Since 1973, the international air meeting has been the long-awaited event for insiders and amateurs alike. Every 2 years, an air show is offered for 8 hours in the skies of Roanne. Mirage, Rafale, Tornado, Patrouille de France… The most impressive planes offer a spectacular ballet! A day where we have our heads in the stars, amazed by this magnificent painting.
Next edition in 2025
The fiftieth anniversary meeting
The year 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of this international event! Since 1973, every 2 years, the air meeting takes place at theRoanne airport.
This year, reserve your September 17 for a day of spectacle and beauty in the skies of Roanne.
Like every edition, the many visitors enjoy more than 8 hours of air shows with more than 80 presentations.
A program around 3 tables
Le meeting in Roanne since its creation has built its program around 3 usual tables: the planes of the 1st World War 2nd World War and contemporary.
Saturday program
The “small meeting” takes place on Saturday from 14 p.m. to 17 p.m. For 3 hours, an interesting aeronautical program is offered to the public. We start at 14 p.m. with a tilting ULM flight “flying with the birds”, then solo or duo aerobatics will follow. Presentations of twin-jets or jet engine devices will take place.
Sunday program
The Sunday program takes place during the day. For 8 hours, a quality air show will delight the public. We must remember the different parts of this day:
- Roanne aeronautical villa, from 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.,
- The Pioneers, the interwar period and popular aviation, from 13:15 p.m. to 14 p.m.,
- The Second World War, from 14:15 p.m. to 14:35 p.m.,
- Aerobatic aviation, from 14:35 p.m. to 15:35 p.m.,
- The Wings of Silence, from 15:35 p.m. to 16 p.m.,
- Vertical flight and military aviation, from 16:05 p.m. to 18 p.m.,
- The finale: the Patrouille de France from 18 p.m.
Ticketing
This year an online ticket office is open to reserve your places either at the “Pack Weekend”, at the “Small meeting on Saturday September 16” or at the “Meeting of the fiftieth anniversary”.
![Patrouille Stearman Meeting aérien Roanne]()
Stearman Patrol ![A 400M Meeting aérien Roanne]()
At 400m
DID YOU KNOW ?
Bertrand Butin, known as Bubu, is the air force's rafale pilot and will be present at the 24e meeting. He is a pilot from Roanne who was trained by the aeronautical clubs of our territory.
A meticulous organization
Icare, the Inter-Club Aéronautique du Roannais organizes this event. This associative structure brings together the aeronautical clubs that are members of the Roanne platform. Each year, ICAR works to present a quality show and make the 20000 expected visitors dream.
The organization of this famous meeting is 300 volunteers present before and on the day of the event.
4 questions to Roland Labrosse, meeting communication manager
Can you tell us about the organization of a meeting?
The Roanne meeting is organized by the association ICAR (Inter Club Aéronautique Roannais), it federates all the clubs of the airport platform. 300 volunteers work to make this great celebration of aviation possible. The first organizational meeting for this major event took place in August 2022. Since then, each department has been working on the implementation of its sector: general coordination, sponsorship, air platform, communication... Safety is always a top priority both in terms of concerning aerial activities and for the large public present.
How is Roanne a "land of aerial vocation" as mentioned on the 2023 poster?
A recent evaluation brings to nearly 400 the number of people passed by the Roanne clubs having made a career in aviation! A good illustration of this will be given this year: the Rafale Solo Display demonstrator pilot, Bertrand Butin, is from Roanne, trained in Roanne wings. The training tradition continues with, each year, college and high school students from Roanne schools preparing for the BIA (Aeronautical Initiation Certificate).
This year, the meeting celebrates its 50th anniversary, can you already reveal some elements of the program?
50 years of air festivals… It is indeed an important moment for our clubs and our territory. The Roanne meeting is internationally recognized for the quality of its organization and its air platform. This year it will be particularly supplied with:
- The Patrouille de France,
- The Rafale,
- the A400M,
- Marine,
- Airplanes of all ages, especially those from the Second World War…
What is your best memory of a meeting since its creation?
A very difficult answer as the meetings have given us chills since 1973, so I'll give you a few:
- The majestic flight of the A380 in 2014 flying so slowly over the terrain that everyone wonders how it stays in the air,
- The British Harrier, a vertical take-off plane, suspended above the runway,
- The majestic ballet of glider patrols,
- And of course the Patrouille de France which has closed the event since 1973.
Lucile's opinion
Roanne is an aerial land, we are lucky to have an airport. This festival aims to bring people together both for the local population and for tourists coming specifically for this event. Beyond a fabulous show where you feel very small, it's a marvelous party where everyone dreams in the same direction, eyes towards the sky.
