Parachute City and Light Aviation, Skydiving center and aviation museum in Lons, France
Parachute City and Light Aviation combines an active skydiving operation with exhibition spaces displaying historical aircraft and parachuting gear across multiple halls. The facility sits on a former airfield and serves both people seeking jumps and those wanting to explore the collections.
The center opened in the early 1990s after converting a former agricultural airfield into a specialized aviation hub. This change allowed the site to preserve and showcase local aviation traditions through both operations and exhibitions.
The museum section tells the story of French aviation through displayed light aircraft, parachutes, and technical papers that reveal how the local aviation industry grew.
Visitors can book tandem jumps from Wednesday to Sunday, with safety briefings provided in multiple languages before each flight. The grounds are also open for museum visits, and the exhibitions can be explored without prior booking.
The collection includes restored vintage training parachutes that show how safety technology changed over the decades. Visitors can directly compare the physical differences between early models and modern equipment.
Location: Lons
Address: Chem. d'Astra, 64140 Lons, France
Phone: +33559404919
Website: http://museedesparachutistes.com
GPS coordinates: 43.34628,-0.38702
Latest update: December 6, 2025 17:49
Pau, the historic capital of Béarn, preserves notable traces of its royal past. The 14th-century castle, birthplace of Henry IV, overlooks the city and stands as the centerpiece of the local heritage. The Boulevard des Pyrénées offers views of the mountain range and connects several landmarks. The city maintains several museums, including the Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Musée Bernadotte, housed in the French marshal's birthplace. Religious buildings such as the Saint-Martin and Saint-Jacques churches, along with the historic Parlement de Navarre, document urban development over the centuries. The funicular railway, opened in 1908, links the upper town with the railway station district. Pau also features sports and recreational facilities including the racecourse, the Circuit Pau Arnos, and the national stud farm in the adjacent commune of Gelos. Parc Beaumont and the Forêt de Bastard provide green spaces within the city limits. In Lescar, a few miles away, a medieval settlement maintains its own historical character.
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