La Ferte Alais

I looked, I saw, I regretted the fact that I was busy bailing water out of the house at the time! Maybe next year.

Look in the Airshow Photos section!

Didn’t anyone go there? Maybe it was because the storms put paid to the weekend. It looks as if we’ll never find out!

And a ex Venezualean P47 noted in 89

As for the P-47, could that be 44-90368 that went to the US around 88-89 and is now N4747P? When it comes to Warbirds one should never guess, but could the Fury be N45SF? With George Perez close ties to the AJBS that is a possibility! The directory says it was under restoration in 89, but when I visited Perez place in 93 and asked about it, he just shrugged and admitted to being quite secretive. He never said anything about the disposition of that Fury! That said he was very friendly, and let me roam through his hangar shooting photos of his maroon P-51D (which was what I was there to see anyway!). He was also rebuilding a Yak-11 with an american engine at the time (R-1830 or R-2000 I think!).

T J

And a ex Venezualean P47 noted in 89

I beleive this one is now the ‘No Guts No Glory !’ from the Fighter Collection

When is it ?

I would certianly like a ID for the Fury, thanks. Typically I can’t find a log for my last visit but before that I visited in 89 and 90. On the last occasion the following interesting wrecks were noted
67,134 Nord 1002
19,120 nord 1001
8,87 nord 3400
T6’s 45-1040,114740,115017,34572,34579,114707,34592,34594,114700 these were all junked around the woods in a mostly poor state with no engines, some wingless, just bare shells

plus the following ex Egyptian Yak 11’s and 18’s511,529,536,540,542,565,570,579,580,588,589,,667,707,708,709 there were more but they were in a poor state. on the active side were F-AZFJ,AZFK
Also present in 1990was ex Vietnamese A-37 62-10790, what happened to that. Also whats the status of HB-EEB Miles Magister? And a ex Venezualean P47 noted in 89

Did anyone come up with an identity for it

It’ll try to found the serial this week for the Fury and tae some photos of the different parts

And what about the Yaks

There is one Yak 11 (F-AZNN) at AJBS museum, this one :

http://pegase.foxalpha.com/picture.php?Aircraft=19&id=1300&size=l

and some other on the Raymon Capel’s hangar

F-AZIR

http://pegase.foxalpha.com/picture.php?Aircraft=19&id=1289&size=l

F-AZIM

http://pegase.foxalpha.com/picture.php?Aircraft=3&id=1431&size=l

identify as a YAK 3UIT but in fact a YAK 11 with some modification

and this one (F-AZFJ)

http://francewarbirds.free.fr/Photos/Jpg/yak11-f-azfj-vol1.jpg

but as you can see on the France Warbird site, there are some other Yak in France.

few ex-French AF T-6s ended up at LFA

some other are also owned by Air France for the maintenance education

Actually there are 5 T-6 owned by the AJBS association

F-AZMP ( http://pegase.foxalpha.com/picture.php?Aircraft=68&id=307&size=l )

F-AZBE ( http://pegase.foxalpha.com/picture.php?Aircraft=68&id=252&size=l )

F-AZRB ( http://pegase.foxalpha.com/picture.php?Aircraft=68&id=1591&size=l ) – J. Bastet

F-AZHE ( http://pegase.foxalpha.com/picture.php?Manufacturer=4&id=353&size=l )

F-AZHD (J. Bastet)

F-AZBQ is also owned by AJBS but actually in restauration after bad landing ( http://www.ajbs.com/musee/photos%20Musee/T-6/T-6-en-Vol-MG.jpg )

This one F-AZSR is also based at LFA but not owned by AJBS

http://francewarbirds.free.fr/Photos/Jpg/t6-f-azsr-sol1.jpg

LFA is an excellent place although sadly I have never been to the show. I haven’t been for about 8 years but had great fun scrambling over the Harvards and Nords in the woods behind the main hangars. Are they still there? It was like one big French scrap yard, plus there was a hangar full of ex Egyptian Yak 11’s and 18’s 😀 . Did the Fury ISS that I saw there last time ever get rebuilt?

From looking at the Warbirds directory it seems that quite a few ex-French AF T-6s ended up at LFA. Did Jean Salis buy out the entire stock when they were phased out of service? Also, are there any left these days? As for the Fury, there was a note in Flypast several years ago regarding this a/c being an ex-Iraqi example. Did anyone come up with an identity for it? And what about the Yaks, all gone now?

T J

Martin this is the AJBS Stearman

The F-AZST is another french stearman but never saw at LFA since a long time

Did the Fury ISS that I saw there last time ever get rebuilt?

Not yet, may be this year

LFA is an excellent place although sadly I have never been to the show. I haven’t been for about 8 years but had great fun scrambling over the Harvards and Nords in the woods behind the main hangars. Are they still there? It was like one big French scrap yard, plus there was a hangar full of ex Egyptian Yak 11’s and 18’s 😀 . Did the Fury ISS that I saw there last time ever get rebuilt?

I’ll try to give you a list of some hotel near LFA soon

FYI : Patrouille de France isn’t schedule for the moment, replace by the ‘patrouille Breitling’ (L39)

Thanks for the info guys.
I’m going myself this year for the first time – driving down on the Friday, staying in Evry. Show on Saturday, Musee de L’air Sunday, and driving back Monday (Work will be interesting on Tuesday :rolleyes: )
If anyone else has any tips, please feel free to share.

I intend to go there for the first time. I have been told before that the Saturday is the best choice. I also read that the traffic around the airport is awful and that is advisable to go there by RER. Would one of the member be kind enough to tell me how far is the RER station from the airport (Within walking distance or are there buses?)
It might also be an opportunity to meet forumites.
Kind regards
Willy

I’m not sure there’s normally much difference between the days. Generally the Patrouille de France only do one day but the rest of the show tends to be the same. Nearer the event the web site seems to be reasonably accurate on the programme. By Sunday evening some of the visiting aircraft and ground displays will have left so there’s less static to see after the show. It’s worth noting that it’s a LONG show – flying starts not much after 9am and goes on ’til after 6pm. Apart from the lunch break it’s pretty continuous too. I think it’s a really excellent show – definitely different to anywhere else. Probably something like a cross between Old Warden (lots of unique genuine machines), Flying Legends (themed action displays though with a smaller range of heavy metal but including pyrotechnics) and Old Rhinebeck (replicas and theatrical-style displays). The commentator (who guested at Flying Legends last year) also adds a distinct touch with quality technical information interspersed with anecdotes and entertaining sound effects.

The train is definitely a good choice. La Ferte Alais is about 1 hour from central Paris. Trains are not too frequent though especially on Sunday – only about 1/hour but they do seem to un reliably. As said elsewhere it’s about 2km walk to the airfield (following the rest of the people from the train) and traffic is often queued back past the station. The airfield is actually perched on top of quite a large hill and the last part of the walk is up a very steep footpath through some woods.

Hope that helps

I’ve just booked my rail ticket from London to Paris for the weekend.

Tony Andrews

the Stearman

or such a formation…..

Martin

I intend to go there for the first time. I have been told before that the Saturday is the best choice. I also read that the traffic around the airport is awful and that is advisable to go there by RER. Would one of the member be kind enough to tell me how far is the RER station from the airport (Within walking distance or are there buses?)
It might also be an opportunity to meet forumites.
Kind regards
Willy

Traffic can be bad. We generally arrive there well before which means a few nights with little sleep! The RER is about 2km from the airfield and there are no buses, there is only one cab in town too! From the station to the airfield takes about twenty minutes to half an hour but the airfield is on a hill.

It is worth the walk though.

Melvyn

I intend to go there for the first time. I have been told before that the Saturday is the best choice. I also read that the traffic around the airport is awful and that is advisable to go there by RER. Would one of the member be kind enough to tell me how far is the RER station from the airport (Within walking distance or are there buses?)
It might also be an opportunity to meet forumites.
Kind regards
Willy

Hi Melv, No I was just enquiring because I thought it was a good display and deserved to be seen again.Unfortunately I don’t think there will be any more displays at Coventry because the new terminal is in the display line on the far side of the airport.

It was a good display. I was watching it on the TV the other night.
Shame about Coventry, those displays had a feel all of their own.

M

JV, you could add of course :

B-17 Pink Lady, one or two DC-3, JU-52, lot of acrobatic planes (Pitts, Cap..), Bucker 131 & 133, Chipmunk, Stearman, Bleriot XI, Spad XIII, RAF SEA5, Mirage 2000, lot of Morane planes…….and of course a Stieglitz

That is true! Of course the ‘usual’ LFA stuff will be there too! 🙂

Regards,

J.V.