AJBS

What AJBS does

AJBS (Amicale Jean Baptiste Salis) is a French nonprofit association founded circa 1972 and headquartered at the historic La Ferté-Alais airfield, approximately 50 km south of Paris. The association's core activity is organizing and operating the annual 'Le Temps des Hélices' airshow, held since 1970 at Pentecost and featuring approximately 100 aircraft in flight demonstrations and 150 in static exhibition, including WWI and WWII warbirds, rare examples such as the Douglas Skyraider, Caudron GIII, Douglas DC-3, Pilatus, and now a recently restored Stampe. AJBS maintains an in-house restoration workshop that returns vintage aircraft to airworthy condition, with documented return-to-flight milestones (Pilatus in 2014, Skyraider in 2015, Stampe in March 2026).

The business model is event-anchored and diversified across five revenue streams: transaction-based event ticket sales (€28-€32 adult pricing tiers via BilletWeb/Weezevent), hardware/DVD and merchandise sales through boutique.ajbs.fr, recurring membership dues, donations and corporate sponsorship (notably from Airbus and Crédit Agricole Île-de-France), and transaction-based flight experiences (baptêmes) aboard historic aircraft including JU-52 and AN-2. Supporting products include the bimonthly 'TDH' (Temps des Hélices) digital webzine, professional meeting DVDs produced by partner Vidéotracks, and a branded merchandise boutique featuring items such as the Skyraider polo (€70).

The association serves a hybrid audience combining general public/aviation enthusiasts (primary) and warbird owners/operators (secondary), with additional participation from French military units (Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace, Marine Nationale) and aerospace partners (Airbus, Dassault Aviation). Governance is overseen by a bureau and conseil d'administration, with Cyrille Valente serving as President following the June 2023 passing of founder Jean Salis ('Jeannot'). The association is independent, with no parent company, no equity funding, and no disclosed revenue figures; operating status is active with the 2026 edition of the meeting in preparation.

Name

AJBS

Legal name

Amicale Jean Baptiste Salis

Website

https://ajbs.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AJBS is a French nonprofit aviation heritage association that organizes the annual 'Le Temps des Hélices' airshow at La Ferté-Alais, maintaining and flying a collection of vintage warbirds and serving aviation enthusiasts, warbird operators, and corporate sponsors across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cerny (La Ferté-Alais)

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: Revenue from annual airshow attendance including exhibition static displays and flying demonstrations. Tickets sold online via Weezevent/BilletWeb platforms and at the gate.
2. DVD and Merchandise Sales: Sale of meeting DVDs (produced by Vidéotracks), branded merchandise including polos, and other aviation-themed products through the online boutique.
3. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees supporting the association's mission of preserving historic aviation heritage.
4. Donations and Sponsorship: Support from partners including Airbus and Crédit Agricole, plus public donations to support aircraft restoration projects.
5. Flight Experiences: Sale of flight experience vouchers ('baptêmes') aboard historic aircraft including JU-52 and AN-2 during the meeting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AJBS is a French nonprofit aviation heritage association that organizes the annual Le Temps des Hélices airshow at the Cerny-La Ferté-Alais airfield, featuring flying demonstrations and static exhibitions of approximately 100 historic and military aircraft. It maintains and restores a collection of vintage warbirds (Skyraider, Caudron GIII, Pilatus, DC-3, Stampe) through its on-site workshop, and sells supporting products including the TDH webzine, professionally produced meeting DVDs, branded merchandise, and paid aerial flight experiences aboard historic aircraft.

Product overview

AJBS (Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis) is a historical aviation preservation association that operates a single unified offering centered on organizing the annual 'Le Temps des Hélices' airshow at Cerny-La Ferté Alais. The organization maintains and flies a collection of vintage aircraft and produces related content including the TDH digital web magazine and meeting DVDs. Supporting services include the AJBS merchandise boutique and air baptism flight experiences. The core product is the annual airshow event, supplemented by digital publications, video products, and merchandise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Le Temps des Hélices: Le Temps des Hélices (LTDH) is the name of the annual air show organized by AJBS, typically held over the Pentecost weekend at Cerny-La Ferté Alais.
• TDH (Temps des Hélices)

Quantifiable outcome

• 55+ years of continuous operation since 1970
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• Chalair AviationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Provides round-trip flight tickets as prizes in the photo competition. Annual partner for the meeting photography contest.
• Éditions PaquetminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Publisher partner providing books and comics as prizes in the photo competition.
• Dassault AviationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Aerospace manufacturer providing support for photo competition prizes.
• Le Fana de l'AviationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Aviation magazine providing subscription prizes for photo competition winners.
• Armée de l'Air et de l'EspacemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023French Air and Space Force participates with aircraft displays including Rafale, C-160 Transall, and A400M. Active participant in the annual meeting flying program.
• Marine NationalemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023French Navy participates with aircraft displays including Rafale Marine. Active participant in the annual meeting flying program.
• D-Day Wings Museum de CaenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership established following the sale of the AJBS Beech 18 accident cell to the museum. The aircraft was reassembled and is now on display for museum visitors.
• AirbusmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAirbus is listed as a permanent partner of the AJBS, visible on the website partner section. The partnership provides support for the association's mission of aviation heritage preservation.
• Crédit Agricole Île-de-FrancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrédit Agricole Île-de-France is listed as a permanent partner of the AJBS, visible on the website partner section. The bank provides mecenat/sponsorship support.
• VidéotrackscoreTechnology or IntegrationProfessional video production company that produces DVDs of each annual meeting. Team installs cameras on the ground and aboard aircraft during demonstrations to create documentary films.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Flying Bulls: Austrian-based heritage aircraft collection operated by Red Bull, featuring airworthy warbirds including DC-6, P-38 Lightning, and B-25. Performs at European airshows alongside collections like AJBS and serves as both competitor and frequent collaborator.
• Commemorative Air Force: US-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and flying historic military aircraft. Operates one of the world's largest collections of warbirds, hosts airshows, and runs an active restoration program, directly comparable to AJBS's heritage aviation mission.
• Flying Heritage Collection: US-based warbird and combat aircraft collection founded by Paul Allen. Operates rare flying vintage military aircraft and showcases them in public events, similar to AJBS's flying Skyraider and Caudron GIII programs.
• Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome: US heritage aerodrome operating weekly vintage aviation shows featuring pre-WWI and early aviation aircraft. Directly comparable to AJBS in operating seasonal flying demonstrations from a dedicated heritage airfield using vintage aircraft.
• Temora Aviation Museum: Australian warbird collection operating airworthy historic military aircraft and hosting public flying events. Similar operating model to AJBS with government and corporate partnerships supporting aircraft restoration and display.
• Shuttleworth Collection: UK-based vintage aircraft collection and airfield operating regular flying displays featuring historic airworthy aircraft. Closest analog to AJBS as a heritage aviation collection running seasonal airshow events with multiple revenue streams (admissions, memberships, merchandise).
• Imperial War Museum Duxford: Historic airfield in the UK hosting major airshows (Duxford Flying Days, Duxford Air Show) and housing extensive warbird collections. Comparable to AJBS as a heritage aviation venue combining museum, restoration, and flying display activities.
• Planes of Fame Air Museum: US-based warbird museum and collection that maintains many aircraft in flying condition and hosts airshows. Comparable to AJBS through its combination of static collection, active restoration, and flying demonstration programming.

Broad incumbents

• Royal International Air Tattoo: One of the world's largest military airshows held annually at RAF Fairford in the UK. Operates at significantly larger scale than AJBS and focuses on modern military aviation rather than vintage warbirds, but shares the airshow business model and partnership-driven approach.
• EAA AirVenture Oshkosh: Massive annual US airshow and fly-in organized by the Experimental Aircraft Association. Much larger scale than AJBS and broader in scope, but shares the nonprofit, member-supported, volunteer-driven organizational structure and aviation enthusiast audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/155451039030
• Facebookfacebook.com/MeetingAerienLeTempsDesHelices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ajbs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AJBS