France Tour 2013 Page 1

Saint-Omer Wizernes Airfield

Amaury de la Grange Aviation Training Centre, Merville-Calonne Airport

L'Epopée de l'Industrie et de l'Aéronautique - Bétrancourt Collection, Albert

Condé-Vraux Airfield Museum


Saint-Omer Wizernes Airfield

There happened to be an open day here while we were visiting the British Air Services Memorial on the airfield, and we got a very friendly reception.

Aircraft Reg'n Thumbs Notes
Best Off Nynja 62AWP  
Druine D5 Turbi F-WTPL A metal plate by the tailwheel says that this is F-PTPL
Fly Synthesis Storch HS 59GVT  
Humbert Tetras 62ARF  
Jodel D92 Bebe 62ACH  
Jodel D113T F-PSTO  
Jodel DH251 F-PPOC  
Jurca MJ-5H1 Sirocco G-AZOS Crashed in Shropshire in 2003. It's been at Saint-Omer for some time, but little progress seems to have been made in its restoration.
Piel CP1321 Saphir F-PZBO  
Pottier P130 Coccinelle 62AMF Coccinelle = ladybird.
Rans S-7 Courier 59TH  
Robin (Apex) DR400-140B Major 80 F-HASO  
Zenair CH-601 XL Zodiac ?  

We were fortunate to be allowed into the hangar, where we discovered some extra goodies which are worked on by the trainees.

Aircraft Reg'n Thumbs Notes
Boeing 727-200 F-BOJA Air France's first 727
Dassault Super Mystere B2 167  
Learjet 23 F-BXPT Ex N814L, N426EJ, JY-AEG
Nord 2501 Noratlas 129  
Sud Caravelle III F-BHRT Air France "Picardie" Note the open doors for the braking parachute at the back of the fuselage
Sud Caravelle 12 F-GCVK Air Inter
Vickers Viscount 700 F-BMCF Air Inter. Ex Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) CF-TGQ

Albert is the home of Henri Potez, and the site of his company's factories is still occupied by Airbus subcontractor Aerolia, which builds the nose sections for all Airbus aircraft. The Bétrancourt Collection doesn't have any Potez aircraft, but the local railway station has a beautifully restored Potez 63 in the booking hall.

The hangars of the collection are jam-packed with an apparently random mxture of well-preserved aircraft, hulks, and general clutter. Photography inside them is a nightmare, and just clambering around presents sometimes unsurmountable hurdles - I did the best I could!

Aircraft Reg'n Thumbs Notes
Canadair T-33AN Silver Star 3 21255 314-VH French Air Force. Ex Canadian AF 21355
Dassault MD311 Flamant 275 316-KC French Air Force. The collection has two more airworthy Flamants, nos 158 (F-AZGE) and 260 (F-AZKT), at the nearby Bray (Parcardie) Airport.
Dassault MD312 Flamant 148 319-DE French Air Force
Dassault Mirage F1C 20 12-ZN French Air Force
Dassault Mirage IIIC 27 3.10-LE French Air Force
Dassault Mirage IIIE 449 QL French Air Force
Dassault Mirage IIIE 515 3-JN French Air Force
Dassault Mirage IVP 25 AX French Air Force
Dassault Ouragan 8 French Air Force
Dassault Super Mystere B2 113 12-YQ French Air Force
De Havilland (Hindustan) Vampire FB52 IB427 Indian Air Force
Douglas C-47D Skytrain '282 H2 42-108979 K' USAF "Eightball II". This is actually 44-76420, RAF KN379, French Air Force 476420, 720 64-KQ, F-RAKQ, F-SEYI, F-SDKG and F-GEOA.
Fiat G91R-3 30+93 Luftwaffe, ex DG+107, KD-347.
Fouga CM170 Magister 459 F-WGGC Patrouille de France livery
Fouga CM170R Magister 24 3-KB French Air Force
Guerchais-Roche (Arsenal) SA-103 Emouchet F-CAXX 26  
Guerchais-Roche (Arsenal) SA-103 Emouchet 129 F-CRHI Emouchet = kestrel
Hawker Hunter F58A J-4107 Swiss Air Force
Lockheed F-104G Starfighter 21+96 Luftwaffe
Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star XC 314-WF 35339 French Air Force
Max Holste MH1521M Broussard 198 French Air Force
Max Holste MH1521M Broussard 290 11-OB F-GGGD French Air Force
Max Holste MH1521M Broussard 315 F-GIFZ  
MiG-21SPS Fishbed 882 2 East German Air Force
Mignet HM14 Pou-du-Ciel ?  
Morane-Saulnier (Socata) MS880B Rallye Club F-BKYD  
Morane-Saulnier MS733 Alcyon F-BLXT 131 Everyone agrees that this reg is right, but it's marked 'QA' on the nose.
Morane-Saulnier MS733 Alcyon F-BMQI 116 At the back - best view I could get.
Nord 1203 Norecrin II F-BBET  
Nord 2501F Noratlas 54 63-WX French Air Force
Nord 2501F Noratlas 97 63-WB French Air Force
Nord 2501F Noratlas 125  
Nord 2501F Noratlas 184 328-EO French Air Force
Nord 2501F Noratlas 189 316-FN A rare radar nose
Nord 3400 Norbarbe 20 French Air Force
Nord 3400 Norbarbe 100 FIA French Air Force
North American F-100D Super Sabre 55-2734 52734224-1 In the markings of 42272 French Air Force 11-EF
Potez 36-14 F-PHZN No connection with the Betrancourt collection - displayed in the booking office of Albert railway station
Republic F-84F Thunderstreak 53-6536 FU-76 Ex USAF and Belgian AF.
Sepecat Jaguar A A15 French Air Force
Sepecat Jaguar E 35 7-HY French Air Force
Sikorsky H-19D Chickasaw 55-3181 APY French Air Force
Siren C.30S Edelweiss F-CCUA  
Sud Aviation (Sikorsky) H-34A Choctaw SA59 59-DK French Air Force. Also marked 68-DK
Sud Caravelle III F-BHRY Air France "Touraine" Operated Air France's last commercial Caravelle flight. A superbly preserved interior. Test reg F-WHRY.

This charming museum is packed with memorabilia of the RAF and its WW2 operations at the nearby wartime grass airfield.

Aircraft Reg'n Thumbs Notes
Jodel D92 Bebe F-PHJI Spotted in the hayloft
Max Holste MH1521M Broussard 164 2-HE French Air Force. Beautifully preserved stretcher-carrying version.
Mignet HM14 Pou-du-Ciel ?  
Sepecat Jaguar A nose ?  

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