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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 21h

Fifty years separate these two aircraft: the meeting between the legendary Blériot XI and the C.450 “Coléoptère”, an experimental VTOL aircraft, in April 1959.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 21h

The Amiot 144 was a bomber prototype derived directly from the famous Amiot 143 ‘flying greenhouse’. It was a modernised version, featuring the installation of an electrically retractable landing gear. It made its maiden flight in January 1936 but was not put into series production.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Loading a car and the take-off of the Breguet “Deux Ponts”. It was a cargo and passenger aircraft introduced in 1949 and operated by Air France from 1953 to 1972. Its most distinctive feature is its two-deck configuration. © Ecpad

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Although popularised by the British "Vickers Wellington" bomber, the geodesic construction technique was first used on an aircraft in the early 1920s with the Latécoère Laté-6, an all-metal bomber.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

The Dewoitine D.520 was truly a magnificent fighter aircraft...

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

It's not easy to find video footage of the Dewoitine D.520 fighter from WWII, but here's one. It shows the II/18 ‘Saintonge’ bombing group, formed in November 1944 under the name ‘Doret’. Its mission was to help crush pockets of Nazi resistance in the Atlantic.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

The Microturbo "Microjet 200" from 1980 was a French two-seater aircraft equipped with two low-power Microturbo engines. It was designed for pilot training, and was to be characterised by very low purchase and operating costs. © PHILIPPE RICCO

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

In 1936, the Caudron C-460 trounced its American rivals on their own turf by winning the Greve and Thompson Trophy. With its 380 hp, it beat aircraft with 750 or even 1,000 hp. Furious, the Americans then demanded to check that the engine complied with the race regulations, which it did.

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Reposted by Marlène Aviation

Bob @bobmm.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

One for @aviationmarlene.bsky.social a rare visitor to the UK #avgeek

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

The Fouga CM8 R8.3 ‘Midget’ racing aircraft was a further development of the jet-powered gliders produced by Fouga. Eight aircraft had been ordered in late 1951 to take part in 500 km air races in which all participants would be flying the same type of aircraft. ©Philippe Bezard

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Having observed the performance of the Fieseler "Fi-156", France decided in the late 1930s to acquire an aircraft with similar characteristics. The "SFAN-11" was therefore a prototype observation aircraft from 1940, designed for short take-off and landing capabilities.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

The Potez 540 was a multi-role French aircraft from 1932. It entered service in 1933 with the French Air Force, where it served as a reconnaissance bomber. Although it very quickly became obsolete, it remained in service in secondary roles during the Second World War.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

In 1935, the four-engined Farman F.221 bomber, registered as No. 14, was converted into the ‘F.2200’ and delivered to Air France. It was named ‘Ville de Natal’. It regularly flew across the South Atlantic from Dakar as part of Air France’s airmail service.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I’m really pleased to have designed the cover for my good friends’ academic thesis. If you’re interested in the early days of the french space programme & why the launch centre is located in French Guiana, you might find this of interest. A link to the book : amzn.eu/d/0829kRKl

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The Potez 53 was a single-seater racing plane produced specifically to take part in the 1933 "Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe" speed race. It made its maiden flight just one month before the race, on 29 May, which it won. It is now on display at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace du Bourget.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Richard-Penhoët 2 was one of the very first giant flying boats. It was powered by 5 engines and fly for the first time in 1926. It should have been able to carry passengers on two decks and over long distances. The only example was lost in 1928 during tests. © Écomusée - Chantier de l'Atlantique

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Caudron C.690 was a trainer aircraft from 1936 to train fighter pilots in handling high-performance aircraft. Caudron tried to attract foreign sales, but this only resulted in orders for two C.690 one from Japan and one from the USSR. 15 were built for the French air force.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

The British aircraft carrier "Colossus" was leased to the French Navy in August 1946 for a period of five years, before being purchased outright. Renamed "Arromanches". This video shows French Naval Aviation Seafires practising RATO take-offs. © ECPAD

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Concorde, in the 1970s, sporting the classic Air France livery. © ECPAD

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

The Caudron “Typhon”, designed by Mr Otfinovsky and Mr Riffard, was a twin-engine aircraft intended for use on long-distance postal routes inspired by the British DH "Comet". It made its maiden flight in March 1935. The Typhon set speed records over a distance of 5,000 km.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

An Air France poster designed in 1962 by Guy Georget, depicting the airline’s routes to Great Britain. © Air France.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

France was never really interested by military gliders, except in 1946, when Fouga, learning from the use of assault gliders during WWII, developed the Fouga CM.10, a transport glider. Due to budgetary cuts, the project was abandoned.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Derived from the MS.755 "Fleuret", the Morane-Saulnier MS.760 "Paris" was a 4-person jet aircraft, mainly intended for liaison or light transport missions. After the first flight of the prototype in 1954, more than 150 were produced. © ECPAD

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Sorry I haven’t been very active of late – I’ve been in the middle of moving house. To make it up to you, of course, here’s a Caravelle, the first prototype in 1955.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

The SO.30R in 1945. It was a development of the SO.30N ‘Belatrix’ prototype built in France during the WWI. The ‘R’ version was more powerful and fitted with a tricycle landing gear. It was ultimately the SO.30P version that went into production under the name ‘Bretagne’ © ECPAD

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

I’ve just come back from the Aeroscopia museum in Toulouse to see the new exhibit, a splendid Airbus Beluga Super Transporter. A very impressive aircraft.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

The Latécoère 521 was one of the first giant flying boat and still ranks 11th amongst the largest seaplanes in history. In 1939, Guillaumet flew it on the New York–Biscarrosse route, covering 5,875 km, which earned him the ‘Blue Ribbon’ for the record for crossing the North Atlantic in a seaplane.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Perhaps you are familiar with the monsters from Junker or the Kalinine K-7 from the 30s. In France, the equivalent would be the surprising SAB AB-20. It was a large four-engine twin-boom bomber built in 1932. It had a thick-profile flying wing. Only two prototypes were ever built.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

In April 1932, racing driver Albert Divo, at the wheel of a Bugatti, and pilot Marcel Doret, flying a Dewoitine fighter, faced off in a speed race at the Linas-Montlhéry racetrack. Unsurprisingly, the aeroplane won. © British Pathé

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

‘On the road to progress’. Simple, effective and elegant. An Air France advertising leaflet from 1959, announcing the introduction of two new jet aircraft onto its network: the 707 and the Caravelle. © Design by Jean Colin for Air France

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

The SNCASE SE.161 ‘Languedoc’, was an airliner tested before WW2 but mass-produced after the end of the war to revive the French aeronautical industry. Even before it was put into service by Air France, it was already a little outdated, but it remains very elegant. © ECPAD

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

The SNCASE SE.2100 was a small, two-seater, flying-wing monoplane designed by engineer Pierre Satre. The aircraft was designed during the war and finally made its maiden flight on October 4, 1945. © ECPAD

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Illustration of the Starck AS-20, an experimental aircraft designed in France from 1938 onwards by the engineer André Starck, which flew in 1942 under German control. Its main distinctive feature was its Nénadovich biplane wing.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

A flight demonstration of the SNCASO SO.93 “Corse” transport aircraft prototype in 1946. This aircraft served as the basis for the development of the SO.94 “Corse II”, the SO.94R, the SO.94 and the SO.95M “Corse III”, which were used by the French Navy and Air Force. © ECPAD

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

An aviation legend, Jean Mermoz, holding a scale model of the Couzinet 70 ‘Arc en Ciel’ in his hands for the photograph. It was this banana-shaped three-engined aeroplane which, in January 1933, piloted by Jean Mermoz and accompanied by Couzinet, crossed the South Atlantic.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

A 1955 advertising leaflet for the SE-210 ‘Caravelle’.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

I’m absolutely delighted, this is exactly the sort of item I’ve been looking for for a long time. A model of the SE-210 ‘Caravelle’ prototype, built between 1955 and 1956.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

I absolutely loathe AI colourisation like this; sure, it’s vibrant, but we’ve gone from the real black-and-white Breguet 731 to just some sort of raw aluminium thing – they’ve gone and added cockades it never had, and for goodness’ sake, what on earth have they done to the tail?

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

A Sud SE-210 ‘Super Caravelle’ type 10B3 leaving the factory around 1966. It was this type of aircraft, slightly modified by the manufacturer, that Sterling used in the early 1970s for its transatlantic routes. © Planète câble, les Ailes de France

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

An interesting idea from our friends in Quebec, converting a ‘Boussard’ into a floatplane. The MH-1521 ‘Broussard’ was originally a liaison and reconnaissance aircraft, mainly used by the French armed forces between 1956 and 1993. © La Sentinelle

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Fictional tactical bomber of 1951. The ABM-17r 'Gradlon' would have been a twin-engine bomber powered by 2 RR Nene 102 and later, 2 Atar 101 installed in the wing root at the top of the fuselage.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Hirsch H-100 was a light twin-engine experimental aircraft developed in France by René Hirsch to develop an anti-gust system. The aircraft had a very futuristic look and flew for the first time in 1954. The system worked well, but due to lack of investment, it was not developed.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

The ‘Escopette’ was a pulsejet engine developed by SNECMA that operated without any valves. It was fitted to and flight-tested on a glider from the early 1940s, the S.A. 103 ‘Émouchet’. The maiden flight took place in 1950. © ECPAD

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

A Breguet ‘Alizé’ taking off from the deck of its aircraft carrier in the early 1960s. This anti-submarine warfare aircraft was powered by a Rolls-Royce Dart RDa.21 turboprop engine and first took off in 1956. © Images Défense

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

SO.1221 "Djinn" was a light helicopter designed in 1953, It was the first mass-produced French helicopter, as well as one of the 1st practical European helicopters to be produced. It was one of the first to use jet propulsion at the tip of its blades to turn its rotor.

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

The SE-201 ‘Aquilon’ was a Sea Venom built under licence by SNCASE in France in 1952. It was the French Naval Aviation’s first jet fighter. This British aircraft was very elegant. © DOMINIQUE GONOT

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Three Mirage IIIs simultaneously ignited their SEPR 841 rocket engines used during the climb following take-off for high-altitude interception missions, which, in 1967, enabled a Mirage III to photograph a U-2 aircraft flying illegally over French territory. © ECPAD

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

The SNCASO SO.1100 "Ariel" was an experimental two-seater light helicopter built in 1947. The rotation of the rotors was driven by gas jets expelled from the blade tips. This aircraft was used to develop the SO.1221 "Djinn" which was a success on the market. © British Pathé

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Marlène Aviation @aviationmarlene.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

In the mid-1960s, France was exploring the possibility of developing a small manned space shuttle launched by a carrier aircraft reminiscent of the Concorde. The project never got beyond the drawing board.

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