Aero-Club de France

The Aéro-Club de France is an aviation association based in Paris, France. It calls itself the first aeronautical institution in the world and a living memory of one of humanity's great adventures.

The club is open to individuals and to organisations, who can join by filling in a membership form. Its work is split between specialist commissions. These cover ballooning and airships, space flight, the Air Cadets, seaplane flying, technical innovation, youth and education, medals, aviation medicine, air shows, heritage, pilots with disabilities, and solidarity and humanitarian work. Others look after history, arts and letters, plus events and the future of flying.

Prizes are a large part of its work. The Grand Prix Innovation Air et Espace is a yearly award, and the 2026 edition was open for applications. The Grand Prix du Patrimoine rewards work to protect aviation heritage. The club also gives literary prizes, a comic book prize and the Prix Jacques Balsan. Its Concours des Jeunes Artistes invites young people to take part in a national art contest.

The club keeps the memory of aviation alive. The company has a timeline, a history section and pages on anniversary events. A media library holds photos, videos and a collection of oral testimonies from people in the field. The club also publishes a magazine called the Revue des Pionniers de l'Avenir, with issue 153 online.

For the public, the club lists events and exhibitions, aviation news and the 2026 calendar of air shows. It supports a number of causes and projects, and it organises shows.

Visitors can write to the club by post or by the online contact form. Messages for a commission can be sent to the right team if the sender names it.

Services

• Membership for individuals and organisations
• Grand Prix Innovation Air et Espace
• Grand Prix du Patrimoine
• Literary prizes
• Young artists contest
• Air show calendar
• Magazine
• Oral testimony collection
• Events and exhibitions