Jets, Helicopters, and Airliners Flash Their Skills at the Paris Air Show

[Announcer] If you're looking for the stars

of the aviation world, the biggest airliners,

the fiercest fighters, the swankiest private jets,

and the smartest drones,

well, pack your bags and head to France.

The Paris Air Show held every two years

at Le Bourget airport ranks among with biggest gatherings

for the chieftains of the aviation industry.

For one week, the little airport to the north of the capital

hosts a fantastic flying display.

(plane engines in distance)

This year, the F-35, the eternal Boeing vs. Airbus fight,

and the french Blue Angels equivalent,

the Patrouille de France, were among the highlights.

At air shows, military jets rule.

Lockheed's F-35 joint strike fighter

showed off it's maneuverability for the first time

with a load of beautiful after-burner

and some stomach-churningly tight turns.

(playful music)

Dassault avation's Rafale

trailed smoke during its aerobatics

as did this somewhat calmer glider,

the F-F-V-V Swift S-21.

(playful music)

And the Embraer E-195-E2, the company's biggest plane

to date got plenty of attention, mainly for this paint job.

Crowds of up to 200,000 gathered to watch,

along with the guys in suits,

the politicians and representatives from airlines

who make their big purchasing announcements worth billions.

Boeing showed off a new 737, the MAX 9,

which only flew for the first time earlier this year,

and it announced an even longer 737 MAX 10.

The new plane already has an archrival though.

In Paris, Airbus was pushing its updated A321neo.

There's much less enthusiasm and fewer orders

for big twin aisle jets these days.

Airbus flew its A380 for the crowd.

It's the world's largest passenger plane,

but it also promised an update,

the A380plus, which will have more seats

and winglets designed to cut fuel consumption 4%.

And let's not forget the drones, the flying cars,

and the odd machines that defy conventional classification,

which for the first time are

moving beyond concepts and into reality.

There's a whole section of the show devoted to them.

Paris Air Lab, the Workhorse SureFly was

just one very nearly real flying car.

Traditional planes may still have

a lot of miles left in them,

but these machines are showing the next generation

of aviation and the folks at the Paris Air Show

are gearing up to be ready for that future.

(playful music)