La Ferté Alais : French Aviation Fair

Text & Pictures : Serge Van Heertum © sbap 2011

The first meeting at La Ferte Alais was held in 1970 and everyone can say that in 40 years and after 39 air shows, the airfield and it’s show remained a must in
Europe where vintage aircraft can be admired and where the past can revive.
For some, it brings back memories, for younger generations, it is the way to honor the past and to make sure that this past won’t be forgotten.
Oh… it is such a long time ago dince I did my first meeting at “la Ferte" as we told at that time.
It was back in 1978, as a young volunteer of the Brussels Air Museum. Our team was going there to help Jean Salis and his team to prepare the meeting.
Installation of the barrier, removing the aircraft from the hangar or uphold the safety during the meeting ...
The reward was a flight in one of the collection aircraft. For me, that year it was a flight in an Albatross.
What an experience this flight! Hair in the wind, hot engine oil in the face and crossing other planes during the flight like it was during the first world war ...
It was also the evening party as conclusion of the air show with the presence of all the pilots, including those of the “Patrouille de France”,
with the well known Jack Krine solo lead of the team. So many souvenirs forever etched in my memory ...
But let us leave the past and take a look at the 2011 edition which again was a sublime moment without dead moments!
Like every year, the organizer, chose 2ifferent themes to remember some pages of history, oh so rich in aviation.
In the spotlights this year was the centennial of aircraft factory Morane-Saulnier. Genius designers who created many flying machines like the Morane type H,
MS138, MS230, MS317, MS406 having its glorious moments during the Battle of France, or the MS733 “Alcyon”, the Morane-Saulnier Paris,
business jet too far ahead of his time and without the success it deserved. Also an undeniable success was the small sport plane "Rallye" which was the pillar
of many flying club around Europe. In short, the team of Jean Salis gathered exceptional many Morane-Saulnier aircraft!
The second major theme of the 2011 edition was the surprise attack on Pearl Horbor the morning of December 7, 1941.
70 years have elapsed since the attack, which was described by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, as “the day of shame”.
With the use of pyrotechnical special effects, combined with the Havard, Boeing PT-13 or Zero, the rebuilding of this historic page was masterful,
culminating with the presence of the only remained Curtiss P-40B, piloted by the famous Stephen Gray.
The history of this plane is unique and needs to be preserved. On December 5^th, 1941, a young pilot damaged his P-40B aircraft during landing.
It was a Friday and mechanics took the airplane away from the runway to shelter it in a hangar.
The goal was to check the damage and proceed with reparations the coming Monday since it was the end of the week and in Hawaii there are other
funny things to do during the week-end ... But the Japanese surprise attack which took place on Sunday decided other ways.
The aircraft in question was partially destroyed in the bombing. Over the years, the wreck was abandoned like a piece of scrap metal. But a few years ago,
Stephen Gray and his team found the wreckage and began to restore the plane with the goal to have it back airworthy and in this way save a past glory.
It has now been accomplished, the aircraft returned to his original registration and colors that he wore at Pearl Harbor 70 years ago!
Each aircraft presented at the 2011 air show has it’ s own history and it is with enthusiasm that Bernard Chabbert told their stories throughout the meeting,
with all these glorious machines flying in the sky of La Ferte Alais much to the delight of the thousands of visitors and aviation enthusiasts.
The 2011 edition was again a success. We must preserve the history (despite the problems like the fuel prices that continuously rises and could eventually
undermine this kind of events) and in this way make the past glories continue to fly.
Jean Salis and his team have the know-how to reach this goal, we can feel it and we can see it!

Opening of the airshow by the French Navy : Dassault Super Etendard Marine & Dassault Rafale M

First world war, a Fokker DR1 is not far away of the French line

Rapidely a French Nieuport fighter is taking off

A combat is engaged

The German fighter is shooted

Smoke and fire...

...the ennemy is shooted down

A victory pass above the airfield...

...and the French Ace landed

Between the first and second world war was the time of the flying circus in the US and also in Europe : Focke-Wulf FW-44 "Stieglitz"

BÛcker Bu 133 "Jungmeister"

Waco UPF-7

Ryan PT-22

Leon & Robert Morane

Leon Morane & Raymond Saulnier

Léon (1885 -1918) et Robert Morane (1886-1968) and their long time close friend Raymond Saulnier (1881 - 1964) formed the Sociètè Anonyme des Aèroplanes Morane-Saulnier on October 10, 1911 at Puteaux (Paris region).
The vast output over the years ensued of 140 different types, the early designs being primarily braced monoplanes, leading to 2-seat Type G (1912), single-seat Type H and Type L (1913) and shoulder-wing Type N (1914).
Various parasol monoplanes (notably Type AI in 1917, 1,210 built) and biplanes followed. The Type AR parasol-wing trainer (1915) continued postwar as M.S.35 (400+ built), the Type P reconnaissance aircraft (565 produced) being similar.
From 1920 Morane-Saulnier concentrated on radial-engined parasol-wing fighters and trainers, several of them reaching 3-figure total and M.S.230 trainer (1929) exceeding even 1,100 examples and M.S.315 trainer (1932) being built in 346.
The M.S.405 fighter (August 8, 1935) was a low-wing monoplane with retractable landing gear, but had an outdated structure and an engine of only 860hp, so the production version M.S.406 (1,081 delivered until the Armistice of June 1940, making it the numerically most important French fighter of its time) was no match for the German Bf 109E.
The M.S.470 Vanneau advanced trainer of December 1944 was built in 500 examples and 3 different versions. This was followed by a number of single- and twin-engined light aircraft, ending with 165 machines of the M.S.760 Paris 4-seat twin-jet (1954) and the M.S.880 Rallye light 3-seater (1959).
The company was taken over in 1963 by Potez as Soc. d'Exploitation Etablissements Morane-Saulnier, this was followed by a reorganization in May 1965 as a subsidiary of Sud-Aviation and losing of the identity as part of SOCATA. Today SOCATA is integrated in the EADS multinational and remain the most important constructor in sportive aviation.

Gunston, W.(Bill), World Encyclopedia of Aircraft Manufacturers

Morane - Saulnier type H (1913)

Morane - Saulnier MS 138 (1927)

Morane - Saulnier MS 315 (1932)

Morane - Saulnier MS 317 (1932)

Morane - Saulnier MS 317 (1932)

Tribute to Morane - Saulnier in the sky of La Ferté Alais

Morane - Saulnier MS 230 (1929)

The well known "Parasol" wings of Morane - Saulnier aircraft

The MS 230 during an "aerobatic" landing

Morane - Saulnier MS 406 (1938)

One of the French fighter used during the "Bataille de France" in 1940

Morane - Saulnier MS 500 "Criquet" (1944)

Morane - Saulnier MS 880 "Rallye" (1959)

Morane - Saulnier MS 733 "Alcyon" (1951)

Morane - Saulnier MS 760 "Paris" (1954)

Junkers JU-52-3M, the second world war transport aircraft

Still in use by a Swiss company, JU-AIR based at Dübendorf

Fieseler FI-156 "Storch"

Tante JU is the nickname given to this transport aircraft

Boeing Stearman PT-13, Sunday morning flying lesson's...

...when the Japanese armada was on the way to Pearl Harbor

Combat was engaged ...

The all American base was bombarded

Dogfight...and finaly shooted

The wonderfull Curtiss P-40B from Stephen Gray

This plane was damaged on December 5th, 1941 and due the Japanese attack was forgoten in the wrecks of the American base

This historic airplane is now back airworty in his original colour scheme of 1941

The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an amphibious aircraft also used by the US Navy during the pacific war

Grumman TBF Avanger, anti-submarine aircraft

The amazing story of Saburo Sakai

Japan destroyed most of the Allied Air Force in the Pacific in just a few months and Sakai’s Tainan Squadron became known for destroying the most Allied planes in the history of Japanese military aviation. On August 7, 1942, 18 Zeroes received the order to attack Guadalcanal. The range from Rabaul was 560 miles, barely within the range of the Zero fighters.Sakai shot down 3 F4F's in this battle and then found 8 enemy planes in the distance, which he presumed to be F4F’s as well ... he was wrong. They were SBD Dauntless dive-bombers, with eager rear machine gunners. Sakai's Zero became a target for 16 guns. Never the less, Sakai shot down 3 SBD’s before being hit in the forehead by a bullet which almost blinded his right eye and left him somewhat paralyzed. He survived, flying 4 hours and almost 600 miles back to Rabaul. He barely had eyesight but was able to land his plane. By the time he landed, his fuel tank was empty.