Group Talks

TML Travel Group Launches New Talks For Group Organisers

To coincide with the launch of our Brooklands themed tours, TML Travel Group is offering Group Organisers the opportunity to book a series of talks for their group, club or society.

Throughout 2015 & 2016, these talks have proved to be very popular amongst Probus Clubs, Rotary Clubs & also some Fellowship Groups.

These talks are given by the founding Director of TML Travel Group, David Arkell, who is also a Volunteer Steward of Brooklands Museum.

Contact Us to book a date or find out more, by clicking on the button below:

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Your Choice Of Talks

The History Of The Brooklands Motor Racing Circuit & Brooklands Museum TODAY!

Brooklands was the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit, constructed at Weybridge, Surrey in 1907 and was more than a great sporting arena. Brooklands was the birthplace of British motorsport and aviation, home of Concorde and the site of many engineering and technological achievements throughout eight decades of the 20th century.

This talk covers the history of Brooklands from 1906 to present day! That's 108 years of history to be exact ... and counting!

The talk is in two sections, which are split into chapters.

Part One is very much a general talk and covers Brooklands racing heyday, major aviation & other engineering achievements up to the sites closure in 1986. We then give you an overview of the wider Brooklands estate & the formation of the Brooklands Museum Trust Ltd in 1987.

Part Two picks up in the story in 1991 and covers the Brooklands Museum site today.

There is also a glimpse into the future with a brief overview of the "Re-engineering Brooklands" project, which was featured on BBC News in February 2015.

Topics Covered:

PART ONE - The History Of The Brooklands Motor Racing Circuit

The History Of Brooklands - Construction & Opening of the Circuit (1906/1907)
Development of Brooklands - Covers Aviation, Motorcycling & other notable developments (1908-1914)
World War I (1914-1918)
Champagne Years & Storm Clouds Gather (1920-1939)
Closure & The Second World War (1939-1945)
Post War Prosperity
The Golden Age of Aviation (1945-1959)
Expansion & The Cold War (1951-1955)
Guided Missiles
New Frontiers In Aviation (1951-1962)
British Aircraft Corporation
Concorde Production (1965-1979)
Nationalisation/Privatisation & Closure
Brooklands Museum - From Acorns to Oak Trees

PART TWO - Brooklands Museum TODAY!

Brooklands Museum TODAY
The Museum Site Today
The Napier-Railton Race Experience
"Re-Engineering Brooklands" Project - As featured on BBC News Channel 17.02.15 - Click Here

This talk lasts about 45-50 minutes and is is given by way of a PowerPoint and video presentation. It is strongly recommended this talk is booked before booking our spin-off talk about Concorde.

The Concorde Project & The Brooklands Concorde G-BBDG - The Forgotten Concorde

This new talk designed as a spin-off to our original talk and is based on the first hand experiences of Sir George Edwards, OM.

Sir George was very much the dominant force in British civil & military aviation between 1945 and 1975.

His name is synonymous with the Vickers Viscount, the worlds first turboprop airliner (which bridged the gap between piston-engined & pure jet aircraft) & Concorde, for which he led the British team throughout the formative years & customer delivery.

He was very much a self made man, having begun his career at Vickers Weybridge (Brooklands) in 1935 as a Design Draughtsman. From there he progressed through the ranks to become Managing Director of Vickers, then ultimately Chairman & Managing Director of British Aircraft Corporation.

This new talk is in two sections & covers the background the Concorde beginning in 1956, then through the formative years of the Concorde Project in 1960's up to the the first passenger services in 1976 & 77 and the politics encountered along the way! It briefly touches on the retirement of Concorde in 2003 & the second part of the talk covers the brief life of the Brooklands Concorde G-BBDG (Delta Golf) - the forgotten Concorde - and her involvement in the test programme, which led to the granting of the C of A in December 1975. We then cover her post flying career & subsequent cosmetic restoration at Brooklands & opening to the public in 2006.

Topics Covered:

PART ONE - The Concorde Project

An Introduction - Sir George Edwards OM
The Background To A Supersonic Transport (1956-1959)
A Contract Is Awarded (1959)
Merger Into British Aircraft Corporation (1960)
A Collaborative Partner Is Sort (1961-1962)
Agreement With The French & Costs Continue To Rise (1962)
International Appeal (1963)
Back To The Drawing Board (1963-1964)
SST Becomes "Concorde" (1964)
Near Disaster Strikes (1964-1967)
"She Flies" ... Concorde Flies (1968-1969)
Environmentalists & The Anti-Concorde Campaign (1969-1971)
Concorde Goes On Tour (1972)
Concorde Flies Into Turbulence (1973-1974)
Concorde Enters Service (1975-1977)
Concorde Into Retirement (2003)

PART TWO - Brooklands Concorde G-BBDG - The Forgotten Concorde

An Introduction (1970-1974)
Flying Career (1974-1981)
Technical Data
Post Flying Years (1982-2002)
Restoration (2003-2006)

The talk lasts about 55-60 minutes and is is given by way of a PowerPoint and video presentation

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This talk could actually be given as two separate talks with the Brooklands Concorde Talk given as a stand alone talk with the addition of a 20 minute video presentation about G-BBDG's journey home to Brooklands. This would last about 40 minutes.

Download Our Group Talks Flyer Here!

TML Travel Group - Group Talks Flyer 2015
TML Travel Group Group Talks Flyer 2015.[...]
Adobe Acrobat document [4.7 MB]

Points to bear in mind when booking these talks:

These talks are provided by way of a PowerPoint Presentation with some videos included, so access to a digital projector/screen and a PA system would be useful. If these are unavailable, it will make it difficult to give the talks in a manner that is informative and interesting to your group. We can make arrangements to hire this equipment, but the cost will have to be agreed in advance and passed on. Most clubs we speak to already have this equipment available, so in most cases, this is not an issue.
Please also bear in mind that due to the distances we are now being asked to travel to give these talks an attendence fee is charged to cover our travel and preparation time in putting the talks together.

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