The Musée aéronautique et spatial Safran is a French private aviation museum located in Melun, Seine-et-Marne. Established in May 1989 the museum contains a large collection of historic and modern aircraft engines. These engines have been produced by various French engine manufacturers such as Gnome et Rhône and Snecma which are now part of the present day Safran company. The latter is the creator and manager of the museum.
The main exhibits are piston engines and turbojets that powered aircraft as well as rocket engines used for aircraft and spacecraft. All the exhibits were developed and produced by companies that were eventually merged into the Safran group.
History
In 1985 the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, Le Bourget held more than 1,000 historic aero engines. Snecma signed an agreement to allow their restoration and future care. The agreement stated that employees of Snecma would restore the engines as volunteers. In 1987 Snecma decided to create a new museum to display the restored engines, the museum was created on the site of its Villaroche establishment in Melun in a former seaplane hangar of 4,000 m2. Inaugurated on 31 May 1989 the 'Association of Friends of the Museum Safran' manages the museum. In 2013 the museum was expanded to accommodate a section on space propulsion.[1]