Note travel bag and open luggage compartment in nose. Miles sold 170 Geminis but still went bankrupt in 1947. This airframe sold to the Fournier-Ferrier company as F-BENP in February 1948. To users in Algeria from 1950. F-BENP stricken in 1965. Photo from: Bibliothèque nationale de France - Gallica

While the French industry was struggling to recover, the British could show state-of-the-art war machines at the 1946 Salon. VB857 was a Sea Fury prototype begun by Boulton-Paul, but with the end of the war in sight, Sea Fury production at Boulton-Paul was cancelled and VB857 was completed by Hawker. Of the two Gloster Meteor F.4s, the rear one with the long-span wing is EE549, then holder of the official absolute world speed record at 991 km/h (616 mph). Photo from: Bibliothèque nationale de France - Gallica

The MS.560 was a single-seat aerobatic trainer first flown on 1 September 1945. This prototype had a 75-hp Train engine and a retractable tricycle undercarriage. Also F-WBBB. On the right, F-BBGB is an MS.571, developed from the MS.560 through the two-seat MS.570 and having room for a third seat or bench in the back. Only prototypes of these aircraft plus a few more MS.571s were built. On the left is an early MS.472 Vanneau. Photo from: Bibliothèque nationale de France - Gallica

Plenty of interest - from the general public - for the prototype of the stylish but ill-fated F.25 air taxi. It had first flown one month earlier. Sales were handled by Frits Diepen's organisation. Top left is a SUC-10 Courlis, a similar aircraft. Below that is a model of the Fokker F.26 Phantom jetliner design. On the panel behind the F.25 there are photos of Fokker's late 1930s combat aircraft. The panel on the right introduces the S.11 trainer, which first flew in December 1947. Photo from: Nationaal Archief (Netherlands)