White mice or flying elephants?
It is well known, some breed white mice, and others prefer flying elephants (of course there are such things! Here, here, you send a landing gear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=851g-XrhJgA Then... !).
In short, all this to say that, if you want to raise white mice, you can settle for a small cage, but for flying elephants, you have to plan much, much, much, much bigger!
Hence the very gigantic hangar that you can admire in Ecausseville, designed for airships... sometimes called "flying elephants"!
It's big!
The website of this famous hangar may exaggerate a little by describing "a huge cathedral of iron and concrete", because, frankly, it is difficult to find the slightest Romanesque door, or the slightest Gothic façade there! But, still... it's really big! 150 meters long, 30 meters high, 40 meters wide, nothing less!
It is entirely in concrete, covered with 3552 reinforced cement tiles, and this architecture is unique in the world.
It is a listed historical monument, and this is perfectly justified for itself, as well as for the 100 years of history it represents.
It belongs to the Cotentin urban community, and is managed by the association of friends of the Ecousseville airship hangar.
During the First World War, and in order to fight German submarines, airships were housed in 12 centres like this one, which is the last example.
A building of this importance, and of this age, obviously needs maintenance and repairs, if only to maintain public access. A subscription was therefore launched with the support of the Heritage Foundation.
Fly!
During your visit, you can use a flight simulator, with which you can choose to travel by plane, ULM, and airship, of course, by choosing a day, night, twilight, and to different destinations!
Finally, very unusual, you can use the Aéroplume, the first machine that really allows man to fly... by flapping his wings! You will find yourself in a perfect balance between your weight, the ballast, and the balloon under which you are sitting on your stomach, and, in this weightlessness, your wings will make you evolve!
Association des Amis du Hangar à Dirigeables d'Ecausseville
Tél. : 02 33 08 56 02
Ecausseville (Manche)
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