Aeronautical Museum

The Aeronautical Museum is located on the Air Force Base "Las Palmas" and occupies the building that for over 50 years was the headquarters of the School for the Peruvian Air Force Officers. The museum not "just" displays the aviation history of Peru, but describes as well the myth of flying and the desires and the worries of men who wanted to get airborne. The walls of the museum tell stories about the rich Peruvian aeronautic history.

The history of the Museo Aeronáutico started 1959 in the hangars of the Air Force Base "Las Palmas" in Surco when old items like documents, paintings, stamps and other valuable pieces were gathered. Additionally a few well-know Air Force personalities and civilians donated historic relevant objects. But only on the 19th of July 1992 the Aeronautical Museum was founded by means of a Supreme Degree and named "Museo Aeronautico del Peru". With the intention to exhibit everything associated to the aeronautical history, the museum was inaugurated by the former President of Peru Engineer Alberto Fujimori.

The magnificent exhibits make you understand the desire and ideas of men like Leonardo de Vinci, Santiago de Cardenas, Pedro Ruiz Gallo and many other visionaries. Scale and non-scale models of primitive machines used for the first flying endeavors are displayed in one of the showrooms. Interesting the introduction to the great work of Pedro Paulet Mostajo, the Peruvian genius that was acknowledged by Werner von Braun as "The Father of the rocket science in the world".

The museum displays as well the heroic endeavors of Jorge Chavez and pioneers like Bielovucic and Tenaud. The development of the aeronautic technology is presented in the temporary exhibition rooms. Here you can see different airplane models, arms and various pieces of equipment that were used by the Peruvian Air Force. The walls of the museum tell stories about the energetic and faithful testimony of a rich aeronautic history, full of tradition, adventure, heroic episodes and fearless endeavours.

Exhibition Areas of the Museum

The Aeronautical Museum has the following exhibitions and areas:

• Exhibition Room 1 "Between Myth and History" displays pieces of the Nazca, Chimu, dissected birds and reproductions of textiles that show the wish of ancient men to fly.
• Exhibition Room 2 "Facts about Aviation History" shows a replica of the first air balloon, and gives information aboutthe first Peruvian flying it in 1840.
• Exhibition Room 3 "Pedro Ruiz Gallo" gives us an understanding of the patriarch of Peruvian aviation.
• Exhibition Room 4 is dedicated to "Pedro Paulet Mostajo", a pioneer of aerospace aviation who invented the first liquid fuel motor (1895) and the first rocket propulsion system (1900).
• Exhibition Room 5 "Jorge Chavez" shows among other things Chavez's flight over the Alps, the achievements of Elmar Faucett and informs about the first Peruvian who visited the National School of Aeronautics of Peru.
• Exhibition Room 6 is dedicated to "Alejandro Velasco Astete" the first pilot that flew over the Andes from Limato Cuzco in 1925.
• Exhibition Room 7 "Aeronautical Body" informs about Lazaro Orrego.
• Exhibition Room 8 displays photographs and personal belongings of "Armando Revoredo Iglesias".
• The arcades of the museum shows different scale models of airships.
• In various areas pictures, sculptures, badges and objects of heroes of Peruvian Aviation.