Less than 15 minutes from the château — and only 30 km from Cherbourg — stands one of the most extraordinary buildings in Normandy: a vast concrete airship hangar built for the French Navy during the First World War. Today it is both a listed historic monument and the home of something truly unlike anything else on earth. The Aéroplume is the only place in the world where you can fly by flapping your wings.
The Hangar
Built between 1917 and 1919 to shelter military airships patrolling the English Channel, the Hangar à Dirigeables d’Écausseville is a staggering feat of early 20th-century engineering. At 150 metres long, 40 metres wide and 31 metres high, it is one of the largest reinforced concrete structures of its era. It once housed the French Navy’s airships — tasked with surveilling the Norman coastline and hunting submarines. Classified as a Historic Monument in 2003, its interior is cathedral-like in scale. Standing inside, looking up, you realise how perfectly it was built for flight.
The Aéroplume Experience
Created over 20 years ago by artist and inventor Jean-Pierre David, the Aéroplume is a personal helium-filled airship — around 150 cubic metres of helium in the envelope above you — that you pilot entirely through your own movement. There is no engine, no joystick. You glide effortlessly through the air using only the power of your arms and wings. Beneath the balloon, you feel the unparalleled sensation of being lighter than air. It is, as visitors describe it, the oldest dream of man fulfilled: to fly like a bird.
Here is how it works. You arrive at the hangar, where instructors adjust the blimp to your body type. You are harnessed in — lying face down, arms holding the handle, head forward. Then comes the clever part: small weights are added or removed to find your perfect aerostatic equilibrium — the point at which you float weightlessly, neither rising nor sinking. Without the ballast you would drift straight to the ceiling. Once balanced, your instructor gives you a few simple movements, you take off, and you are free to move forward, backward, and turn by flapping the wings. A safety rope and an instructor on the ground accompany you throughout.
“You truly glide very slowly — and given the size of the hangar, it is quite impressive. The people below look tiny.” The fleet currently runs three Aéroplumes, with a fourth on the way — and this remains the only place in the world where you can fly by flapping your wings.
The activity lasts about 30 minutes in total — 20 minutes of actual flight and 10 minutes of setup, weight adjustment and safety briefing. Open to anyone aged 10 and over, up to 85 kg (188 lbs). No experience required. Comfortable clothing recommended.
Price: €75 per person
Season: Flights resume 11 April · Open daily 9am–5:30pm until 17 August · Wednesday to Sunday from 18 August
Book online: aeroplume.fr
Contact: [email protected] · +33 (0)6 41 98 32 97
Address: Hangar à Dirigeables, La Bazirerie, 50310 Écausseville
See It for Yourself
Getting There
The hangar is a short drive from the château — less than 15 minutes by car. Parking is available on site. Book in advance at aeroplume.fr.