2003 - Paris Air Show 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 Dateline June 2003 - Chino reported... " It happens to be the Paris Air Show this week, and since I was in the neighborhood, I decided to go. This air show is held only every two years and it is THE major international event for the aerospace industry. I was amazed at the number of exhibits, aircraft displays, and aerial demonstrations. No American aircraft were flying because the U.S. was apparently thumbing its nose at France. - MiGMan - Such is the petty way foreign policy is wielded by the great power in the 21ist Century! The snub was over the disagreements prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. - But no great loss, I've seen the American aircraft. I watched flights by Rafale, Gripen, Mirage 2000, and EuroFighter, among others. The Rafale is a beautiful jet, even sitting on the ground. The disappointment was no Russian aircraft except a few trainers and Sukhoi aerobatic planes. - MiGMan - The Russians were avoiding the Swiss bailiffs who had almost confiscated an Su-27 at a recent show - .		Best of all, I waited in line for an hour to sit in the cockpit of the EuroFighter full-size mockup. In line I chatted up the security guy (a Brit, relieved to hear English I guess, even American style). I told him I'm a private pilot and had spent many hours on EF 2000 sims on my PC. He then spoke to another staff person and got me into their simulator building! I met two German EF pilots and got to fly some A2A and a landing! READ ON
The contents of this website are copyright © 1998 - 2007 by MiGMan