Aviation Photography - Fontenay-Trésigny

Bregeut Br.763 Provence
Fontenay-Trésigny airfield, France
June 2024

Bregeut Br.763 Provence (No.306 registered F-BASS). Painted in Air France colours as 'F-BACC', it is owned by the Aéro-Club de Chaubuisson.

To the south-east of Paris with the Aéro-Club de Chaubuisson at Fontenay-Trésigny airfield this Bregeut Br.763 Provence (originally registered F-BASS) had previously flown with Air France between 1953 and 1963. In 1964 it was transferred to the Armée de l'Air as No.306 '82-PP' to be utilised for long-distance transport flights and in support of French nuclear testing in the South Pacific.
Withdrawn from service in 1967, it was acquired a year later by the Aéro-Club de Chaubuisson at Fontenay-Trésigny, who re-applied its former Air France colours with the fake registration F-BACC. In 1984 it was converted to the ‘Restaurant Le Bréguet', serving drinks and meals until 2010. Aéro-Club President Denis Defauchy has started talking to Air France hoping to get money to restore this deteriorating survivor, "We really want to do something to preserve it, or if we can't, sell it", he says.

Bregeut Br.763 Provence (No.306 registered F-BASS). Work started on the Breguet 761 double-deck airliner in 1944, designed for medium range with 100 passengers, the prototype flying for the first time in 1949. The French Government ordered 12 production aircraft redesignated Br.763 Provence, six aircraft for Air France and six for the Ministry of Transport, entering service in 1953. An additional four aircraft were delivered to the Armée de l'Air in 1955. Replaced by the Caravelle jet powered airliner, Air France converted them to freighters (Br.763 Universel) which continued in service until 1971.
The Armée de l'Air acquired an additional three pre-production Br.761s along with six from Air France, operated their Br.765 Sahara until 1972. In total 20 Breguet ‘Deux-Ponts' (Two-Decks) were built.
Only three now survive, a Br.765 (No.504) under restoration at Ailes Anciennes Toulouse, another Br.765 (No.501) now restored at Évreux-Fauville Air Base and this derelict Br.763 Provence (F-BASS) at Fontenay-Trésigny airfield.