This F-84F-46-GK was built at Kansas City and TOC with the USAF as 52-8875 and transferred in April 1956 to the AdlA as 28875. The type had been phased out by 1965 and this example came to this wonderful museum in June 1989.

The Breguet G.11E was developed in secret during the German occupation of France but it turned out to be underpowed. It was re-designed and equipped with more a powerful engine and an elongated coaxial three-bladed rotor s,ystem and became the G 111. Unfortunately an accident in 1953 precipitated the end of the program and the prototype is on display in Le hall des hélicoptère.

This Mercure was delivered in September 1974 and made the final ever flight of the type on 3rd May 1995 when it arrived at LFPB for display at the museum.

Farman tried to capitalise on the interest in light aviation that arose after the end of WWI. The company launched two models in 1936 each weighing barely 400 kg: the single-seater 451 and the two-seater 455. The 451 entered production but the only one prototype 455 was built and it is on display in the Inter-war Years Hall.

The Payen 49 was the first French delta wing aircraft and made its first flight on January 22, 1954. The 300 subsequent research flights of the aircraft were used to check the performance of the delta wing and the "crocodile" rudder, which served both for steering and as an airbrake. The data generated by these research flights was studied for the Concorde prototype development and also Rockwell International for the Space Shuttle.

The prototype Caudron C.630 Simoun first flew in 1935. The plane proved fast, well equipped for flight in poor visibility and a the dihedral wing gave a great guarantee of stability making it very popular with pilots. This plane was delivered to the postal company Air Bleu in August 1935 and went on to fly with an unknown owner with the registration CS-ADG.

The Jaguar E was a two-seat training version for the Armée de l'Air. Two prototypes (is this one of them?) and 40 production aircraft were built.

Photographer: Ulrich de Bruyn

This 741 was originally delivered to AF as N28903 in February 1973, only becoming F-BPVJ in December 1981/January 1982. Apart from two short lease periods with Air Algerie (April - May 1985) and Sabena (June 1992 - August 1992), it flew its whole commercial life with AF and was transferred to this museum in February 2000.

This P-51D was built at Inglewood in December 1944 as 44-63871 and transported by sea to the UK in February 1945. It was TOC by the USAAF 8th Air Force but did not go into action, rather was ferried to Sweden in April where it entered service as J26, with Upplands Flygflottilj F16 based in Uppsala, serving there until 1952. It then went to Israel and took part in the Suez campaign. Once removed from the Israeli reserve its history is unknown but surfaced sometime later in Cannes with the civil registration N9722F. It was purchased by the museum in July 1968 and is on display in these fake markings.

The Potez 43 was a family of French light utility and sports aircraft, developed in early 1930s. They were three-seat single-engine high-wing monoplanes. The Potez 437 was a modified version with a 89 kW (120 hp) Renault 4Pdi engine. It first flew in July 1934 and 9 were produced.

The Caudron C.60 was a French two-seat ytaining biplane of the 1920s and 1930s

The Jaguar A was a single-seat all-weather tactical strike, ground-attack fighter version developed for the French Air Force. Two prototypes (I presume this is one of them) and 160 production aircraft built.

On display with a fake registration and in EALA (escadrilles d'aviation légère d'appui - Air Defence Squadron) markings. The plane is in fact ex- French Air Force 114522 (ex USAF 51-14522),

Delivered to the French Air Force as SE.3160 1115 in 1963. Transferred to the Sécurité Civile in 1981 and modified to an SA.316B. Last flight to Le Bourget and donated to Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace in 2009.

The D-530 was the final iteration of the series of Dewoitine D.27 and D.53 fighters from the interwar period, with this example being used by Marcel Doret, the manufacturer's test pilot and international aerobatic pilot, to test the Hispano Suiza 12Md engine in 1930. The plane was used in air shows up until WWII and then again after its conclusion.

This Jaguar was delivered to the AdlA in 1977. At the start of Operation Desert Storm on January 17, 1991, the plane hit by a missile during the raid on Al-Jaber. Dismantled and repatriated to France on board two Transall C160s, it was transferred in 1994 to the Châteaudun AB 279 where it served as an instructional airframe for the training of mechanics in combat damage repairs.

This P-47D-30-RE was delivered in September 1944 to the USAAF and transferred to the AdlA in October, where it was assigned to GC I/4 Navarre until 1950 before moving to the 10th Wing. It was donated to the museum in 1963 and is on display wearing the insignia of GC II/5 La Fayette.

The interwar period was a prosperous period for light aviation, one facet of which was the development of aerial aerobactics as a competitive sport. The 1927 Zurich 'Competition of Aerial Virtuosity' is considered to be the first unofficial world championship in this new discipline. The winner was Alfred Fronval flying this M-S AI. He died a year later and the manufacturer Robert Morane sold the plane to the museum. It was extensively overhauled in the early 1970s and underwent a complete restoration between 2013 and 2016 to retore it to its 1927 appearance.

The Neptune proved to be an export success, being in service with eight countries including France. The French Navy receive its first example in June 1953 and they showed impressive longevity as the last Neptune based in the Pacific was finally retired in 1984.