Arranged & contributed by Brian McGraw

On 9th April no fewer than 29 IFFR members and friends enjoyed a visit to the Air & Motor Museum at Brooklands, the effective birthplace of British Aviation. Prior to the conducted tour, they all gathered for drinks and lunch in the members Bar in the Edwardian Clubhouse whose décor, faithfully retained from early days, provided a nostalgic air with which to begin the tour.
The party was divided into two groups, each with its own guide, and watched a short film on the origins of Brooklands and the building of the famous racing track in 1907 by Hugh Locke King, a wealthy local landowner - well he was when he began ! The tour was evenly divided between the car and aircraft displays, the former housed mostly in restored or replica buildings from the great days of motor racing which lasted until the commencement of World War II. Many original cars carefully maintained or restored were on show, and outside a short section of the old banked circuit remains. It is surprisingly steep and although some tried to walk up to the top none in the writer's group made it.
The aircraft collection, mostly in a wartime hangar ranged from Sopwith Camels to a two-seater Hawker Harrier, although pride of place went to the Wellington bomber recovered from Loch Ness 40 years ago, now rebuilt but left partly uncovered to show the geodetic design pioneered by Sir Barnes Wallis. Naturally the importance of A.V.Roe, the first Englishman to both build and fly his own aircraft is recognised with a beautifully built replica of one of his early machines in its hangar.
Unhappily the flying days of Brooklands are now over, but nine of the party flew in via Fairoaks and we welcomed two of our new members, John Ince a former airline pilot now flying instructor, and Tom Lackey who at age 82 likes to travel on the wing of Stearman biplanes in support of charity. His most recent venture was in aid of teaching the disabled to fly. Inevitably with so much to see our visit was too brief to do it justice, but it was voted a success and we could always go there again.