On the famous Nationale 7, at the Rond-point de Villepré in Montélimar, a Mirage III shows you the direction of the Airplane Museum, whose purpose is to "To preserve the aeronautical heritage in order to present it to the public for educational and cultural purposes; to assemble ancient aircraft, civil or military; to restore and preserve the said aircraft and associated equipment in order to present them to the public; ensure the proper functioning of the infrastructure and equipment in place".
As soon as you arrive in the entrance hall of the museum, you will be greeted by 2 planes (1 Stampe, biplane plane, and 1 glider from which the interlining has been removed so that you can discover what is hidden underneath...), a Balloon pod as well as models and Scale models at various scales.
Entering the Swiss hall, you can approach 3 Mirage but also an exhibition on the Crusader (made available by a member of the association)... as if you were on an aircraft carrier!
Come discover a flight simulator in which Air Force pilots trained many years ago! Or take your picture in the front cell of a two-seater Mirage F1...
Upon leaving this first hangar, you will access the outdoor collection, and will be able to discover the last plane arrived during the 1st quarter 2022, a C160 Transall.
When you approach the Museum of Military Transmissions, which brings together onboard or portable radio stations from different countries, you will be greeted by a Cotal-type radar. In this West Hangar, you will also see the French Air Force training aircraft.
You can get close to the aircraft in the various hangars of the site which house part of the collections [including a giant diorama dedicated to the 1st GMS (Groupement de Missiles Stratégiques) of the Albion plateau that you will find in the South hangar under the Mirage IV ].
Throughout your visit, you will discover various exhibitions: weapons, models (from the scale 1/5th to 1/72nd), engines, radars, mannequins, etc.
You can also approach the DC3 of General Montgomery restored a few years ago, but also the Broussard restored during the 1st lockdown, an F104 arrived in early 2020 and a Mirage III of Argenteuil (exit of the workshops scheduled for early September 2022)!
You can visit the Caravelle, sit on one of the seats and dream that you will fly to the destination of your choice! A small museum about this aircraft is also set up inside and you will have the opportunity to see the cockpit through a glass door.
From an observation passageway, you can observe the restoration workshop from which the planes emerge with their new colors.
In the north hangar you can discover a dozen devices and access to the front cell of a DC7 with access for people with reduced mobility.
So, have a nice flight...