| Museum of Aeronautics and Astronautics | |
| Native Name: | Museo de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica |
| Native Name Lang: | es |
| Location: | Madrid |
| Coordinates: | 40.3659°N -3.8038°W |
| Type: | Aviation museum |
| Owner: | Spanish Air and Space Force |
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| Former Name: | Museo del Aire |
Museum of Aeronautics and Astronautics (Spanish; Castilian: Museo de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica), also known as Air Museum (Spanish; Castilian: Museo del Aire), is an aviation museum located at the Cuatro Vientos Air Base in Madrid, Spain, devoted to the history of the Spanish Air and Space Force. It is one of the National Museums of Spain and it is attached to the Ministry of Defence.
The objective of the museum is to acquire, conserve and display the aircraft, equipment and associated paraphernalia that constitute the historical heritage of the Spanish Air and Space Force. It has an exterior exhibition and seven hangars.
In 1939 the Spanish Civil War came to an end and the Spanish Air Force was created. It is in this period the Ministry of the Air (Spanish; Castilian: Ministerio del Aire) appointed Colonel Társilo Ugarte Fernández to prepare a project for the creation of an aeronautic museum. However, 27 years passed before its creation. A first draft was presented in December 1948, with its location in the plant below the new building of the Ministry of the Air.
Through subsequent studies and consults, the Museum of Aeronautics and Astronautics was created by decree number 1437 of June 16, 1966, accountable to the Ministry of the Air and with headquarters in Madrid.
Since 1975, the museum has been based at Cuatro Vientos near of Madrid, however the works itself started at the end of 1979. Thereafter, it has been extended many times. Cuatro Vientos, was inaugurated in 1911 and is Spain's first military airfield. The airfield, although surrounded by construction, is still in use. The museum was officially inaugurated on 24 May 1981, by Lieutenant-General Emiliano Alfaro Jose Arregui.
In 1993, two new hangars were added, and even two more in 2002. Among these hangars, there is number 4, which was inaugurated on 22 August 2003, and which is dedicated to rotating wings and other autogyros, machines whose origins came directly from the Spanish engineer Juan De La Cierva.
The museum facilities extend over a surface of more than, including outdoor displays, about 200 aircraft and seven hangars. There are mainly planes and helicopters, many of which have previously served in the Spanish Air and Space Force. Visitors will also find hundreds of miniature aircraft models, engines, weapons, uniforms, vehicles, mock-ups and many other aviation related objects. Aircraft on display include a Vilanova Acedo, Spanish version of the Blériot XI built in 1911, the Jesús del Gran Poder, a special version of the Breguet 19 used on the transatlantic flight to Asia and America between 1928 and 1929, a few aircraft of the Spanish Republican Air Force, as well as 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.[1]
The Spanish versions of the Heinkel He 111 and the Junkers Ju 52, fighters as McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II or Mirage F-1, one Canadair Cl-215, Aerospatiale AS-330 Puma or even a MiG-17.
There is no access from the airport to the museum, and this is surrounded by a confusing number of roads.
