In this April 2026 issue, the magazine’s editorial team pays tribute to Marcel Dassault, who passed away exactly forty years ago. The cover story focuses on nuclear-powered aircraft.
On April 17, 1986, Marcel Dassault passed away after an exceptional life dedicated to aeronautics, progress, technology, and… France! To mark the 40th anniversary of the death of the founder of Dassault Aviation, “Le Fana de l’aviation” dedicates a lengthy feature to the life of the youngest of four children named Bloch. A young man who took his first steps in aeronautics upon graduating from the École supérieure d’aéronautique et de construction mécanique in 1913. What followed? The design of the Éclair propeller in 1915, the founding of the Société d’études aéronautiques in 1917 with Henry Potez, then the Société des avions Marcel Bloch in the 1930s, the first factories, the Mirage, the Falcon, the Rafale… In short, a meteoric rise recounted here and a prominent role in French aeronautics that never wavered throughout his entire life!
Also in the magazine, don’t miss the cover feature (featuring a nuclear-powered Northrop illustrated by Julien Lepelletier) on nuclear-powered aircraft (complete with numerous diagrams and illustrations that couldn’t be more educational) and learn more about the secrets of the F-19 fighter (by the way, did it really exist?). Also in the pages of the monthly magazine, take to the skies with an exceptional Warbird, the Wildcat; witness the unveiling of the XB-46, a four-engine jet that has fallen into obscurity; and rediscover the attack on Libya aboard the F-111s. And so many other topics, such as books recommended by the editorial staff or model kits to assemble.
Magazine. “Le Fana de l’aviation” No. 677. Éditions Larivière. April 2026.