• The site has been associated with aircraft and airships since 1908 when the Balloon Equipment Store was moved from Greenwich and renamed the HM Balloon Factory.

• Most of the aeroplanes built during the First World War were designed at Farnborough. Farnborough became famous for testing new planes to see how fast they could go.

• Samuel Cody built the British Army Aeroplane No. 1 in 1908 and flew it on three occasions at Farnborough in that year. He flew 304 feet on 29th September and 200 feet on the 14th October. On the third and final flight on 16th October he flew 1390 feet. The flight ended when the wing touched the ground as Cody attempted to turn, and the machine crashed.

• In 1908 the first powered, sustained flight in Great Britain was made at Farnborough, by a man called Samuel Franklin Cody, a US citizen.

• The sound barrier was broken at Farnborough in 1948 by John Derry

• Farnborough Airfield has been home to the Farnborough Airshow since 1948, when it opened its gates to the public for the first time. So, the 2008 show will be the 60th anniversary.

• The Comet, the world’s first airliner, made its debut at the show in 1949.

• Concorde made its UK debut at Farnborough in 1970

• The Airbus A380 made its UK debut at Farnborough in 2006

Media personnel who have previously attended the show will be contacted at the beginning of 2008 inviting them to apply for accreditation. Any media personnel who have not previously attended the show are invited to contact Fanborough's Head of Communications for application forms.

For further details, please contact Kathryn Bellamy