Turbomeca was formed in 1938 and started out by making compressors and
turbines for superchargers. Post WW2 it turned towards its own gas turbine
engines and found a niche in the market for small gas turbines in the form of
jets, turboprops and turboshafts. Several examples of their products are on show
as they became part of SNECMA in 2006.
The SNECMA group has also been involved in rockets, and a range of examples
are on show including hardware from the Ariane launcher programme well as a
range of missiles and an experimental one-man rocket powered vehicle, the Ludion.
The companies which make up SNECMA have produced other products as well and
examples are on show of cars and bicycles made by Hispano-Suiza and Gnome.
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Turbomeca Collection
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Turbomeca Marbore
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Turbomeca Marbore
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Turbomeca Marbore
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Turbomeca Astazou
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Turbomeca Astazou
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Turbomeca Astazou
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Turbomeca Astazou
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Turbomeca Larzac
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SEPR 633 Rocket
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SNECMA Ludion
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Eleonore
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Ariane
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Ariane
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Le Rhone Cycles
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Hispano-Suiza Car
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Industrial Atar
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Rolls-Royce Tyne
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As always, behind every good museum is a workshop. We had hoped to have a
guided tour but nobody arrived so we decided to explore by ourselves. Some very
interesting engines were being restored and it would have been good to have had
a guide because it has proved impossible so far to find out anything about some
of the exhibits. Any information would be welcomed.
One such example is the Koerting Kg IV, a liquid cooled V-12. Any references
I have found to the Koerting company relate to it being a manufacturer of
industrial gas engines with no mention of any aero related activities.
Another anonymous exhibit was simply labelled "MAN" and is clearly a U8
configuration, like the Bugatti U16 featured in an earlier Torque Meter.
Similarly there is a V-10 engine simply labelled "Schneider".
The Junkers 205 is rather better known and it was fascinating to see an
opposed piston diesel in its stripped down condition.
Before this visit, I understood that all radial engines were air cooled, that
being the advantage of the layout. However, it seems that the Salmson company in
France produced a range of water cooled radials in the early days of flying. One
was being restored in the workshop.
Snecma used to carry out flight testing of engines at the Villaroche site,
using, among other platforms, the Sud-Aviation Vautour bomber. A long serving
example is on display outside the museum to highlight the importance of flight
testing at Villaroche.
The SNECMA museum was restoring some engines on behalf of the Musee de l’Air
at Le Bourget.
