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The Aviation Collection is housed at Farnborough Library. The majority of the collection is now available for loan, with a smaller but important reference-use only section, which includes historical material, and aviation journals.

The Aviation Collection consists of over 6000 books, pamphlets, directories and yearbooks. A special donation from Qinetiq, and the the Royal Aircraft Establishment, covers items from the early days of aviation, including ballooning, and other technical manuals and reports.

There are news cuttings files, videos and a small collection of photographs and postcards. The focus of the collection is now British civil aviation and RAF history, but the collection is still strong in other areas such as world aviation, early aviation history, the story of individual aircraft such as the Spitfire or Concorde.

There are also memoirs from wartime pilots and histories of the development of the RAE/DERA at Farnborough itself.  Information is available on the biennial Farnborough International Air Show.

Farnborough Library's Aviation Collection is part of FALCon  - Farnborough Aviation Libraries Consortium - which includes the National Aerospace Library, Farnborough (Hampshire Library users can access the NAL's research facilities by appointment - Tuesday-Friday,10am-4pm) and the FAST Museum with its large collection of historical flying artefacts and many documents and photographs.

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  Piston Aero-Engines of the Great War

  This 2-disk CD-Rom set comprises an amazing collection of original aero engine manuals and reports, some not published for over 50 years, from the combat aircraft that flew in the Great War and just after - British, French, German, Italian and Austrian.  

  Purchase from the online shop >>>

Aviation periodicals held at Farnborough Library

Current Subscriptions

• Aeronautical Journal
  1931 onwards
  
• Aeroplane Monthly
  Mar 1985 onwards
  
• Aerospace International
  Sep 1973 onwards
  
• Air International
  1974 onwards
  
• Aircraft Illustrated
  Aug 1983 onwards
  
• Aviation News
  2001 onwards
  
• Aviation Week & Space Technology
  1969 onwards
  
• Flight International
  1909 – 1911, 1925 – 1943, 1946 onwards
  Incomplete years: 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1992, 1995
  
• Pilot
  Sep 1972 onwards
  
• Sailplane and Gliding
  Feb 1974 onwards
  

Archived Periodicals

• Aero
  1909
  
• Aeronautical Quarterly
  1965 – 1983
  
• Aeroplane
  1911 – 1920, 1924 – 1968 then merged with Flight International
  
• Aeroplane Spotter
  1942
  
• Air Britain Aero militaria
  Autumn 2008 – Autumn 2011
  
• Air Britain Archive
  Autumn 2008 – Autumn 2011
  
• Air Britain Aviation World
  Autumn 2008 – Autumn 2011
  
• Air Britain News
  Jul 2009 – Dec 2011
  
• Air Enthusiast
  Sep 1972 – Dec 1973 then became Air International
  
• Air Pictorial
  Apr – Dec 1954, 1956, Jan 1970, Jun – Oct 1970, Sep 1972 – Dec 2001 then incorporating Aviation News
  
• DERA News
  May 1995 – Jun 2001
  
• DRA News
  Feb 1992 – Feb 1995
  
• Flypast
  Jun 2003 – Jan 2007
  
• IQ (QinetiQ)
  Jul 2001 – Jun 2004
  
• Plane and Pilot
  Jan 1992 – Dec 1999
  
• RAE News
  1968 – 1991
  
• Space Flight
  Jan 1972 – Dec 1994
  
• World Air Power Journal
  1990 – 2000
  

In addition, through our links with the National Aerospace Library access to articles in many other aviation journals can be obtained.

Links

• Farnborough International Air Show
• Imperial War museum
• AERADE
• National Aerospace Library Farnborough
• Royal Aero Club extensive aviation archives of the Royal Aero Club
• Royal Aero Club Aviators’ Certificates, 1910-1950 , includes photographs and personal details.
  Access via Ancestry Online which is available in many of our libraries