A Museum on air and water floating upon the Canal de l'Ourcq (no longer exists).
Hydroplane is an artistic creation by the Cultural Fluvial Transport Company. This boat will be sailing along the canals in Paris and will stop regularly at the docks for the benefit of the public.
On board this surprising boat topped with a balloon, you will discover the history of Marthe Auvelin and her balloon-boat narrated by actors belonging to the T.C.F. Company. Marthe Auvelin imagined the Hydroplane. She was a nurse who witnessed the two great wars and who led an extraordinary life. Passionate about aviation and meteorology, she designed the hydroplane in 1947 in order to observe air and water.
This small museum, a mix of a zeppelin and a boat, invites you to discover air and water and will teach you, among other things, how a cyclone is formed. It is therefore on a pedagogical adventure that the Cultural Fluvial Transport Company takes you, to understand the laws of physics and the heart of meteorology.
Hydroplane is a weather meteorological observation post as well as an educational tool which aims to inform and educate the public about the weather and climate on our planet. It is done in a way to preserve our climate and inland waterways. After the visit, you will see an exhibition on the commitments and actions of partners on the management of waterways and the development projects of the banks.
At the beginning of the visit, a crew member will welcome you to prepare you for the journey and teach you the basics in meteorology. Enter the Hydroplane and take off to discover the life of Marthe Auvelin.
The first room in the museum is dedicated to "Nacelle Cabane", a climate observation post. You take off and land on a cloud. After a turbulent landing, you will arrive in a cloud of smoke. The smoke will transform into a mini cyclone. You will observe three panes of smoked glass, made just like those by Etienne Jules Maray. You will then discover in the hold of the vessel which contains 60 m3 of water, the studies on waves carried out by Marthe Auvelin.
2015 - For the summer festival on canal de L’Ourcq, Hydroplane will make a halt at Noisy/Bondy from 3rd to 17th July 2015, Bobigny from 18th to 31st July 2015, and Pantin from 1st to 16th August at 13-15 Quai de l'Ourcq. The visits and shows will take place every weekend from midday to 7:00 p.m. and admission is free. Hop on at the stop indicated for the river shuttles. The visit lasts forty minutes with a departure every thirty minutes. Book your visit on site for a group of twenty people.
The Cultural Fluvial Transport Association has developed, since its creation in 2006, a concept that mixes live performances, pedagogy and promotion of sustainable development. This ambitious adventure began with the development of a Peddler and a sub-marine, inaugurating thus the project of an itinerant floating establishment by inland waterways.
