Cold War French airfield buildings

[Mountain goat]

Hi,

 

For a long-term diorama project I am working on I am researching French airfield buildings. 

 

Now if it were an RAF subject I would be spoiled with dimensions and other data that are easily available on the internet. But French subjects less so - at least to me, my command of French is very poor so it's more difficult to search French content - let alone posting on French forums.

 

I wonder if anyone reading this can point me in the right direction.

What I am looking for is:

-the dimensions of the different types of hangars used by the Armée de l'Air, and specifically this type of hangar, seen here in Reims (photo url: http://bdd.deltareflex.com/cns_affiche.php?image=1123)

 

- and the dimensions of the typical French hardened aircraft shelter, variously referred to as an Hangar Durci, Hangarette Durci, or Abri Bétonnée (I'm guesstimating 13m base width?):

 

A big thank you in advance!

Jay

[Mancunian airman]

I belong to a French modelling site and one chap has built a massive diorama that I think you are planning, I shall find a link for you  . . .

[Mountain goat]

Cheers - that would be great!

 

Jay

[AlexHunger]

I realise the response is now 5 years late. 

I just completed the first of 2 French Abri Durci for Diorama purposes. I was lucky to talk to some French specialists and get some photos. 

There is one standard width of around 16-17 meters (depends on the light) and there are effectively 2 standard length of 28 and 36 meters, depending if you are parking a Mirage III/2000 or Mirage IVA size aircraft. In 1/72 I used a 25 cm diameter sewer pipe which I resized by softening it with a heat gun to bring it to a 22 cm diameter.

I suggest you use google earth to take screen shots and measurements of either the former Air Bases of Entzheim or Toul Rosiere. Cambrai had a Mirage IVA shelter, but just in the last month Google Earth was updated and Cambrai got completely flatened for redevelopment.

There is a box like structure in the back for redirecting the jet exhaust. Again one standard and one bigger one for Mirage IVA. In the 1970s and early 80s, they didn't have the sliding door in front, but had a frame for suspending 2 camouflage nets which were manually pulled back by pulleys. The jet exhaust structure was adapted with louvers to protect against NBC.

All the HAS I've seen had a round hard stand in front for turning the aircraft, which the French called a Margarite (Daisy).