Stories

Sister Cities: Dayton & Rushmoor

A shared love of aviation heritage and investment in aviation’s future creates a solid foundation for the sister city relationship between the City of Dayton and the Borough of Rushmoor (UK).

In 2019, the City of Dayton and the Rushmoor Borough entered a formal sister city (or twinning) agreement. Since then delegations from both places have traveled over the pond to learn, grow, and help each other. In July 2022, the National Aviation Heritage Area was invited to travel as part of the delegation.

Learn more about the Dayton’s Sister Cities here.

What emerged from NAHA’s trip is a kindship as Rushmoor promotes England’s rich aviation heritage and an appreciation for their premier aviation heritage sites. I will share my favorite places. For the serious adventurer, I suggest downloading the Farnborough Heritage Trail App.

Farnborough is a quick and easy 30min train ride from central London.

Can a hotel be your first stop on an aviation heritage trail? Yes. This stylish hotel has a top floor Skybar to watch planes take-off and land at the Farnborough Airport. The hotel is busy during the air show, but I got a table and delicious meal with no waiting. Prior to the hotel, the location was the site of the Royal Air Force Officers’ Mess.

The portable airship hangar was erected by the British Army in 1912 and originally covered in canvas to test and protect airships. When the RAF pivoted from airships to aircraft, the structure was used as walls for a forge and foundry where the female workforce cut, sewed, and doped the skins of aircraft for World War I. Today, the hangar is the centerpiece of a landscaped open space in the Business Park. It’s a choice place to photograph.

Two more resources for your planning are the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust (FAST) and the Farnborough Centrifuge websites.

And let’s be real, here are the must-visit restaurants featured in the gallery below: The Swan and The Mill at Elstead

The sister city relationship between Dayton and Rushmoor is just getting started, but I can’t wait to return and discover more of the Aviation Heritage Trail. Here are a few more images of what you can experience in Rushmoor.