Tuesday morning 20th February 2018, guess what? It's raining. Off I went to the railway station as I needed to purchase some tickets before descending to the Metro to retrace my route back to the Musée Aeroscopia. By the time I alighted at Andoméde Lycée the rain was torrential, sheltering as best I could I made a phone call to the taxi company used yesterday. I was going to attempt a walk today. Arriving warm and dry I registered at the desk and also hired an audio guide. There is an app for your mobile phone but it is no longer available from Google Play, if you have an Apple you are in luck. I paused for a cup of coffee from the deluxe vending machine and a sandwich before entering the museum. Once you commence your tour you cannot come and go, perhaps they should serve refreshments inside?
Up the steps, along a grey corridor lined with plaques depicting notable events in the history of flight, through a door, you enter the Great Gallery on the first floor to be greeted by the sight of the huge Super Guppy. An enthralling tour commenced there. The Super Guppy is the first of three aircraft which you can enter and explore. Built to transport airbus parts from the UK and Germany for final assembly here in Toulouse, the Guppy has grown in size along with the aircraft it supports. I took several photographs, one includes surrounding aircraft to give a perspective of the size of this aircraft.
The Great Gallery celebrates the history of aviation through models and displays. Although predominantly from a French perspective, especially the wall display titled "Conflict", the content is international in dimension covering Pioneers, the Aviation Boom, a New Age, Modernity, Expansion and the Future. Displays of 1/25th scale models show notable aircraft from French aviation history as well as the development of the airbus in all its forms. As you walk along the gallery the eye is continually drawn to the early aircraft suspended at eye level and the more modern variants in the main hall below, a view not normally seen in museums and air shows.
The gallery naturally lead you into the Concorde (no 'e' in the British version). Built in partnership with our own British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) there are two variants on display at the museum. Paris or London to New York in 3.5 hours, half the time of a subsonic aircraft. For the privilege you would pay a whopping $7,995 round-trip ticket price from New York to London, more than 30 times the cost of the cheapest option. The first flight was in 1969 though it would take another seven years to enter service in 1976. The fleet carried the rich and famous for a further 27 years. Viewing the cramped cockpit through a perspex screen before turning down the aircraft past the flight engineers station, the no so luxurious toilet facilities and the huge computer we find ourselves looking at the comfortable though somewhat cramped seating area of the main cabin. Paying that price I had expected something more luxurious but with the emphasis on speed and plenty of champagne who would care.
Exiting from the middle passenger door affords a good view up and down the external length of the aircraft before turning to face the Airbus A300B, the first of a range of highly successful aircraft. Why 300, the number of seats of course. Boarding the aircraft behind the roomy cockpit the internal size of the aircraft contrast sharply with the Concorde making it seem like a large executive jet. Cutaway panels and floors allow the visitor to see the inner workings of this 'fly by wire' aircraft. A baggage container is siting in the hold. Moving on we pass the comfortable economy and business or 1st class seating, I'm not sure which, arriving in the 'personal' cabin with lounge, bedroom, kitchen and shower room. Probably a steward or two. Fly from Paris to Dubai for about £20,000.00!
Leaving this wonderful exhibit I pause at the last of the wall displays appropriately titled 'The Future' then down the stairs to the main floor. Emerging under the sleek lines of Concorde with executive jets helicopters and the underbelly of the A300B there is plenty to catch the eye. Although all of the exhibits did not originate in France such as the German Messerschmidt fighter aircraft, they all played a part in French aviation history. Working my way around the exhibits I am lead back to the 'Guppy', even more spectacular in size when viewed from this angle!
Alongside the many aircraft of modern French aviation history, both civilian and military, are a series of interactive displays depicting 'Flight mechanics and assembling a plane', where you can assemble and fly your own plane. 'Behind the scenes', how an airport works. 'Aviation Careers' where you can try your hand at different ground crew jobs. 'Aviation archaeology', wreck interpreter - how to look for, find and "read" plane parts. Finally there is 'Look to the future', exploring tomorrow's planes - the future of Airbus.
It is time to exit the exhibition if I want to have a coffee and a sandwich before reporting for my Airbus tour briefing. I had booked for the A380 tour which takes place mid afternoon. This is double deck wide bodied variant the largest and most popular of the fleet. The briefing room is located behind the museum reception area. First of all you have to secure your cameras and mobile phones as no photography or recordings are allowed then security passes are issued. I was expecting to depart however there is a fifteen minute briefing on Airbus aviation technology and a test flight. Screens and TV monitors display 'real time' footage recorded by test pilots, data displays and cameras mounted both on the ground and the test aircraft as this is explained. A stunning experience in itself.
A very knowledgeable guide then escorts the party to the waiting coach. A short trip to the factory and we take the lift to the viewing gallery. To give you an idea of the size of this hanger the luxury coach we arrived in would fit comfortably inside the engine cowling of this aircraft. This cowling is mounted onto the wing which is attached to the body of the plane and the same is repeated on the other side. The tail is the only part of the aircraft to be pre-painted before it is attached to the body because it is so high off the ground at that point. There are four Airbus A380 aircraft being assembled side by side in this hanger along with all of the gantries and other assembly equipment it is huge. The guide explains the history, the processes and anecdotes making for an interesting tour, albeit never moving from the viewing gallery.
Leaving the factory, the whole thing covers many acres with different marks assembled in different locations, we return to the museum where we are shown around the Airbus A400M. This wide body short take off and landing military transport it can carry a bigger payload than the American Lockhead C130 'Hercules', stalwart of the Royal Air Force and is coming into service accordingly. The curved propeller blades, fly-by-wire technology and a more comfortable flying experience for both crew and troops will make this a popular choice. Having spent many hundreds of hours in the back of a C130 I am quite jealous and would love to have a flight in one of these.
After a few purchases at the souvenir shop the rain is still torrential so I decide to forgo the visit to the Ailes Anciennes Toulouse. A compensation many of the military aircraft we have seen are on loan from there. I depart the way I came via taxi from the car park to the tram station and back to the hotel. An enjoyable day out of the cold too. An evening meal at the bistro on the corner then a plunge in the hotel spa before retiring for the night. My book remains unread as I have an early start in the morning. Follow the link to view my
Musée Aeroscopia, Toulouse album for a unique collection of photographs. Bonne nuit.
The gallery naturally lead you into the Concorde (no 'e' in the British version). Built in partnership with our own British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) there are two variants on display at the museum. Paris or London to New York in 3.5 hours, half the time of a subsonic aircraft. For the privilege you would pay a whopping $7,995 round-trip ticket price from New York to London, more than 30 times the cost of the cheapest option. The first flight was in 1969 though it would take another seven years to enter service in 1976. The fleet carried the rich and famous for a further 27 years. Viewing the cramped cockpit through a perspex screen before turning down the aircraft past the flight engineers station, the no so luxurious toilet facilities and the huge computer we find ourselves looking at the comfortable though somewhat cramped seating area of the main cabin. Paying that price I had expected something more luxurious but with the emphasis on speed and plenty of champagne who would care.
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