Flying Blue (Air France, KLM, and Other Partners) - TLS Blagnac Visitors Centre & Airbus Factory Tour

Hi -

I am looking for up-to-date info on TLS/Airbus factory tours. The existing threads are a bit old.

I see the following 3 tours available at http://www.manatour.fr/Let-s-visit-Airbus-The-shop
#1 Airbus A380 tour
#2 Heritage tour
#3 Panoramic tour

My impression/guess is:
#1 is as described on the website (presentation, then some time in the assembly building viewing gallery) - I found some FT threads on that
#2 this seems to be a 90 min guided tour around the Caravelle, Concorde & A300B. I am guessing this is a walking tour, around the heritage aircraft parking area.
#3 Looks like a bus tour around the whole facility, looking at the Airbus factory apron, etc.

Questions:
a) Is there just a "visitor centre" that you can visit, with apron views, or views of the heritage area? If so, what does it cost and can you visit without booking a tour?
b) The Heritage tour has photos of an aircraft park, with Caravelle, Concorde & A300B, but also about 20 other smaller aircraft - can you enter this area, and look around without booking on a tour? Or, can you get to the car park next to it and look through the fencing, or, is this only available on a tour?
c) If you book the Heritage tour, are you close enough to the apron to see Airbus delivery aircraft around, and/or see any A380 activity?
d) If you book #1 (Airbus A380) can you also get to the heritage aircraft park, or do you need to book 2 tours (and pay 2 sets of costs)?

e) Any general recommendations?

Sorry, but the website http://www.manatour.fr/Let-s-visit-Airbus-The-shop doesn't quite answer these questions and obviously wants to sell tours.

Calling henkybaby

OK - just back from TLS. I thought I should update with some facts:

#1 The A380 tour is at the northern Airbus facility (NE side of the airfield). It was highly enjoyable lead by an extremely knowledgable guide, consisting of:
a) about 20 minutes in a computer room seeing some videos, etc.
b) about 40 minutes in the A380 assembly building viewing deck, plus an exterior viewing deck over the apron test area
c) about 20 minutes in the A380 interior mock-up

Signs & announcements mentioned no cameras, but there were no checks, X-rays, or bag searches, so quite a few people on the tour quietly and unobstrusively tooks a few photos inside the assembly building.

You do not drive around the airfield - about 100m from the NE guardhouse into the assembly facility, and then out again. You don't get to cruise around the apron or see the vintage aircraft.


#2 The collection of vintage aircraft (Concorde, Caravelle, A300B, etc.) are at the southern Airbus facility (at St Martin du Touch). You can indeed get right up to the fence next to these aircraft without paying (about 5m from the aircraft). Assuming you are driving, go as follows:
a) Head west from Blagnac terminals a couple of km on N124 (2 line highway), and exit for St Martin du Touch.
b) The exit leads you onto a small roundabout with some trees on it (Rond-point de la Crabe). The will clearly see the Airbus factory beyond the roundabout.
c) From the roundabout you will see gates into the Airbus facility, leading into a road called Chemin de l'Espeissiere. Proceed through these first set of white gates and turn immediately right into the visitor parking (this is a huge parking area). The turning to the visitor parking is just before the guardhouse, so you can freely enter the visitor parking as if you were a business visitor to Airbus.
d) Drive to the furthest end of the visitor parking (farthest away from the guardhouse) and you will be right by the fencing next to the Concorde, Caravelle, etc.

The current GoogleEarth satellite photo does not show the current position of these aircraft.

YMMV