10 is heralded as the ‘last word in the 2nd generation of airliners’ and is heavily trailed throughout (15 secs; 1 min 4 secs and 5 mins 38 secs). VC10 production ceased in 1970 and due to negative publicity by the BOAC, export orders never reached their full potential. However, the aircraft was popular with passengers, pilots and airline maintenance teams and both its load factors and operating profits were consistently higher that the globally B707.

The video also shows other commercial products on show, such as the BAE125 (once owned by Ayrton Senna), the Hawker Siddeley 748 and the popular Trident. On the military side, the Jet Provost team showcase the aerobatics of the RAF’s trainer aircraft, and the display includes a closer look at the P1127 VTOL. We also get a first glimpse of what would eventually become the Red Arrows, as 4 yellow Folland Gnats display for the first time (from 4 mins 44 secs).

1966

In 1966 however there is a much more positive outlook compared to the apprehension of 1964 – as the UK’s aerospace industry was on an upward curve with over £200m in export orders (£3.25bn in today’s money). The video below kicks off with the newly named Red Arrows display made up of 9 Folland Gnats (The Folland Gnat display team will be on display at this year’s Airshow).

The focus on export orders is again prevalent throughout – with the video showing a new Royal Saudi Air Force Lightning, the Short SC ‘SkyVan’, the Britten Norman Islander the BAC11 and again, the VC10.

Perhaps the reason for such optimism was not only the pickup in exports, but also the political boost to the industry in 1966. The election of Harold Wilson and a substantial Labour majority at the March 1966 General Election caused greater politically stability than the previous 1964 election, and the video below itself mentions that the industry has ‘hopes of the governments new intentions’. These hopes were to become clearer over the next 5 years, as Britain embarked on the development of the worlds first Supersonic airliner – Concorde.