We’re back with more photos from the 2011 Paris Air Show in Le Bourget. Grab your backpack and bottled water and join us for a quick tour of what caught our eye today.
The weather proved better today than yesterday, providing attendees with better viewing conditions at Le Bourget. In spite of the improvement, wind conditions prevented the long-awaited demonstration of Bertrand Piccard’s Solar Impulse. Here, Boeing’s new 747-B.
Airbus’s A400 and the Air Force C5 went head-to-head on the tarmac.
BRICS countries were well-represented at Le Bourget; here, the Chinese display.
Executives examine two UAV offerings from Cassidian.
In addition to China, Indian companies were represented; Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s chalet flew the country’s colors.
Russia also brought a large contingent of companies, including Sukhoi and MIG in addition to this helicopter display.
UAVs also were part of many displays; here a joint effort by Dassault and BAE systems, of France and Great Briain, respectively, sits with a photo of the heads of state of both countries, Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron.
The State Department displayed a Predator Drone it uses for domestic missions.
Controls of the State Department Predator.
Another big draw at this year’s Paris Air Show is celebrated aviator Bertrand Piccard’s Solar Impulse airplane, powered completely by the sun. Weather conditions prevented a demonstration of the plane’s operations today.
(Here, we can see the cramped cockpit in which pilot Andr Borschberg flew from Brussels to Paris.)
Christoph Schlettig, Flight Test Engineer for the Solar Impulse project, explains the operation to guests.
Fighter jets are a perennial attraction at Le Bourget.
The Main Drag at Le Bourget.
The “Petit Train” used to take visitors across the tarmac was dwarfed by an Air Force C5.
Members of the military were, as always, well-represented.
So ends another day here at the Paris Air Show 2011.
