Visiting the Facility
If you would like to visit the FAAM headquarters, you will need to make prior arrangements with a member of the team. Our facility is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority, so we have procedures and guidelines in place to make sure your visit is safe and productive.
Notifying in Advance of Your Visit
If you are visiting a member of FAAM staff during normal office hours or joining us for a meeting, there are no specific requirements to notify us, other than discussing your plans with the member of staff you’re visiting or the FAAM Administrator. If you require access to the hangar or aircraft, we ask that you complete the Visitor Access Form as far in advance as possible, ideally at least a week prior to your visit. This is so that we can confirm that your requested access will be possible, and that there will be FAAM and Avalon staff available to help if required.
How to Find Us
The FAAM office, labs and hangar are on the campus of Cranfield University. Visitors should report to the office in Building 146 before accessing the labs or hangar:
The Visiting Us pages of our website provides directions and information about public transport, taxis and accommodation. Parking is available outside the building, subject to availability. To avoid a fine, visitors must fill out a form to display on the dashboard of their car. The form is available as a paper copy in the FAAM offices when you arrive, or visitors can print this PDF version themselves beforehand to save time on the day.
The nearest campus entrance for vehicles to the FAAM offices is at the junction between Central Avenue and College Road near Duncan Road, at the north end of campus. This entrance is only in use between 7am and 7pm (gates are locked overnight). Vehicles can leave campus between 7pm and 7am via the automatic gates at the Cranfield main reception, but can only enter here between these times with an appropriate pass. If you need to drive onto campus between 7pm and 7am, please contact the member of staff you are visiting who will be able to assist you.
Signing in and Passes
When they arrive, visitors must sign in with the FAAM Administrator or another member of FAAM staff. There are four different types of passes that you may need, depending on the nature of your visit (and some visits, such as for meetings, don’t require any passes):
Temporary Building 146 visitor pass, to allow access to the FAAM offices. This can be collected as needed from a member of staff in the FAAM office when you arrive. We require a piece of ID (driver’s licence or passport) to be left in the FAAM office in exchange for the pass.
Temporary Building 85 visitor pass, to allow access to the FAAM labs (but not hangar or airside). Arrangements for this type of pass are the same as described above for the Building 146 pass.
Airtask Pass, required to fly on the FAAM aircraft. Details of the application process for this type of pass can be found at https://www.faam.ac.uk/visiting-faam/airtask-pass/.
Cranfield Airport Airside Access ID Pass, for access airside without an escort. Most visitors and flyers do not require this type of pass. Staff requiring such a pass are likely to be regular instrument operators with external pre-flight or hold toolbox access requirements who require unescorted access when the aircraft is outside the hangar on a flying day, or unescorted Hangar 1 access on a non-flying day.
Visitor Facilities
Eduroam internet access is available, and a temporary account can be arranged if necessary by contacting the FAAM Administrator, or the staff member you are visiting, in advance. Desk space and meeting rooms can also be used by visitors, subject to availability. This is ideally arranged in advance by contacting the FAAM Administrator.