Canceled in 2020, the 48th edition of the famous airshow will be held in Essonne this weekend. On the program: exhibitions, demonstrations of military and civilian aircraft, battle reenactments but also aerobatics.
If she was right in the 2020 edition, the health crisis will not prevent the holding this year of the Ferté-Alais air meeting, exceptionally postponed to the end of August. Saturday and Sunday, lovers of ancient or modern aviation will meet in the unique and rural setting of Cerny / La Ferté-Alais (Essonne) aerodrome for two days of demonstrations in the sky.
The unique green setting of a historic meeting
Imagined by a few enthusiasts in 1970, the event has become over the years an essential date in the calendar of airshows in France but also abroad under the name of Temps des Hélices. “He may not be the biggest and the most beautiful, but he is certainly one of the most legendary, because he is impossible to copy. There are other great historic European meetings like in Duxford, England, but we have the particularity of offering a unique bucolic setting, with grassy grounds and a family atmosphere.», Explains Cyril Valente, president of the Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis, which is organizing the event.
More than 100 planes in the air and five hours of show
On the program on these two days of Saturday and Sunday, aerial baptisms and static exhibitions during the morning for a quiet introduction. The public will be able to come to meet the pilots but also the mechanics. An appetizer that will whet your appetite before the long (and even very long) afternoon show. “We are the only airshow that can tell the story of aviation, from its origins to the present day, for more than five hours“, Adds the leader relieved to have been able to maintain the 2021 edition, even if the Covid pushed the organizers to ease off a little on the presence of foreign planes”which are very expensiveTo be called.
Let lovers of old propellers and jet engines rest assured. A gargantuan menu awaits visitors with their essential health pass. Whether you come with the cooler under your arm or sit in the VIP tents with a glass of champagne in your hand (“Reapers of Marguerite” atmosphere guaranteed), you will have your eyes riveted in the sky anyway. (and necks a little numb for some at the end of the day!) to see some of the most legendary planes in history, Adrienne Bolland’s Caudron G3 for example, the first woman to have crossed the Cordillera des Cordillera. Andes a hundred years ago, or the machines of the heroes Louis Blériot (crossing the Channel) or Roland Garros (crossing the Mediterranean).
Over the takeoffs in this green setting, the public will also attend historical reenactments of the First World War fights or the attack on Pearl Harbor, an incessant ballet of planes of different generations and the presentation of some aviation or civil security jewelry. There are also surprises to be expected with the presence of the impressive Airbus A400 M Atlas, a military transport aircraft and probably that of the A330 MRTT, the medical Airbus. “It has already been presented at military events but it would be one of the first times in a meeting with the public. For the moment, it is on the program but we do not know what can happen with the events in Afghanistan … This will also allow us to pay tribute to the people who worked against the health crisis.», Rejoices Cyril Valente.
Highlight of the show, the Patrouille de France will obviously be there, as will several Rafales for a show as visual as sound (sensitive ears, plan the traffic jams) as well as the impressive aerialists. Sports aviation has carved out a nice slice of the cake in this weekend program with the help of the Aéro-Club de France and the stunning demonstrations of several world aerobatic champions, including Aude Lemordant, the woman with three planetary crowns as well as that of the pilots of the Air Force aerobatic team.
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