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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

Manufacturer’s poster for the Nord 2200, a carrier-based aircraft fighter aircraft developed by SNCAN in response to a 1946 French Navy programme.

The canopy of the first French jet fighter prototype, the ‘Espadon’, had a certain science-fiction feel to it.

Extract from the mid-1950s patent for the pressurised cockpit and ejection system of the Leduc 022 aircraft.

A magnificent poster depicting the early days of aviation, in this case promoting the Rouen air show in 1910

French transport in the 1930s was incredibly elegant... Autorail Bugatti Dewoitine D.338 SS "Normandie" Bugatti "Aerolithe"

Although credit for the centre stick is now attributed to Robert Esnault-Pelterie, Louis Blériot was, as early as 1907, well advanced with the first tests of the ‘Cloche Blériot’, which combined roll, pitch and engine throttle controls into a single component.

Yesterday marked the anniversary of the first crossing of the English Channel by an aeroplane with Louis Blériot on 25 July 1909 in his Blériot XI. The original aircraft that achieved this feat still exists and is on display in the church of the "Musée des Arts et Métiers" in Paris.

The Kolko ACA.5 was a fighter aircraft design developed by SNCAO from 1939 onwards. It was intended to be very compact and easy to manufacture. A model was tested in a wind tunnel in June 1939, but although its performance appeared to be good, the project was cancelled as it was deemed unstable.

A Besson “MB 411” reconnaissance aircraft, specially designed to be carried on board the giant submarine “Surcouf”, alongside the gigantic transatlantic seaplane Laté 521 “Lieutenant de Vaisseau Paris”.

A fictional seaplane from the late 1940s for Air France’s transatlantic routes, the M.A HTCIII-2 “Sterenn”.

Those zero-g flights in the Caravelle looked pretty intense.

The Potez 65/650 was a military version of the Potez 620 airliner. Produced and delivered to the French and Romanian Air Force in 1937, it was the first French aircraft dedicated to troop parachuting.

First test flight of Concorde 001 took place over Toulouse, on 2 March 1969. Concorde landed gently and used the parachute to brake. The pilot, Turcat, declared on leaving the plane: " The machine flies, and I can add that it flies well! " © British Pathé

The Dassault Mercure, one of the rare attempts by the French aircraft manufacturer to produce an airliner, made its first flight in 1971. Similar to the Boeing 737 but faster, only 11 were produced for Air Inter, a victim of the oil crisis and its less versatile short-haul status ©Dassault Aviation

An animated video from the 1960s explaining how the second and third stages of the ‘Diamant A’ rocket work to enable the deployment of the A-1 satellite, or ‘Astérix’, into orbit. © Ecpad

Throughout its long career, the Caravelle was not confined to short- and medium-range service. Several Caravelle 10B3s were modified by the manufacturer at the request of Sterling, which operated a number of Caravelles on regular transatlantic routes between 1970 and 1973.

I’d like to thank the UK team for working together with us to bring this marvellous project to life 🇨🇵🇬🇧

The Nord 2200 was a carrier-based aircraft fighter aircraft developed by SNCAN in response to a 1946 French Navy programme. It flew for the first time on 16 December 1949, but was not selected and was never produced in series.

In 1897, following his studies at the ‘Institut de Chimie Appliquée’, the Peruvian Pedro Eleodoro Paulet Mostajo became the first person to test a liquid-propellant rocket engine on a test bench in a Parisian laboratory. The thrust measured was one kilonewton.

Happy Bastille Day to you all! The Patrouille de France and their AlphaJets flying over the marvellous Mont Saint-Michel in 2019. © Patrouille De France (PAF)

A 1938 advertisement for the Caudron C.440 Goéland. In my opinion, it is one of the most unjustly overlooked French aeroplanes. It was, in fact, one of the most widespread and high-performing commercial aeroplanes of the late 1930s to the early 1950s, with 1,702 units produced.

A map showing the countries that operated "Caravelle", either on passenger routes or for cargo. For an aircraft produced in small numbers (282) and belonging to the first generation of civil jets, this is very impressive... If I’ve forgotten any, please let me know 😅

A ‘Mirage III.C’ in flight in the early 1960s. The III.C variant was designed for fighter and interceptor roles. It was a truly magnificent aircraft. © Ecpad