Every two years, the aerospace, aviation and defense industries visit the Farnborough International Airshow in England to pioneer change, build new connections and develop business relationships. Sometimes, though, the inherent dangers of aviation are all too apparent.
This year’s event takes place July 22-26, and Alpha Metalcraft Group will be among the 1,500 exhibitors from 48 nations. There have been several accidents of varying severity at the site in Hampshire, England.
The first show took place in 1948, and just four years later one of the deadliest accidents in air show aviation history occurred at Farnborough. Two crew members died along with 29 people on the ground when a prototype jet fighter crashed during an aerial display. The jet disintegrated in mid-air during an acrobatic maneuver. A structural failure due to a design flaw in the wing’s leading edge caused the breakup.
Most of the fatalities on the ground occurred when one of the engines in the aircraft soared into Observation Hill, killing the spectators and injuring 60 more on the ground. John Derry, who had served in the Royal Air Force, was the pilot and died in the crash along with onboard flight test observer Anthony Richards. The accident is considered the most horrific in the history of air shows, and resulted in the changes that have made the events far safer for crew and spectators.
Another incident in 1974 killed two crew members when a Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter crashed on the runway. Several other accidents have occurred at the show, the last in 1984, but there were no casualties in that accident.
One area of aviation expected to attract significant interest at this year’s show is electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles. Vertical Aerospace of England is going to unveil its VX4 prototype and intends to perform multiple public demonstrations. The VX4 is a piloted, zero emissions vehicle with a range of over 100 miles and a capacity of four passengers and pilot.
On its website, the company posted an example of how the aircraft could be used with a 22-mile trip from Miami to Fort Lauderdale. The trip can be completed in 11 minutes with the VX4. The same trip would require 1 hour and 20 minutes by road and 60 minutes by rail.
Last year, Farnborough reported record-breaking demand for exhibition space, sponsorship packages and marketing activations. In 2022, Farnborough was the first internationally renowned show to take place after the pandemic.
Alpha Metalcraft Group is a well-known manufacturer of critical components for aviation. Using its unique capabilities in electroforming and deep drawing, AMG provides key components and assemblies for the aerospace, defense and medical markets.
“We are very much looking forward to Farnborough,’’ CEO Alec Searle said. “This is an exciting time in the aviation industry and the airshow is a great way to connect with our many aerospace colleagues and align on where to focus our engineering and R&D efforts. We also believe this is a great time to showcase AMG’s unique electroforming and deep drawing capabilities which position us as the market-leader in these areas of manufacturing.”
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