Aeronautics and Astronautics Museum of Spain
Encyclopedia
The Aeronautics and Astronautics Museum of Spain, in Spanish
Museo de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica o Museo del Aire, is a aviation museum
located in the outskirts of Madrid
at Cuatro Vientos Airport
, Spain
. The museum was founded in 1981 and offers 6 exhibition galleries and it has 130 aircrafts on display.
The museum facilities extend over a surface of more than 66,000 m2 including outdoor displays and seven hangars. There are planes and helicopters on display, many of which have previously served in the Spanish Air Force
. Visitors will also find hundreds of miniature
aircraft models, uniforms, engines, weapons and many other aviation related objects.
This airfield was Spain’s first military airfield and opened as long ago as 1911. Famous aircraft on show include a Vilanova Acedo (special version from Blériot XI
) built in 1911, the Jesús del Gran Poder (special version from Breguet 19
) used on the transatlantic flight
to Asia
and America
between 1928 and 1929, and the famous de Havilland Dragon Rapide
used by Francisco Franco
from the Canary Islands
to Tétouan
at the start of the military rebellion which began the Spanish Civil War
in 1936.
The museum has over 150 aircraft exhibited in outdoor and indoor displays. Over 50 others are not on display, but can often be seen around the site.
List of selected aircraft on display (individual examples noted or illustrated in Wikimedia projects)
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
Museo de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica o Museo del Aire, is a aviation museum
Aviation museum
An aviation museum, air museum or aerospace museum is a museum exhibiting the history and artifacts of aviation. In addition to actual or replica aircraft, exhibits can include photographs, maps, models, dioramas, clothing and equipment used by aviators.Aviation museums vary in size from housing...
located in the outskirts of Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
at Cuatro Vientos Airport
Cuatro Vientos Airport
Madrid-Cuatro Vientos Airport , also known as Cuatro Vientos Airport, is the oldest Spanish airport and one of the three civil airports of Madrid along with Madrid-Barajas and Torrejón Air Base....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The museum was founded in 1981 and offers 6 exhibition galleries and it has 130 aircrafts on display.
The museum facilities extend over a surface of more than 66,000 m2 including outdoor displays and seven hangars. There are planes and helicopters on display, many of which have previously served in the Spanish Air Force
Spanish Air Force
-The early stages:Hot air balloons had been used with military purposes in Spain as far back as 1896. In 1905, with the help of Alfredo Kindelán, Leonardo Torres y Quevedo directed the construction of the first Spanish dirigible in the Army Military Aerostatics Service, created in 1896 and located...
. Visitors will also find hundreds of miniature
Scale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
aircraft models, uniforms, engines, weapons and many other aviation related objects.
This airfield was Spain’s first military airfield and opened as long ago as 1911. Famous aircraft on show include a Vilanova Acedo (special version from Blériot XI
Blériot XI
The Blériot XI is the aircraft in which, on 25 July 1909, Louis Blériot made the first flight across the English Channel made in a heavier-than-air aircraft . This achievement is one of the most famous accomplishments of the early years of aviation, and not only won Blériot a lasting place in...
) built in 1911, the Jesús del Gran Poder (special version from Breguet 19
Breguet 19
The Breguet 19 was a light bomber and reconnaissance plane, also used for long-distance flights, designed by the French Breguet company and produced from 1924.-Development:...
) used on the transatlantic flight
Transatlantic flight
Transatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. A transatlantic flight may proceed east-to-west, originating in Europe or Africa and terminating in North America or South America, or it may go in the reverse direction, west-to-east...
to Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
between 1928 and 1929, and the famous de Havilland Dragon Rapide
De Havilland Dragon Rapide
The de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide was a British short-haul passenger airliner of the 1930s.-Design and development:Designed by the de Havilland company in late 1933 as a faster and more comfortable successor to the DH.84 Dragon, it was in effect a twin-engined, scaled-down version of the...
used by Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
from the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
to Tétouan
Tétouan
Tetouan is a city in northern Morocco. The Berber name means literally "the eyes" and figuratively "the water springs". Tetouan is one of the two major ports of Morocco on the Mediterranean Sea. It lies a few miles south of the Strait of Gibraltar, and about 40 mi E.S.E. of Tangier...
at the start of the military rebellion which began the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
in 1936.
Visitors
- The entrance and camera usage fee: none, free admission.
- Timetable: Tuesday to Friday: 10 am to 14 pm. The museum is closed all Mondays and special days.
Ways to get there
There is no access from the airport to the museum, and this is surrounded by a confusing number of roads.- By busBusA bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
: It is better to take any of the Madrid-Alcorcón-Móstoles green buses of the BLAS company at Príncipe Pío station and ask the driver where to drop-off. Busses pass here frequently. - Nearest metro (Madrid metroMadrid MetroThe Madrid Metro is a metro system serving the city of Madrid, capital of Spain. The system is the sixth longest metro in the world though Madrid is approximately the fiftieth most populous metropolitan area in the world...
) and commuter rail (Cercanías MadridCercanías MadridCercanías Madrid is the commuter rail service that serves Madrid, the capital of Spain, and its metropolitan area. It is operated by Cercanías Renfe, the commuter rail division of RENFE, the former monopoly of rail services in Spain. The system is infamous for being the target of the 11 March 2004...
) station: Line 10 (Madrid Metro)Line 10 (Madrid Metro)Line 10 of the Madrid Metro is in fact the product of two lines, the former line 8 from Fuencarral to Nuevos Ministerios and the former Suburbano from Alonso Martínez to Aluche, this section being named line 10 in the 1980s. In the 1990s, Madrid planned for these two lines to become one, but...
. Cuatro Vientos Metro station falls a bit short from the museum, about 1 kilometre. - By carČarČar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
: autovía A-5Autovía A-5The Autovía A-5 is a Spanish autovía which starts in Madrid and ends in Badajoz. It is part of the European Road E90.- Sections :- Major cities crossed:*Madrid*Alcorcón*Móstoles*Navalcarnero...
, 10,5 km. Parking is free in front of entrance to the Museum.
Aircraft exhibits
- Source: Odgen 2009
The museum has over 150 aircraft exhibited in outdoor and indoor displays. Over 50 others are not on display, but can often be seen around the site.
List of selected aircraft on display (individual examples noted or illustrated in Wikimedia projects)
| Designation | |Notes | Aerotécnica AC-12 Aerotécnica AC-12 - Related content :Related development:Comparable aircraft:Designation sequence:AC-11 -AC-12 -AC-13 -AC-14 -AC-21... | Z.2-6 | commons | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerotécnica AC-14 Aerotécnica AC-14 The Aerotécnica AC-14 was a Spanish five-seat light helicopter of the 1950s, designed by Jean Cantinieau, based on enlarging his Nord Norelfe design.... |
Z.4-06 | commons | |||
| Boeing KC-97G | TK.1-03 | '123-03' | |||
| Bolkow Bo.105LOH | HR.15-21 | 'ET-140' | commons | ||
| Breguet 19 Breguet 19 The Breguet 19 was a light bomber and reconnaissance plane, also used for long-distance flights, designed by the French Breguet company and produced from 1924.-Development:... GR |
|||||
| 'Cuatro Vientos' | commons | ||||
| Breguet 19TR Bidon | 72 | 'Jesus del Gran Poder' | commons | ||
| Bristol F.2B | B21 | ||||
| CASA 2.111 CASA 2.111 -See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Cruz, Gonzalo Avila. "Homegrown 'Pedros': Spanish-Built Heinkel He 111s: Part One-Jumo Variants". Air Enthusiast, No. 90, November/December 2000. Stamford, UK:Key Publishing, pp. 48–53. ISSN 0143-5450.... E (Heinkel 111H) |
T.8B-97 | '462-04' | |||
| CASA 352L (Junkers Ju.52) Junkers Ju 52 The Junkers Ju 52 was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Deutsche Luft Hansa as an airliner and freight hauler... |
T.2B-211 | '911-16' | commons | ||
| CASA C-101 Aviojet | XE.25-01 | commons | |||
| CASA C-207 Azor CASA C-207 Azor |-See also:... |
T.7-6 | '405-15' | commons | ||
| CASA C-212 Aviocar | XT.12-1 | '54-10' | commons | ||
| Caudron G.3 Caudron G.3 The Caudron G.3 was a single-engined French biplane built by Caudron, widely used in World War I as a reconnaissance aircraft and trainer. In comparison to its competitors, it had a better rate of climb and it was considered especially suitable in mountainous terrain.-Development:The Caudron G.3... |
BC-6 | commons | |||
| Cierva C.6 Cierva C.6 -References:* Original pictures and data of this article were taken from "Museo del Aire", Cuatro Vientos, Madrid, Spain-See also:... |
C.6-B | commons | |||
| Cierva C.19 Cierva C.19 The Cierva C.19 was an autogyro designed by Spanish engineer Juan de la Cierva in England in 1929 and built by Avro which designated it their Type 620... |
EC-AIM | commons | |||
| Cierva C.30A | XVU.1-1 | ||||
| Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina | DR.1-1 | ||||
| de Havilland Dragon Rapide De Havilland Dragon Rapide The de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide was a British short-haul passenger airliner of the 1930s.-Design and development:Designed by the de Havilland company in late 1933 as a faster and more comfortable successor to the DH.84 Dragon, it was in effect a twin-engined, scaled-down version of the... |
G-ACYR | commons | |||
| de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou is a Canadian-designed and produced specialized cargo aircraft with short takeoff and landing capability... |
T.9-25 | commons | |||
| Dornier Do 24 Dornier Do 24 -See also:-References:* -External links:* * * * * * * * *... T-3 |
HD.5-2 | '58-2' | commons | ||
| Douglas C-47 Dakota | T.3-36 | '721-9' | |||
| Farman 404 Farman Farman Aviation Works was an aeronautic enterprise founded and run by the brothers; Richard, Henri, and Maurice Farman. They designed and constructed aircraft and engines from 1908 until 1936; during the French nationalization and rationalization of its aerospace industry, Farman's assets were... |
SF-002 | commons | |||
| Fieseler Fi 156 Storch | L.16-23 | commons | |||
| Grumman HU-16B | AD.1B-8 | ||||
| Heinkel 111E-3 | B.2-82 | '25-82' | |||
| Hispano HS-34 Hispano HS-34 -External links:*... |
EC-AFJ | ||||
| Hispano HA-1112K1L Tripala | C.4J-2 | commons | |||
| Hispano HA-1112M1L Buchon | C.4K-158 | commons | |||
| Hispano HA-200 Hispano HA-200 -See also:-External links:... Saeta |
A.10C-104 | commons | |||
| Lockheed F-104G Starfighter | C.8-15 | '104-15' | commons | ||
| McDonnell F-4C Phantom II | C.12-37 | '12-29' | commons | ||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the USSR from 1952 and operated by numerous air forces in many variants. Most MiG-17 variants cannot carry air-to-air missiles, but shot down many aircraft with its cannons... |
42 | commons | |||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was popularly nicknamed "balalaika", from the aircraft's planform-view resemblance to the Russian stringed musical instrument or ołówek by Polish pilots due to... |
22-26 | E German AF | commons | ||
| Mil Mi-2 Mil Mi-2 The Mil Mi-2 is a small, lightly armored transport helicopter that could also provide close air support when armed with 57 mm rockets and a 23 mm cannon.-Design and development:... |
CCCP-23760 | Icona '34' | commons | ||
| Nieuport IV Nieuport IV -External links:**... |
M.N.N.5 | ||||
| North American T-6G | E.16-90 | '793-6' | commons | ||
| North American B-25J Mitchell | 130338 | '74-17' | |||
| North American F-86 Sabre | C.5-175 | '1-175' | commons | ||
| Polikarpov I-15 Polikarpov I-15 The Polikarpov I-15 was a Soviet biplane fighter aircraft of the 1930s. Nicknamed Chaika because of its gulled upper wings, it was operated in large numbers by the Soviet Air Force, and together with the Polikarpov I-16 monoplane, was one of the standard fighters of the Spanish Republicans during... |
CA-125 | commons | |||
| Slingsby T.34 Sky | EC-RAT | ||||
| Transavia PL-12 Airtruk Transavia PL-12 Airtruk -Bibliography:*Donald, David . The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Leicester, UK: Blitz, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.*Taylor, John W R. . Jane's All the Worlds Aircraft 1976-77. London:Jane's Yearbooks, 1976. ISBN 0 354 00538 3.... |
VH-TRQ | commons | |||
| Vilanova Acedo Blériot XI The Blériot XI is the aircraft in which, on 25 July 1909, Louis Blériot made the first flight across the English Channel made in a heavier-than-air aircraft . This achievement is one of the most famous accomplishments of the early years of aviation, and not only won Blériot a lasting place in... (Blériot XI) |
|||||
| commons | |||||
| Westland Whirlwind 2 | ZD.1B-22 | '803-4' | commons |
External links
- Museo del Aire, the official website (2011)
- Asociación Amigos del Museo del Aire, Spanish association (2011)
- Visit to Museo de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica (2009)
- aviationmuseum.eu: Museo del Aire (2010)