The twin-engined Mirage 4000 was a big fighter in the F-15 class. No air force took a serious interest, but Dassault built and flew this prototype as a private venture.

The DC-8 has character. Formerly F-BIUZ, this machine joined the French air force in 1977 as an electronic intelligence aircraft.

198 m (650 ft) long and powered by six 240-hp engines giving a maximum speed of 103 km/h (64 mph), LZ-113 flew bombing and recconnaissance missions in Word War I. This fascinating exhibit is the rear gondola. The airship could be flown from here in an emergency - note the steering wheel.

This D.VII was built by the Albatros works. Quality control was not Fokker's forte and pilots preferred Albatros-built aircraft.

Germany's unique business jet. The wing has 15 degrees of forward sweep.

When looking out of the window in the Musée de l'Air I was delighted to see a 707 had arrived on the adjacent apron.

Édouard Nieuport broke the official absolute flight speed world record several times in Nie II monoplanes in May and June 1911, bringing it to 133 km/h (83 mph).

In the older days the Paris Air Show often brought very interesting Soviet transports, such as Il-76s and Antonov 22s like this one. They were not present during the show itself, but during the days before and after. CCCP-09333, seen here taxiing in after landing, with its four engines and eight contra-rotating props making an unbelievable sound, first flew in May 1972. It was withdrawn from use in the mid 1990s, and broken up for scrap at Ivanovo during 1997.

An important WWI fighter, the Nie 11 Bébé is virtually an ultralight by modern standards, with a take-off weight of just 500 kg (1100 lbs). Although painted as N556, this is actually N976.

SP-DDB registered Nov-1988, to TC-FEA registered May-1989 (Türk Hava Yurumu), back to SP-DDB registered May-1990, for Sprint Airlines Jun-1991 but not delivered, converted to An-28PT with new cn AJEP1-01 as SP-PDF first flight 22-Jul-1993, converted to M-27 May-1994, converted to M-28 Jun-1995, to SP-DDF registered Apr-1996, cancelled Aug-2001 and presumed scrapped

Designed for Mach 2, this bizarre aircraft made some 140 flights in 1956-57, but had trouble exceeding Mach 1.

French Brigade de Sapeurs-Pompiers F-ZBDC, cancelled Aug-2004, to Musée de l'Aviation in Saint-Victoret. Here it is immediately rushing-off to the scene of the crash of Tu-144 CCCP-77102 with some officials on board

The 1989 Paris Air Salon was the first time this unique aircraft was shown to the western world, only six months after its first flight. After a successful week at the Air Salon, the world's only Mriya is seen here on its way back home to the Soviet Union, faithfully carrying the Buran, the USSR's answer to the Space Shuttle. Hidden away in the big belly of this magnificent beast is the wreck of a MiG-29 that crashed earlier during the show.