On 9th December it took its very last journey, but after the public opening of the Aeroscopia museum near Toulouse (south-west France), on 14th January, Concorde will be on static display, exhibited like a trophy, a symbol of a bygone aviation history, but one that made everyone dream. Alongside the supersonic star, visitors will find a 1960’s Caravelle, repainted in the French Air Inter colours, and from next spring, the first Airbus Defense & Space test aircraft, the military transport A400M, will join them.
The majority of the 25 commercial, military and leisure aircraft in the collection, including a number of special interest, will be on display in this 7,000m2 (>75,000 sq.ft.) hall. For example, this Bleriot XI replica, which, on July 25th 1909, succeeded in crossing the English Channel in 37 minutes, at a speed of 60 km/h (37 mph); or this Super Guppy, that for 30 years transported fuselage sections, and in which a film will be projected. Then there’s the very first Airbus A300B that you can visit, together with the first Concorde off the production line and which, after its flight test programme, transported Heads of State between Paris and New York.
A fresco depicting great moments in the history of aviation, models, and thematic areas dealing with aircraft assembly, and even archeology. The Aeroscopia museum takes you on a real aeronautical discovery; a path that some 120,000 visitors will more than likely take in 2015.
