Angoulème Ruelle

45°40'06"N 000°13'05"E

Runway: 08/26 - 480x60m - grass
Runway: 11/29 - 790x60m - grass

Angoulème Ruelle airfield (French: aérodrome Angoulème Ruelle, also known as Angoulème Bel-Air, ICAO: LFBU) was an airfield 385 kilometers south-southwest of Paris.
The first traces of the existence of this airfield was found in the August 1914 edition of Air-guide of the Flying Club of France. In 1924, the airfield had spread out on the territory of the town of Ruelle, in front of the Bel-Air farm, which temporarily gave it its name.
In 1925, the War Department acquired an additional 6 hectares of land. Yet this still was not enough, which led to the two extensions of 1936 and 1937. 
Another 6 hectares were added to the airfield after World War II, in 1949.


1948, the airfield was just a big field without any runways established. (IGN, via Geoportail.fr)

In 1955, a major air show was organized at what had become a regional airfield of some importance. To the delight of the crowd many aviation activities were to be seen.


Images of the 1955 airshow. Aircraft and the public could still mingle back then (photo kindly provided by christian-claude.com)


A Stampe-Vertonge SV4 at the 1955 airshow (photo kindly provided by christian-claude.com).


Photo of officials and organization team at the 1955 airshow (photo kindly provided by christian-claude.com)


Photo of a Stampe in flight during the 1955 airshow (photo kindly provided by christian-claude.com).


This Fauvel AV 36 flying wing was photographed at the 1955 airshow (christian-claude.com).


After the war, three runways were made, as can be seen from this 1959 photo (source Geoportail.fr).


By 1964, only 2 runways were still used (IGN, via Géoportail)


1981 Aerodrome chart of the airfield (SIA, via Olivier)

With little room for extension, Angoulême-Bel-Air airfield was decommissioned in 1984 and the grounds were  then transferred to the chamber of commerce and industry. In exchange, land and structures of equivalent value were donated to the new airfield of Angoulème Brie-Champniers.


The location of the airfield in 2006, nothing remained of the former airfield (Google Earth).


The airfield in 2010, the place is now occuped by Exhibition and Congress Palace of Angoulême or Espace Carat. (Google Earth)

(Thank very much to Mr. Christian Saffier De Bard for allowing the use of the pictures of the 1955 airshow. Christian has his website at: www.christian-claude.com)