52nd International Paris Air Show

by Jane Rosenstein

The  52nd edition of the International Paris Air Show, officially Le Salon International de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace , the oldest and most popular show in the industry,  dating from 1909 is being held from June 19-25 at  Le Bourget Airport. The first three days were  reserved for professionals and the press while the general public can attend from June 23-25.  During the professional days, there were many deals made some of which were for billions of US dollars.  During the public days there are 30,000 square meters of lan reserved for viewing  the airplanes shows from the sky.  For the most comfort visitors can pay for grandstand seats ( of which there are more than 3,000).

Each day there is a program of between 2 and 3 hours for the air shows.

The entry ticket gives free entry to the Musée Air + Espace  (Air and Space Museum) located at the Bourget Airport. It has more than 150 aircrafts on display and a planetarium.

The Paris Air Show occurs every two years. In 2015 there were 351,584 visitors including  149,947 trade visitors and 201,637 general public visitors . There were 2,303 exhibitors from 48 countries and 4,359 accredited journalists from 72 countries. Exhibition spaces included 52,000 square meters for stand and an outside area of 35,000 square meters.  Business deals amounted to over $130 billion.

The show offers trade professionals the opportunity to present their products to professionals and the general public.

For  a fee of 10 Euros the general public can tour the Concorde and a Boeing 747 airplane.

What’s New at the Show in 2017

The Paris Air Lab, an area of 20,00 square meters  features three principal areas:

Pick Up Innovation

This area offers themed booths  organized into three journeys:

• “Aeronautics”  ( aircraft of the future, sustainable aviation, etc.
• “Digital and new applications”  (drones, connectivity, etc.)
• “Space” (earth observation, space agencies, etc.)

Visionary Hub

This area is for conferences with leading professionals to discuss and debate current major evolutions and those in the near future;

Experimental Gates

I found this the most interesting because of the virtual reality. Six themes included

in the cockpit, in flight, exploring space,  becoming an astronaut, a Constellium Experience and Accenture Hololens;

I met Sami Guillermet the creative director feim VR Connection  which is the first hub for French Virtual Reality.  VR Connnection brigngs more than 50 companies togethe  using their experience of the French know-how in virtual reality; VR  Connection finds innovative solutions to problems. VR Connection’s lab is showing a virtual reality prototype for a helicopter pilot simulator. It  is exclusively for the Air Show.

The virtual reality experience was really fantastic.

A flying car named Pegasus from Vaylon which flew from Calais in France to Dover in England using  its paragliding sail and large fan glued to its rear, was presented for the first time at Paris Air Show.  

A octocopter  Surefly, manufactured by Workhorse is on display. It is a VTOL ( vertical take off and landing) and features a 2 seat cabin , an automobile chasis and 8 single blade propellers. At a cost of $US 200,000 it is  thought to be used for agriculture and military.

An enjoyable time can be had at the Paris Air Show because it is both informative and entertaining

Jane Rosenstein

Jane Rosenstein is a U.S. citizen living in Paris, France. She is a professional translator/interpreter. She is the owner of The International Connection which does international marketing consultation including sales of wine, interpretation, and translation. She enjoys the cultural life that living in Paris offers and has talents in organizing events. She speaks English, French, and Spanish.

She has a B.S. degree in mathematics from University of Pittsburgh and an M.B.A. degree from Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA.