Embark on a journey through air and space conquest history
The museum extends over 9 different exhibition halls as well as an outdoor exhibition area (tarmac). Through these spaces, visitors can enjoy their exploration of the history of flight and the space conquest along a chronological and theme-based trail … So come and marvel, learn and dream as you take in the full wealth and diversity of the remarkable collections on display.
Pioneers Hall
The ‘‘Pioneers of the air’’ exhibition offers a journey through time, from the first ascent in a balloon to aviation. Rare items, wooden and canvas aircraft, wicker airship baskets and ancestral kites bear witness to the time of trial and error and the first spectacular flights.
Great War Hall
The ‘‘Great War’’ exhibition illustrates the development of military aviation, from its early beginnings in 1914 to its affirmation as a weapon in its own right. It shows the growing role of aviators and how air superiority became a critical issue for belligerents.
Space Hall
This hall tells the story of the conquest of space and the use of space by human beings, from the first French rockets to the conquest of the Moon and the exploration of the solar system. Probes, satellites and other space suits provide a better understanding of this formidable adventure.
Interwar Hall
This place evokes the golden age of Le Bourget airport, witness to the era of the great North Atlantic raids of the 1930s, but also the beginnings of commercial and aerobatics. Mail transport, passenger transport, long-distance races and speed competitions are all evoked by these vintage machines.
Helicopter Hall
This area traces the path taken from the first tests by Etienne Oehmichen to the high mountain rescue helicopters. Numerous gyrocopters and military helicopters show the range of missions and uses of rotary wings.
Cocarde Hall – French military aviation
The aircraft, equipment and documents on display present the French Air Force from the post-World War II era to the present day, from the first jet aircraft to the use of drones. Numerous films illustrate the missions, professions and capabilities of the modern air force.
Prototype Hall
Recognisable from their metallic livery, the aircraft on display show the technological profusion of the postwar and “jet” eras, from the first French jet aircraft to the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) prototype aircraft. Concorde Hall The only place in the world where you can visit two Concorde, the legendary French-British supersonic airliner! An exhibition recalls the extraordinary observation of a solar eclipse in 1973 by the Concorde prototype.
World War II Hall
The aircraft on display bear witness to the air battles of the Second World War. American or French fighters, flying bombs or parachute drops, they show the use of the air force by the different participants during World War II.
Normandie-Niemen Hall
This commemorative space tells the story of the Normandie-Niemen Fighter Group and its pilots who fought the Germans alongside the Soviets during the Second World War. Decorations, uniforms and simple everyday objects bring to life the adventure of this famous unit.
Tarmac
On the museum’s tarmac, civilian and military aircraft on stationary display allow you to discover military transport aviation, maritime patrol and the development of airliners from the 1950s to the present day. The tarmac also features two life-size models of the Ariane I and Ariane V rockets built by the European Space Agency (ESA), the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) and the Arianespace company for the 1979 and 1995 Paris Air Shows.