Come and admire numerous helicopters and aircraft powered by one or more rotors. These aerodynes are grouped together at the Air and Space Museum in Le Bourget in the hall formerly known as the “rotary wing” hall.
The idea of a vehicle that could lift itself vertically from the ground and hover motionless in the air was probably born at the same time that man first dreamed of flying. Thanks to the revolution in computer-design and manufacturing, the helicopter today is safe, versatile and a reliable aircraft that plays a unique role in modern aviation provided by no other flying machine.
The debut of aviation began in the early twentieth century and the 14/18 war is related through the entire aircraft and air-objects in the rotary wing aircraft hall. It is said and written that the history of helicopters was the occasion for tremendous progress in the use of fighter aircraft. It was not until the Second World War and later, the Vietnam war in the Second half of the twentieth century, that we could truly witness the real development of rotary-wing aircraft.
The history of these vertical flights and flying objects are related to visitors with the exhibition of several autogyro also known as gyroplanes and single-rotor-helicopters in the lobby of the rotary-wing aircraft in Le Bourget Air and Space museum. Take a look at how helicopters were used through the twentieth century up to the more modern helicopters of today, used for saving lives.
Gyroplane, autogyro or rotoplane are types of rotorcraft which use an un-powered rotor in autorotation to develop lift and engine-powered propellers similar to fixed-wing aircraft.
In the hall, you will find various aircraft, including several pioneering machines in the history of hovering flight. For example, you can discover the Cierva C.8, an experimental autogyro built in six copies by Spanish inventor Juan de la Cierva in England in 1925. Today, only two examples of the Cierva C.8 remain: one is at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and the other is at Le Bourget.
Another notable aircraft is the Oehmichen No. 6, created in 1935 by Etienne Oehmichen. Also called the Hélicostat by its French inventor, this aircraft is equipped with a 100 m3 balloon inflated with cold air under low pressure. You can also admire an example of the Focke-Achgelis FA-330 Bachstelze, known as the Bergeronnette, a glider autogyro carried on German submarines during World War II. This reconnaissance helicopter, built by the German company Focke-Achgelis, entered service in 1943. It took no more than seven minutes to deploy, from the moment the torpedo tube hatches were opened to the moment the rotor was launched.
Another military helicopter on display at the Air Museum is the Hiller UH-12 Raven, nicknamed H-23 by the US Army. It made its maiden flight in January 1948 and had a cruising speed of 132 km/h. This aircraft was used in multiple conflicts during the 20th century: the Korean and Vietnam wars for the US Army, but also the Indochina and Algerian wars for the French Army. The version of the UH-12 Raven on display at Le Bourget was intended for advanced training (UH-12B).
The Alouette III on display at the museum is a light multi-purpose helicopter that entered service in the 1960s and is still used in some countries. Larger and offering more seats (1 pilot and 6 passengers), the Alouette III succeeded the Alouette II and was a commercial success. More than 2,000 aircraft were produced and used in dozens of countries. The Alouette III F-ZBAN on display at the Air Museum was in service until 2008.
Be sure to wander through the different halls of the Air and Space Museum in search of other helicopters. You can't miss the impressive
in the museum's prototype hall. This heavy helicopter, which flew between 1960 and 2010, could carry two pilots and 27 soldiers at a cruising speed of 248 km/h. The Air Museum has the French Navy's SA.321 Super Frelon for a sea rescue simulation (2025 - no longer on public display). The Eurocopter X3 hybrid was installed in the Concorde hall in June 2014. This experimental gyrodyne is equipped with two turbines that drive a 5-blade main rotor and two propellers. It reached 487 km/h in descent, making it the fastest gyrodyne in the world. After more than 155 hours of flight time recorded in 199 sorties, the X3 hybrid helicopter has found a place of honor at Le Bourget.
On March 12, 1955 Jean Boulet and Henri Petit made the first flight of the first mass-produced turbine helicopter: the SE-3130 Alouette II, equipped with a Turbomeca Artouste II. The prototype is exhibited in the Rotating Wings Hall of the Air and Space Museum at Le Bourget.
On September 18, 1928, Juan de la Cierva successfully crossed the English Channel in his C.8L-II gyroplane, during a 66-minute flight from Croydon (London) to Le Bourget airport. This was the 1st international flight by a rotary-wing machine.
A superb object: Gustave de Ponton d'Amécourt's experimental helicopter model (1863).
