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The TAM Museum (Portuguese: Museu TAM), also known as the Museu Asas de um Sonho (Wings of a Dream Museum), is an aviation museum in the city of São Carlos, within the state of State of São Paulo, Brazil. The museum was located 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) from central São Carlos, and 250 kilometers (160 mi) from São Paulo City.[1]
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| Established | 11 November 2006 |
|---|---|
| Location | São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil |
| Type | Aviation museum |
The museum was the creation of Rolim Adolfo Amaro, founder and president of TAM Airlines, and his brother João Francisco Amaro. The building is annexed to the TAM Airlines Technology Center at São Carlos Airport, in the district of Água Vermelha in São Carlos.[2]
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In 1996, after finishing the restoration work on a Cessna 195, brothers Rolim Adolfo Amaro and João Francisco Amaro decided to buy some classic aircraft, and keep them near São Paulo, in order to make them available for flights on weekends with friends. However, once purchased, it was realised that the small collection could become a museum representative of the memory of aviation and the world. The brothers then decided to create the "Museu Asas de um Sonho" (Wings of a Dream Museum), that was maintained by the Education Service and Culture, a non-profit association founded by TAM on 23 December 1991, to administer the social programs of the company.
In 2006, the museum opened with 32 aircraft and was intended to have more than 80 aircraft. The opening was part of the celebrations of 150 years of the city of São Carlos.
In July 2008 the museum was closed to visitors in order to allow a complete reorganization of its installations, which included an expansion of the covered space from 9.5 thousand square metres to over 20 thousand square metres. The grand re-opening occurred in June 2010 and among the collection of 90 airplanes, held the sole surviving S.55 seaplane christened "Jahú", a F4U Corsair, a Bf 109, a Dassault Mirage III, a Brazilian aircraft Neiva Regente.
On January 29, 2016, TAM announced that the museum would be ceasing operations due to budget concerns.[3] Closure actually happened on February 2, 2016, and on May 18, 2018, it was announced that it would be relocated close to the Brazilian Aerospace Memorial at São José dos Campos Airport, near the Embraer plant, but this never happened.[4]
On December 16, 2019, the president of the Brazilian Aviation Institute (IBA), Francisco Lyra, announced to an audience at the opening of the São Paulo Catarina business aviation airport that his next project would be to preserve the "Asas de um Sonho" aviation museum.[5] It was intended by the follower Latam Airlines Group to postpone the acerve to Campo de Marte Airport, which also never happened.
In March 2022, it was mistakenly reported that the museum pieces had been acquired by Helisul, an air taxi company, and would be displayed at the Foz do Iguaçu Convention Center, however the company denied the purchase, not ruling out the possibility of a future partnership.[6][7]
Finally, in May 2023, the museum was reopened on the original location in São Carlos, but soon reclosed.[8]
Unfortunate, Marcos Amaro, owner of Museum, could transfer its pieces to Itú.[9]
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- Source: Ogden[10]
The museum has more than 35 aircraft in a historical building measuring 450 metres long by 130 metres wide and 11 metres high. The exhibits planned to be accessible to visitors in 2010 were as follows:
| Designation | FAB desig | Identity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aeronca C-3 | NC14630 | ||
| American Flea Ship | PP-TKX | Universal Aircraft | |
| Boeing-Stearman Model 75 | LV-FGD | ||
| Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann | E3B-595 | ||
| Cessna 140 | PP-DYX | ||
| Cessna 180 | PT-BXZ | ||
| Cessna 185 | PT-KJM | ||
| Cessna 195 | PT-LDK | ||
| Cessna L-19 Bird Dog | 54736 | ||
| Cessna L-19 Bird Dog | 62612 | ||
| Cessna L-19 Bird Dog | 72774 | ||
| Douglas DC-3 | N101KC | "Rose" | |
| EAY Ypiranga Paulistinha | PT-ZGY | ||
| EMB110 Bandeirante TAM | |||
| Fairchild 24 | UC-61A | 2687 | |
| Fairchild PT-19 Cornell | PP-GAY | ||
| Fokker F27 Frienship TAM | |||
| Gloster Meteor F.8 | F-8 | 4440 | |
| Lockheed 049 Constellation | PP-PDD | Bought in Paraguay and painted as Panair do Brasil | |
| Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 | 12456 | ||
| MiG-15 | 6247 | ||
| MiG-17 | 23 | ||
| MiG-21 | 17 | ||
| Miles M.2H Hawk Major | G-ADAS | ||
| Neiva CAP-4 Paulistinha | N-505 | Marinha | |
| Nord 1203 Norecrin | PP-EBE | ||
| Republic P-47D Thunderbolt | 229265 | ||
| Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser | |||
| IPE Quero Quero KW.1 | PT-PEI | Sailplane | |
| IPE Quero Quero KW.1 | PT-PFJ | Sailplane | |
| RWD-13 | PT-LFY | ||
| Santos-Dumont 14-bis | Replica | ||
| Santos-Dumont Demoiselle | Replica | ||
| Savoia-Marchetti S.55 | I-BAUQ | "Jahú" | |
| Schneider Grunau Baby IIb | Glider | ||
| Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX | EN398 | ||
| Vought F4U Corsair | 17-F-13 |
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Aeronca C-3
CAP-4 Paulistinha
Bf 109G-2
American Flea Ship
Lockheed 049 Constellation
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