Museum of the air and space

See also: MAE

The Museum of the air and space of the Le Bourget, also known under the Initials MAE , is most important Musée Aéronautique of France, and one of largest of the world. It occupies part of the Aéroport of Le Bourget, in the north of Paris. The reserves of the museum are primarily preserved at Dugny, contrary to the museum in the enclosure of the airport.

Part of the apparatuses is exposed in the halls, of which most important is the “Large gallery”, least fragile are with the free air.

History

Based in 1919 on proposal of Albert Caquot, it is inaugurated in 1921 Boulevard Victor, in the 15 {{E}} district of Paris, but its reserves are in provisional buildings with the Chalais-Meudon. During the Second world war and the Occupation, the Germans make it close: all the exposed parts Boulevard Victor are repatriated in Chalais-Meudon. It is only starting from 1975 that he moves gradually of Chalais-Meudon to the airport of Le Bourget.

It is currently a public corporation placed under the supervision of the Ministère of Defense.

Preserving

  • Hirschauer captain: 1919-1927
  • Charles Dollfus: 1927-1958
  • colonel Jacques Rougevin-Baville: 1958-1972
  • Christian Tilatti: Since 1993

Directors

  • general Pierre Lissarague: 1972 -
  • general Jean-Paul Siffre
  • general Marc Alban: 2001-2005
  • Gerard Feldzer: since 2005

Collections

Among the permanent collections:
  • Sailplane Massia-Biot (30 kg): oldest “heavier than the original air”, in the oldest aeronautical museum in the world;
  • Young lady of Alberto Santos-Dumont (130 kg with the engine);
  • the Close - Farman to 1907 (530 kg) which carried out the first closed circuit of one kilometer (counterpart built by the close workshops in 1919);
  • a Blériot XI of the type of that which crossed the Manche on July 2nd 1909;
  • one of the Blériot XI of Pegout, first “air acrobat French”;
  • the Seaplane of Henri Fabre which took off in 1910 of the pond of Berre;
  • the Deperdussin “monocoque”, one of the first to exceed 200 km/h;
  • the standard Morane-Saulnier “H”, one of the first reliable apparatuses which made it possible Roland Garros to cross the the Mediterranean.

Many pilot planes of the rise generated by the First World War: Close “L”, Caudron G3, SPAD S.VII, Nieuport XI, Junkers J 9, Breguet XIV, De Havilland DH9.

Entre-deux-guerres progress is on the initiative of the the United States in spite of:

  • Bernard 191 (Bird Canary) (ignored, which carried out the first crossing of the Atlantic with 3 men of crew and clandestine, Maine towards the Spain, in 1929);
  • Breguet XIX, Caudron-635 “Simoun”, Farman-F60;
  • Potez-53 (victorious of the cut Deutsch of Meurthe to 622 km/h in 1933).

Several German, American apparatuses, English, Russian of the Second world war are neighborly with the single French witness, the Dewoitine D.520.

Over the period of post-war period, the museum gathers some extraordinary pilot prototypes of the creativity sometimes overflowing of the techicians of the last time before the CAD and the blowers: Leduc 010 and 022, North 1500 “Griffon II”, Atar stealing, Payen Pa-49.

The products of the airframe manufacturer Marcel Dassault are also well represented with (in particular) the prototypes of the Mirage 4000, Mirage 2000 and Dassault Mirage III.

Are also two there Concorde and a Boeing 747 entirely worth visiting as well as many elements of the space Conquête.

The restoration of the museum

Opened in 1975, the museum occupied part of the esplanade as well as a hangar, in the south of the air terminal.

In 1977, the disappearance of the commercial traffic involves a rapid reconversion of the airport in the aviation of businesses, and releases from space for the extension of the M.A.E which opens, on average, a new hall every two years until in 1983.

It is in 1987 that the air terminal, partly unused since 1977, became “the Large Gallery”, which presents the most beautiful collection of original planes of the beginnings of aviation and the “Great War”.

The esplanade is rehabilitated in 1999, and the “Hall of Space”, as well as the Planetarium are entirely renovated in 2000.

See too

External bonds

  • Official site
  • List' in MAE - Any knowledge on the museum: detail of the collections
  • the static exposure outside on Google map
  • Old hangar having sheltered the Museum of the Air
  • Inauguration of the hall of the second world war
  • Photographs of the museum
  • Old hangar having sheltered the Museum of the aerostatic air
  • Park of Chalais-Meudon: The military aeronautical establishments were used as a basis of take-off of several airships of which the “Republic”.

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