CANOPEE Museum
(Conservatoire d'Aéronefs Non Opérationnels Préservés et Exposé)
Base Aérienne 279 Châteaudun
February 2012
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| The CANOPEE museum was officially opened in 2006 and houses a collection of around 50 former Châteaudun inmates from previous decades. It is situated within the Châteaudun air base (Base Aérienne 279) the home of Entrepôt de l'Armée de l'air 601 (EAA 601), the French Air Force's aircraft warehouse. Unfortunately, the museum is not currently open to the public. |
| The CANOPEE museum hangar |
Left to right: T-33A Shooting Star (18658 '314-YG').
MS.760 Paris (26).
DHC-6 Twin Otter (790 'CW') it has a 'Multinational Force & Observers' emblem on the nose. |
Left to right:
Republic F-84F Thunderstreak (29117 '1-EQ') The F-84F was developed after the F-84G and was a vastly different aircraft. It was originally designated the YF-96A and was capable of speeds of 695 mph. 2,711 Thunderstreaks were built, 1,301 of which were transferred to Allied air forces in Europe. The Armée de l'Air received its first Thunderstreaks in 1955 a year later they deployed the F-84F during the Suez crisis. The F-84F were replaced by the Mirage III in the mid 1960s.
Dassault MD.450 Ouragan ('2-SC' reported as 231). It was the first French-designed jet fighter-bomber to enter production from April 1948. The fighter first flew on February 28, 1949. In 1950, Dassault received an order for 150 production Ouragans followed by an additional 200 aircraft. The first jet entered service with the Armée de l'Air in 1952, replacing the de Havilland Vampire. By 1961 the Ouragan had been replaced by the Dassault Mystère IV.
Dassault 454 Mystère IVA (278 '8-MB') first flew in 1952 entering service in 1953. 421 of these fighter-bombers were built. The first 50 had Rolls-Royce Tay 250 engines the rest having a French version of the Tay known as the Hispano-Suiza Verdon.
EMB.312F Tucano (498 '312-UQ'). |
Left to right: Sud-Ouest Aviation (SNCASO) SO.4050 Vautour 2N (308 '30-MC').
Fouga CM.170 Magister (486) it has a 'Canopee BA 279 Chateaudun' emblem on the nose.
SEPECAT Jaguar E (E22 '7-HB'). |
| Left to right: Jaguar A (A91 '11-YG') which was damaged by a surface to air missile on January 17, 1991 during the Gulf War. |
Left to right: Rafale C 'Chasseur' (C01) now retired it was the prototype of the C variant first flew on May 19, 1991.
Devoid of all paintwork this Mirage IIIC was seen to be No.7 when you looked at it very closely.
Nord 2501F Noratlas (171) on the ramp outside the museum. |
Note:
These images were taken during a very brief visit to the museum and include images taken in an adjacent hangar, some of those aircraft may not be part of the collection. |
