Paris Air Show

In 1908, Wilbur Wright astounded France's best aviators with a series of demonstrations at LeMans, inside what is now the famous motorsport circuit. By 1909, the French had recovered sufficiently to make a historic flight across the English Channel, establish the first air race, and inaugurate what many claim is still the greatest air show in the world -- Le Salon Internationale de l'Aeronautique et de l'Espace, better known as the Paris Air Show. This fantastic photohistory celebrates the show's entire nine-plus decades by examining the greatest moments in aviation history as witnessed at the industry's signature event. In addition to tracing the show's origins, this retrospective showcases all the great aircraft and aviators that debuted there, as well as those which made only one showing before fading into oblivion.