Fête Aérienne – Le Temps des Hélices, La Ferté Alais
Le Temps des Helices at Aérodrome de Cerny-La Ferté-alais is one of Europe’s best-known airshows attracting an audience from across the world. It is far more than just an afternoon of flying displays; it is a true celebration of aviation culture from start to end. 2026 saw the 53rd edition of the event which marked some of France’s most famous aviation manufacturers as well as French military aviation history, Amongst the participants were some real showstoppers as well many of the event’s best-known set-pieces.
Paul Johnson/Flightline UK reports. All photography by the author.
Just 40km south of Paris, you find La Musée Volant Salis at the delightful Aérodrome de Cerny-La Ferté-alais. Run by Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis, the museum houses a varied collection of historic aircraft and replicas telling the story of flight from its earliest days. Many of their aircraft are airworthy and are joined by other historic aircraft from private collections. Each year, their aircraft participate in many of France’s public air displays around the country. However, the highlight of the AJBS year is their own annual airshow, Le Temps des Helices – Time of the Propellors. However, for many airshow goes, the event is simply known as La Ferté-alais.
The event is a cornerstone of the French scene and after the biennial trade show at Paris, perhaps France’s most revered airshow. La Ferté-alais is in the heart of the rural Essonne region to the south of Paris amongst large agricultural fields and woodlands. It is certainly one of the most picturesque airfields in Europe. Ahead of the flying, the morning can be spent wandering around many of the participating aircraft and the hangars of the museum. The showground areas are also full of aviation related stalls from various aviation organisations and industry from across France. L’armée de l’air et l’espace supports French airshows very well and La Ferté-alais is no different with displays from various units dotted around the ground exhibitions.
It was well worth spending some time exploring the aircraft on the ground, there are some absolute gems to be seen. There were exquisite World War One replicas such as the Bristol F2b Fighter built by TVAL in New Zealand, Spad XII and Fokker DVII. Other highlights from the static display included a Morane-Saulnier MS502 Criquet and MS733 Alcyon wearing French Navy markings, a N3N Canary, a visiting Polish marked Antonov An-2 plus a plethora of pioneering French aircraft including Bleriots and Caudrons. At the other end of aviation development, US manufacturer Dahler were promoting a special operations variant of their Kodiak utility aircraft.
Another important part of the La Ferté day is experience flights. Those wishing to take to the air had an incredible choice of types to fly in including the art-deco Travalair, Boeing-Stearman A75 Kaydets, the North American T-6 Texan, SOCATA Epsilon, SOCATA Rallye or even W Air Collection’s North American P-51D Mustang ‘Miss AVA.’
The flying displays took place during the afternoon running from 1pm to nearly 6.30pm. Both days saw blisteringly hot weather with clear blue skies, but thankfully little haze. The cool of the hotel in the evening though was greatly appreciated. The flying action was opened by L’armée de l’air et l’espace parachute team, Phenix, jumping from the Musee Europeen de l’Aviation de Chasse (MEAC) North American OV-10B Bronco. Four members from the team jump and presenting a very elegant and colourful display of formation parachuting before landing in front of the VIP area.
The action then switched to the aircraft starting a with a pair of pioneering French aircraft, the famous Bleriot XI and perhaps the slightly less well known Morane H. Considering the warm and somewhat bumpy conditions, the two aircraft were flown with great aplomb even managing some close formation flying. As they landed, the flying displays then moved on to the First World War with replicas of a Fokker Dr1 duelling with the RAF SE5a. However, the standout aircraft from this sequence was the RAF BE2f which was making its debut flying display appearance at Le Ferté-alais. This aircraft is another magnificent reproduction built by The Vintage Aviator Ltd in New Zealand. It appears in colours of a night-fighting BE2f of 52 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps.
This first sequence of displays was relentless and no sooner had the First World War aircraft landed, it was the turn for some of France’s interwar ‘Parasol Fighters’ to take centre stage. These aircraft are monoplanes but feature a high wing braced above the fuselage on struts. AJBS’s own Morane-Saulnier MS317 gave an elegant aerobatic display at height while the rather unusual looking Salmson D7 CriCri flew a series of flypasts underneath. The timeline of flying then jumped to the post-World War two period with a trio of aircraft all from the Nord Aviation company. This was a state-owned company formed on the merger of SFECMAS and SNCAN in 1954. Leading the three ship was the Nord 1101 Noralpha, a military liaison aircraft developed from the german Messerschmitt Bf108 Taifun which had been constructed in France during the Second World War by SNCAN. Alongside it were the rather unique looking and sounding Nord 3202 primary trainer and the Nord 3400 Norbarbe observation aircraft built for L’armee de terre.
A major change of tempo following with a sequence of flying dedicated to ‘show flying.’ It was opened by L’Aero Club de France (ACeF) with the eye-catching combination of Patrouille Tranchant flying four Fouga CM170 Magisters together with four aerobatic aircraft, a Pitts S2B Special, CAP 222, Extra 300L and Extra NG, flown by some of France’s top civilian aerobatic pilots. After arriving together, the aircraft split with the four aerobatic aircraft each performing a short solo routine of aerobatics. Amongst them were Bertrand Boillot, Aude Lemordant, Catherine Maunoury, and Nicolas Ivanoff. Patrouille Tranchant then returned flying some sweeping formation passes and solo aerobatics set to Ron Goodwin’s ‘The Trap.’ The ACeF sequence was closed with the return of the aerobatic aircraft performing a tailchase before concluding with a final break.
A highlight of the showtime flying for the local audience was the Tiger Club’s Turbulent Team. The team often feature in Le Ferté flying displays and are incredibly popular. Indeed, around my seating positions many of the families pushed forward to watch the team’s limbo flying, flour bombing, balloon bursting and flag waving – quite uncomfortable few moments in the heat but a vivid display of the affection the French audience had for the British team.
More barnstorming came from Swiss based 46 Aviation and Danielle Wingwalker. Emiliano and Danielle Del Buono present a display that harks back to the golden age of barnstorming when wingwalkers realty did explore the wings of the aircraft they were flying in. Danielle does an incredible routine of moving from a dedicated rig on the top wing of their striking Boeing-Stearman A75 Kaydet to between the wings where she positions herself in the rigging, hangs upside down from the wing and sits over the leading edge of the lower wing waving to the crowd who loved it.
This year’s show also saw the debut of a new aerobatic team flying three SOCATA TB30 Epsilon aircraft, Les Casques Rouges. This is the second civilian team in France to form on the ex-French Air Force basic training aircraft. Their aircraft retain their former military colour schemes, one of which represents an aircraft flown by the French Air Force’s Cartouche Doré aerobatic team. The team of Baptiste Salis, Benjamin Nutall and Alain Galidie fly a fast-paced routine of close formation work and some solo aerobatics which is very reminiscent of the Cartouche Doré displays – particularly the close stacked trail formation work.
An entirely different aerobatic performance came from the Pilatus B4 sailplane flown by Denis Hartmann. His graceful routine painted delicate smoke trails in the blue skies and even included a rolling circle.
In total contrast to the lighter aircraft was the ATR 72-600 demonstrated by its manufacturer. The show has a long tradition of including airliners in its flying displays and the crew did not disappoint with a tight routine highlighting the aircraft’s agility and ability to operate in a small area.
Both days of the show were graced with appearances by La Patrouille de France who like some other European military displays, were about to embark on a tour of the United States to mark that country’s 250th anniversary. Because of that tour, their Dassault Alpha Jet Es have received some subtle modifications to their current colour-scheme with one side of their fins receiving some stars and stripes. Their routine has also been adapted for American displays, but nevertheless remains one of the most photogenic with their far more artistic use of coloured smoke.
A major attraction of the Le Ferté shows is their big set-piece displays. All of them require an element of imagination of the audience, but they are always spectacular. Perhaps the most famous is the recreation of the attack sequence from iconic war film, Tora! Tora! Tora! In 2026, this saw a pair of Boeing-Stearman Kaydets and 12 North American T-6 Texans recreate opening rounds of the attach on Pearl Harbour diving into from a large echelon formation flying low, fast passes over the airfield as pyrotechnics recreate flak bursts and explosions on the ground. The sequence then turns of the ensuing dogfight when AJBS’s Mitsubishi A6M Zero (modified T-6) engages in dogfights with two of other Texans playing the role of America fighters before being shot down and diving away behind the tree-line.
The second major set-piece recreated the atmosphere of the Vietnam War. This felt rather stripped back this year with just two North American T-28 Trojans (just one on the Sunday) joining MEAC’s OV-10B Bronco for the main part of the sequence which recreating a combat search and rescue mission over the jungle. You really did have to use you imagination for the actual rescue with the part of a US Army helicopter played by an Airbus H125 Écureuil which dramatically appeared out of the trees. Fortunately, the atmosphere created by the pyrotechnics, sound effects and period american rock music went a long way to create an engaging sequence.
As well as the big set-pieces, there was some really pleasing warbird solo displays. RAF Station Czechoslovakia’s Avro Anson I made its Le Ferté debut performing quite a remarkable solo routine complete with smoke flown by Richard Santus. Another RAF type in the display was the Supermarine Spitfire IX LZ842 owned by Mark Bennett and flown on this occasion by Jim Scholfield. This is a particularly rare survivor being the earliest Mark IX currently airworthy. The aircraft also wears its original markings when it was flown by Canadian Bill Olmstead as part of 232 squadron in support of the Allied invasion of Sicily. There was also a punchy display from the Morane-Saulnier MS406C-1 (actually a Swiss built EKW D-3801) from Association Morane Charlie Fox representing L’armee de l’air front line during the early stages of the Second World War.
The D-Day landings, or Débarquement, were marked with two military variants of the Douglas DC-3, the Douglas C-47B Skytrain from Association ‘Un Dakota sur la Normandie’ and the C-53 Skytrooper from Musée Aéronautique de Bretagne. The former aircraft started the sequence with a solo display at the end of which the C-53 appeared high in the overhead to deposit parachutists from La section technique de l’armee de terre (STAT). They performed a jump under modern flyable canopies but in full battle gear with their bergens slung beneath them. The C-47 and C-53 then returned for some photogenic passes in close formation to close their contribution to the flying.
However, it was two other set-piece displays that provided the real star turns of the 2026. The Luftwaffe sequence traditionally sees three aircraft from the AJBS stable take to the air; the Fiesler Fi156 Storch, the Junkers Ju52/3M and the Pilatus P-2 playing the role of a Messerschmitt Bf109. However, for 2026 they were joined by the stunning genuine Messerschmitt Bf109E-4/N flown by Charlie Brown. This aircraft is owned by historic car collector Eberhard Tiessen and was recovered from Titovka near Murmansk, Russia in 1993. It had been flying with 5./JG 5 during the German invasion of Russia during the second world war and crash landed on 24th January 1942 following combat with Soviet Hawker Hurricanes. Restoration started in the UK in 2003 but moved to Germany in 2007 where the aircraft was completed. Compared to the growling DB605 engined Messerschmitt Bf109G aircraft that have been seen before, the DB601 engine in the Bf109E sounds much sweeter and Charlie put the aircraft through some gentle barrel rolls. On Sunday, the Bf109E also joined the Spitfire IX for some formation passes.
The second big moment of the flying displays was a display to mark the legacy of Caudron Aviation. This in the pre-show show publicity was perhaps overlooked with just the Caudron C109 and C270 mentioned. They did indeed fly together in a combined display over the weekend. However, on the day before the show news broke that the recreation of the Caudron-Renault C460 Rafale would make its flying display debut at the show. The C460 Rafale was built for the 1934 Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe air race and was fitted with a supercharged Renault 456 six-cylinder engine. Issues with the retractable undercarriage handicapped the aircraft in the 1934 race, but the C460 won the 1935 race. The aircraft also saw success in the US winning the Greve and Thompson Trophy contests in 1936. The replica was initially built in 2008 by Aerocraftsmen in the United States after being commissioned by Tom Wathen and flew in 2009. It appeared at that year’s Paris Air Show before returning to the US. In 2023, it was purchased by Renault and appeared again as a static exhibit at the Paris Air Show. It has subsequently been refurbished by Renault into airworthy condition. It is now a centrepiece of a Renault promotional project linking its racing heritage to its current luxury electric SUV, the Rafale. It first appeared in the air over Le Ferté as a solo display speeding its way up and down the display line which a trio of historic Renault record breaking cars paraded in front of the crowd. Once the other two Caudrons had landed, it reappeared leading France’s current frontline combat aircraft, the Dassault Rafale C flown by Captain Alexandre “Rocky” Roeckel – a very different Rafale duo and a moment that really captured the attention of the crowd. Rocky went on the fly his new solo sequence for 2026 in the attractively painted display jet which continues the very high standards set by Rafale displays over the years.
The 2026 edition of Le Temp des Helices was brought to a close with a biplane balbo. This featured four Stampe SV4s, four Bucker Jungmanns, five Boeing-Stearman Kaydets and five Pitts Specials fill the evening sky after an impressive aerobatic solo from a Lycoming powered Jungmann. It was a very fitting finale to a very fine edition of the show which while a little short on the more powerful warbirds, was a hugely rewarding weekend in the French sunshine. There are few other places you get to enjoy such a strong and passionate aviation culture.
