S F Cody 1867-1913 American born Samuel Franklin Cody, the first aviator in Great Britain to make a sustained flight in a powered, heavier-than-air machine. This was on the 16th October 1908 in a British Army Aeroplane no.1A, which he designed, built and flew at Farnborough. He became a national hero, but was killed when his sixth aircraft broke up in flight one mile west of here. Cody's pioneering work preceded by four years the formation at Farnborough of the Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, and the Royal Aircraft Factory, forerunner of the Royal Aircraft Establishment. The Cody Statue was formally unveiled on 7th August 2013 exactly 100 years after Cody's death by Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown CBE DSC AFC RN