National Aerospace Library, Farnborough - Information

News and updates about the collections held by the National Aerospace Library, Farnborough has been received from Brian Riddle. It is posted here in full, with links, for information.

The National Aerospace Library at Farnborough ( www.aerosociety.com/nal ) which incorporates the Library of the Royal Aeronautical Society formerly located in London is a free-to-access public reference library which is open Tuesday-Friday 10am-4pm. If you are ever in the Farnborough area you would be welcome to research at the Library which is open to receiving enquiries (by personal visit/e-mail/phone/letter) from anyone around the world.

Directions/Map to The Hub Building, IQ Farnborough in which the National Aerospace Library is located can be viewed via the following web-site: www.aviatorscafebar.com/pdf/AviatorsMapAndDirections.pdf

A guide to some of the key collections held at the National Aerospace Library is available as a series of pdfs that are included in the newly redesigned pages of the National Aerospace Library’s website: www.aerosociety.com/About-Us/nal/speccollections

For any enquiries regarding this material, please contact the librarians at Farnborough (Tel: 01252 701038/701060; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

A wide range of giftware items and poster/print reproductions of over 440 vintage colour aviation posters, magazine covers, air show programmes, airline timetables, decorative book covers, etc. c.1909-1939 held in the archives of the National Aerospace Library can be ordered via the following web-site: www.aerosociety.com/printsandposters

The National Aerospace Library holds probably one of the finest archives of early ballooning material of its kind in the world and via the web-site can be viewed 238 images of 18th and 19th ballooning lithographs and posters which represents a wide selection of its pre-eminent collection.

The web-site has been produced in collaboration with the Mary Evans Picture Library ( www.maryevans.com ) through whom these images can be licensed for reproduction in books, magazines, advertising and other media.

For your information, an informative 30-minute 'Podcast'.on the National Aerospace Library's collections based on recordings that were made in the Library has recently been released via the following web-sites
(it occupies approximately the second half of the programme following a discussion of Airbus’ latest projects). It provides a useful guide to the various historic collections held within the Library followed by a discussion of the Library’s importance as an aviation archive:

aviation-xtended.co.uk/ep-02-a400-grizzl...ce-library/#more-113

itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/aviation-xte...-podcast/id529742666

Attached files National Aerospace Library Database Online.pdf (416.3 KB) 

Just in from the National Aerospace Library

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Chris

The January 2017 issue of Aerospace, the magazine of the Royal Aeronautical Society, has an article about new accessions to the NAL.

These are Aircraft Factory Site Plans. There are 185 of these plans, all drawn up by the Ministry of Supply in the period 1946-47 and come from the private papers of James Connolly, who was Assistant Director of Aircraft Production at the Ministry of Aircraft Production during the war; he died in 1996. The plans give details of buildings and hangars etc, including floor areas and dimensions. The article has illustrations of the plans of Saunders Roe at East Cowes and Osborne.

All manufacturers are covered, and include sites such as Airspeed at Portsmouth, Christchurch, Drayton, Farlington and Langstone.

These papers seem to be an invaluable resource when researching aircraft manufacturers.

Bill

How would one access these plans. I have an interest in Christchurch/Airspeed.
I should add that I am 250 miles away from Farnborough so wondering if any kind of electronic means is available.

Dave: I'm not sure if the data is on line. I suggest a quick note to the NAL at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

or phone 01252 701038