An early CM.170 Magister with an unusual intake configuration. The serial below the butterfly tail is not readable but we received information that this is No 03. Individual aircraft code seems to be O in another photo but might be Q. More information is welcome. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

Attack aircraft design with two vertically stacked Rolls-Royce Nene engines. What looks like the cockpit here is the dorsal air intake - the type was soon nicknamed Bossu (hunchback). The official name Grognard (grumbler) refers to a soldier of Napoleon's Old Guard. First flight on 30 April 1950. One SE.2410 and one two-seat SE.2415 built. Programme already dead by the time of the 1953 Paris Air Show, terminated in favour of Sud-Ouest SO-4050 Vautour. Note Sud-Est (SNCASE) logo on tail. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

The sole N.2002 naval fighter first flew on 16 December 1949. Handling was good, but top speed was only 815 km/h (506 mph). Following a crash, it was rebuilt with a 'lip' above the air intake to house a small radar. In June 1953, the N.2002 'began to be used to test rocket-assisted take-offs using two rockets installed underneath the fuselage. The following month it demonstrated them at the Paris Air Show, but it only made occasional flights afterwards.' The tailfin is preserved at Lyon - Corbas. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

Wearing A squadron codes, these Vampire FB.5s seem to come from RAF Fassberg. WA384 wears (part) number DTD 772 and VV656, DTC 772. In the background are the familiar old hangars of Le Bourget, two DC-3s of Air France and Comet F-BGSB. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

The first production Hunter, first flown some weeks earlier on 16 May 1953 and retained by the manufacturer. Aircraft is preserved inside at Vanguard Self Storage Staples Corner, London, well visible from outside through a glass facade. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

The Armagnac was a very large, yet elegant airliner. Only nine examples were built. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

A brand new Canberra - the date of manufacture is given as 10 July 1953 and date of delivery to the RAF as 16 July. However, the Paris Air Show ran from 26 June until 3 July. The second aircraft is a Vampire FB.5, WA197. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

The first SO.4050 Vautour II prototype, first flown on 16 October 1952 from Melun - Villaroche. Sud-Ouest merged with Sud-Est to become Sud in 1957. Two-seat with a solid nose, this prototype resembled the eventual Vautour IIN night fighter. On the right are the Patrouille de France F-84G Thunderjets - see photo 879868. Citroën's 1934 classic car, the Traction Avant, was still in production at this time. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

See the other photo of F-OAIX for the history of this machine. It seems to have been returned at this point by first operator Air Algérie. When it went to Indochina in 1954, the F-O French overseas registration did not need to be changed. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

First flown on 16 July 1952. Delivered to 430 Sqn at RCAF North Bay. The squadron deployed to France through Operation Leapfrog II to be based at Grostenquin in September 1952. The Sabre was supplied to Turkey in October 1954. On the left is a C-119C Flying Boxcar, 50-153. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

The Patrouille de France team sprouted from the first French F-84 wing, EC 3 at Reims. Aircraft 110856 (51-10856), 110898, 110814 and probably 110830 are seen here. According to legend, the Patrouille de France name was coined by an airshow commentator in Algiers a few weeks earlier on 17 May 1953. It became official in September 1953. In Algiers, no unit codes were worn on the recently received F-84Gs, only washed-out USAF buzz numbers, and the red tails were actually high-visibility Arctic paint. Here in Paris, only two wore early codes: 3-AS and 3-CX, from different squadrons? {Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

A licence agreement was signed in January 1952 by Sud-Est (SNCASE) to build S-55 helicopters in France. This airframe was delivered to Sud-Est in March 1953 and is seen wearing the company logo. The S-55 was not actually built in France. This example was sold in October 1953 to the Ministère des États Associés, reponsible for French Indochina, but sent to GH 1 at Buc for pilot training as 383 / SL, call sign F-SEBL, army inventory number 8.000.008. To the navy in 1957, to the air force in 1959 and back to the army in 1963, for the ALAT flying school in Dax. Withdrawn in 1972. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

The second of three Comets for UAT, F-BGSB had already been delivered in February 1953. The third, F-BGSC, skidded off the runway at Dakar and was damaged beyond repair on 25 June, one day before the opening of the Paris Air Show, so F-BGSB's presence at the Salon may have been brief. Other Comet crashes caused F-BGSA and BGSB to be withdrawn in April 1954. On the right is a Mystère II, 010. In the background below the Comet's rearmost cabin window is the Potez 75 attack aircraft F-ZWSA. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

The first prototype of the SIPA S.200 Minijet, first flown on 14 January 1952. The registration is on the air intakes. On the left is a SIPA S.10 series trainer, derived from the Arado Ar 396, and behind it a Bristol Sycamore helicopter, G-ALSX. On the right is Short Sealand G-AIVX. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

In the US National Archives we found some beautiful photos of the 1953 Paris Air Show, of which so far we had none. Here we have the first prototype of the Djinn, first flown on 2 January of that year. The other single-seat prototype, F-WGVD, is preserved here at LBG in the Musée de l'Air. On the far left is a prototype of the Max Holste MH.1521 Broussard, F-WFOB. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

Fifth Noratlas, fourth N.2501. First flown in December 1952 as F-WFRG. Made Latin American tour before this Paris Air Show demo. Converted to N.2503 c/n 01 with R-2800 Double Wasp engines in 1956, and then to N.2508 c/n 01 with auxiliary jet engines in 1957. Apparently used by Kalinga Airlines in India als VT-DKA. Sold to Germany for Transall equipment testing in 1963, code either YA-034 or YA-035. Converted to a standard N.2501D, c/n D001A, s/n 5358. To Greece in 1970 as 53-258. Preserved at Elefsis, the oldest Noratlas around. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

Jet trainer prototype first flown on 29 January 1953. The French air force preferred the Fouga CM.170 Magister. The design was reworked as the four-seat Fleuret II, renamed MS.760 Paris, which was intended as a military liaison aircraft and small business jet. The 1953 Paris Air Show was the first held at Le Bourget. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland