Le Bourget Air and Space Museum

Historical information

On August 3, 1914 at WW1 declaration France owned 158 aircrafts split into 24 squadrons and 5 Balloons.
Aircrafts were firstly used for recon purpose then for bombing missions and finally embarked weapons for their own protection, it was the beginning of fighters development.

The SPAD VII n° S 254 of Guynemer (see photo nr 86) is one of the rare aircrafts displayed in the world which belonged to a WW1 "Ace".
This pilot achieved 19 homologated victories in six months combat.

The Museum

The Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, or The Museum of Air and Space, is a French museum, located in the south-eastern edge of "Le Bourget" Airport 10 km north of Paris, created in 1919 from a proposition of Albert Caquot (18881-1976). Occupying over 150,000 square meters of land and hangars, it is one of the oldest aviation museums in the world. The museum's collection includes more than 150 aircraft, and material from as far back as the 16th Century. Displayed also are more modern air and spacecraft, including the prototype for Concorde and Swiss and Russian rockets.

Since the opening of the Main Gallery, where the oldest aircraft are displayed, it offers a collection of over 150 machines giving a complete panorama of the aerospace era, from the original "heavier than air" glider Massiat-Biot (1879) to the Ariane rocket.

On 18.000 m2, it tells the history of the conquest of the air through more than 150 perfectly identified flying objects. One finds there the first sail planes zoomorphic suggesting large birds awkward, Goliath, first civil transport aircraft in France which joined Paris to London in 1919, legendary Mirage as well as many prototypes. The museum is divided into several specific houses: The Concorde Hall preserves one of the last models to have flown as well as the prototype 001 which took off for the first time in 1969. It is possible to entirely visit a Boeing 747 on the car park plane, nicely surrounded of the rockets ARIANE 1 and 5 natural size as well as many military specimens. The Hall of the second world war is full of historical memories : a single specimen of Yak 3 and one sublimate Spitfire are the special guests of the show. The large gallery goes up the history of the hang-gliders : planes of the first war, a cabin of Zeppelin, handsome antiques of the air in a perfect state of conservation. Many works of art, paintings, prints, objects various and relics, do comment around this visit in the clouds.

The aeronautics museum since 1975:

France's Air and Space Museum is certainly the oldest aeronautics museum in the world. It was created in Meudon following the first world war, moved to the Bourget in 1975. Since the opening of the Main Gallery, where the oldest aircraft are displayed, it offers a collection of over 180 machines giving a complete panorama of the aerospace era, from the original "heavier than air" glider Massiat-Biot (1879) to the Ariane rocket. In the remodelled building which was once the Le Bourget air terminal, the Main Gallery houses a unique collection of flying machines which once belonged to the aviation's pioneers: Santos-Dumont, Farman, Bleriot, Fabre, Garros and the WWI flying aces. Five other halls facing Le Bourget's runways depict the conquest of the air from the period between the two world wars up until the present day.

Do not miss:

In the Main Gallery:
- The exhibit "Le Temps des Ballons" presents an exceptional collection of balloon theme, "objets d'art" and aerostation equipments of the 18 th and 19 th centuries.

In the Concorde's Hall:
- The prototype 001 Concorde
- The Mirage IV n°9
- The most beautiful aircrafts of WW2:

1. POLIKARPOV I-153 CHAÏKA (see photos nr 55 and 56)

2. YAK 3 (captured in November 1941 by German troops and sent to "Le Bourget" for further study) (see photos nr 42 to 47)

3. MARAUDER B26 (see photos nr 24 to 32)

4. DEWOITINE 520

5. REPUBLIC P47D THUNDERBOLT (see photos nr 20 to 23)

6. FOCKE WULF F190 (see photos nr 35 to 41)

7. VICKERS-SUPERMARINE VS361 SPITFIRE MKXVI (see photos nr 08 to 13)

More info on planes displayed is presented here.

In the Prototypes's Hall:
- The SO 6000 Triton, first french jet plane built in 1946
- The Griffon, first french aircraft that reached the speed of mach 2, August, the 5th 1958

ln the Cocarde's Hall:
- The main fighting aircrafts of the french Air Army since 1950
- An educational scale model of a Mirage 1

In the Hall from 1918 to 1939:
- A fuselage of a Farman "Goliath", civilian transport aircraft in 1919
- A cinema with 5 movies

In the Space's Hall:
- The Soyouz T6 which was used by the french cosmonaut Jean-Loup Chretien
- A Diamant's rocket, that threw the first french satellite "Asterix" in 1965

The museum owns 19.595 items and documents in its inventory.

The official website of the museum stands here.

Museum’s authorities can be contacted here.

Location information

The museum is located at Le Bourget Airport in Paris.
How to get there?
Bus: 152 from Porte de la Villette
Bus: 350 from Gare du nord, Gare de l'est, Porte de la Chapelle.
It is located a few kilometers north of the "Stade de France" on the A1 freeway in the direction of Charles de Gaulle airport.

Personal note

.Take your time to visit this museum because it shows up many aircrafts but above all many detailed information on dedicated panels (the most important displays are shown with explanations in two languages -but not all- however, the airplanes speak for themselves!). WW2 collection is a worthwhile visit but not only, WW1 collection and the Space hall are very interesting too. Take a look at an aviation museum that is definitely worth a visit for pilots and non pilots alike. The oldest such museum in the world is located on the Le Bourget airport, just north of Paris, France. The airport is probably best known for its bi-annual air show and airfare, and in normal operations can be seen as Paris’ business aviation airport. The museum was founded just after the First World War in 1918, only 15 years after the Wright brothers’ first powered flight!
Also open for visitors is the first Boeing 747 that Air France had in service. Interesting is that the inside is cut open so that you can see inside the cargo hold, landing gear wells, fuel and water tanks, but unfortunately there is an additional entrance to be paid. However the museum is still a must for aeronautics fans!