Filton Airfield - General Thread

To think G-BOAF is sat in a museum now. I remember seeing the aircraft at LBA doing pleasure flights. Those were the days.

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She's not in the museum just yet but it now looks as though she will be in 2-3 years time.

Concorde never visited BRS. The local pleasure flights were all done from Filton.

I saw the last ever flight of a Concorde on 26 November 2003 when G-BOAF returned home for the final time.

I was standing on Dundry Hill to the south of Bristol which gives a panoramic view of the entire city and as far as South Wales in the west and the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire to the east on a clear day.

AF swooped over our heads at Dundry having just overflown BRS about three miles to the west before flying low over the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Course was then set eastwards to the southern Cotswolds culminating in a 180 degree turn to take her onto finals into Filton. Visibility was such that it was possible to follow every move and she only disappeared from sight behind some high buildings as she touched down about ten miles to the north of my vantage point.

Glad to see it's all finally come together, well done to all concerned. I'll definitely be making a visit once it opens.

[textarea]RAF's 'City of Bristol' has flypast in naming ceremony

A flypast of the RAF's first A400M aircraft, the City of Bristol, has taken place as part of a naming ceremony.

The A400M can travel faster and further and carry more cargo and people than its predecessor, the C-130 Hercules.

It is unusual for the RAF to name its aircraft but it has been done to honour Bristol's aerospace industry.

The naming ceremony was held at Airbus Defence and Space in Filton where the aircraft wings are being manufactured.[/textarea]

Full article at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-31296178

This is the first time in 40 years that the RAF has named one of its aircraft.

Although the ceremony took place at Filton the A400M could not land as the airfield is no longer operational. There were some some good 'action' shots of it on the local tv news today showing the aircraft overflying Filton and also over the Clifton Suspension Bridge and other parts of the city. The linked report also contains some pictures.

Books marking Filton's closure

I've come across two excellent books that have been published to mark the closure of Filton as an airfield.

One is titled Bristol Filton Airport End of an Era written by Leo Marriott. It contains a brief history of the facility but its main worth derives from the many dozens of lavish coloured pictures of activity at the airfield that depict nearly every type of aircraft seen at Filton.

The other book is Filton Airfield Through Time by Andrew Appleton. As its title suggests this book deals with the history of the airfield in some detail but also includes numerous pictures, many in colour.

Both books are highly recommended to anyone having an interest in the subject.

There are a number of other older books on Filton but none about BRS at Lulsgate, although there is an excellent book by Ken Wakefield Somewhere In The West Country published several years ago that describes Bristol's first airport at Whitchurch that operated between 1930 and 1957.

A long standing manager at BRS who retired some months ago has been commissioned to write a book on Lulsgate. I look forward to its publication with great interest.

on bbc tv local news tonight,they were saying about the houses being built will be the biggest housing project in europe.
they showed a quick picture of the runway,it did not look good with holes dug in runway every where and weeds out of control it the runway joints. the grass areas all over grown etc. its a crying shame to see it like it.

It's a very sad end for one of the oldest airfields, if not the oldest, in the UK.

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Developmen ... story.html

The massive Charlton Hayes housing development is cheek by jowl with what's proposed here and is already boasting hundreds of new homes with many, many more to come.

The unbroken urban area (or physical city as opposed to the municipal one that is currently Bristol) of Bristol and South Gloucestershire is already home to a population of over 600,000 people. It's really two cities joined together but with different local authorities.

It's just a pity that BRS is so far away the other side of the urban sprawl and away from the motorways. The same applies to the largest brown field site in Western Europe at Avonmouth/Severnside, where warehouses and distribution centres are everywhere.

Now if Filton had become Bristol's airport.........................

Concorde Museum and Bristol Aero Collection

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Concorde-m ... story.html

Listening to the Bristol Aero Collection Trust project director on the local radio this morning it seems the project is even further along the line than the linked newspaper report suggests. Work should start later this year with G-BOAF (hull 216) - the last Concorde to be built and the last one to fly - moving in towards the end of next year.

The plan is for a a new museum building and learning centre (about 80 metres x 40 metres in size) which will house G-BOAF. Two nearby historic First World War hangars will be refurbished to house the Bristol Aero Collection.

Most of the £16 million for the project has now been secured with plans currently ongoing to raise the remainder.

When completed the complex should prove very popular with aviation enthusiasts and with the general public, many of whom seem to have an affection for Concorde even if they aren't particularly interested in aviation per se.

Concorde Museum about to see work beginning

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Work-start ... story.html

At long last it seems that work is about to start at Filton to establish a museum for Concorde 216, G-BOAF (the last to be built and the last to fly) and for the Bristol Aero Collection as well as displays depicting the history of aviation in and around the city.

Most of the £17.5 million cost has now been secured and the planned opening date is the first part of 2017.

New Airbus wing testing centre will safeguard hundreds of skilled jobs in Bristol

Airbus is to build a £38 million wing research and test centre at its plant in Filton, a move which should secure hundreds of jobs.

The announcement was made by Chancellor George Osborne at the site this morning as the Government is investing £12 million in the project.

The Wing Integration Centre will be build on empty land across the A38 from South Gloucestershire and Stroud College.

The 300 engineers who will work in it will move from other parts of the site, where Airbus employs 4,000 people.

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Full article at http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/New-Airbus ... story.html

Filton is no longer an airfield but the aviation-related industries on and around the site show no signs of lessening.

That's great at least it leave some kind of legacy.

That's great at least it leave some kind of legacy.

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The Filton and nearby sites are still very important aviation and aerospace centres with many thousands working at BAE, Airbus, Rolls Royce, GKN and smaller companies. Although this venture won't provide extra jobs, except in the construction stage, it does show that Airbus at least is committed, although a slice of government money won't have hindered their interest.

The area is increasingly involved with design and research, but a lot of construction still goes on although complete aircraft are no longer assembled. The wings for the A400M are still made at Filton for example.

Do you know if there has been any movement on the new site for Concorde?

Do you know if there has been any movement on the new site for Concorde?

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Yes, work has been taking place on the hangar for a while now. £16 million of the £18.5 million required is in place. Anticipated opening date is early in 2017.

This link visits the Bristol Aerospace Centre's website where amongst other things is a time lapse video of the progress so far on the main hangar.

http://www.bristolaero.org

Many thanks :smile:

It might now be closed as an airfield but the Filton site still has plenty of current aviation connections.

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Watch-...Bristol-home/story-29331560-detail/story.html

Work is under way on the new £18.5 million Concorde and Bristol Aero Collection museum which will open next year. The linked local newspaper report contains a clever sequence filmed from a drone looking down on those involved formed up in the shape of a Concorde.

Museum for Concorde 216 (G-BOAF) and Bristol Aero Collection

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/concor...pe-at-filton/story-29533244-detail/story.html

This link is to a newspaper report showing a picture and a video (although I can't get the video link to work) of the progress so far made in building the £19 million museum that is due to open next year on the Filton aerodrome site.

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/concor...-in-new-home/story-30117212-detail/story.html

Concorde 216 (G-BOAF) has finally been moved from her exposed position outdoors at Filton into the new museum that will house the Bristol Aero Collection that is due to open this summer.

The linked newspaper report contains a short video of 216 being towed.

Another video of Concorde being moved to her new home.


Glad to see that it's still on for a summer opening.

http://www.aerospacebristol.org/news

With a little forethought years ago (my generation I'm afraid) that could now be the site of Bristol Airport. It's very sad to see the weeds growing in what's left of the runway and taxiways.

TheLocalYokel said:

With a little forethought years ago (my generation I'm afraid) that could now be the site of Bristol Airport. It's very sad to see the weeds growing in what's left of the runway and taxiways.

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I'm sure that it has been discussed many times before but it would be interesting to see what it would now look like had a different path been chosen.

I guess it's not healthy to dwell on what could have been.