San Diego Aerospace Museum
Encyclopedia
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
and space exploration
Space exploration
Space exploration is the use of space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....
museum in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, USA. It is located in Balboa Park and is housed in the former Ford Building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Collection
It contains many original and reproductions of historic aircraftAircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
and spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
, including:
- LockheedLockheed CorporationThe Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...
A-12 OxcartA-12 OXCARTThe Lockheed A-12 was a reconnaissance aircraft built for the Central Intelligence Agency by Lockheed's famed Skunk Works, based on the designs of Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. The A-12 was produced from 1962 through 1964, and was in operation from 1963 until 1968. The single-seat design, which first... - Bowlus SP-1 Paper WingBowlus SP-1 Paper Wing|-See also:-References:...
- replica - Convair YF2Y Sea DartF2Y Sea Dart|-See also:-Bibliography:* Jones, Lloyd S. U.S. Fighters: Army-Air Force 1925 to 1980s. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers Inc., 1975. ISBN 0-8168-9200-0....
- Apollo 9Apollo 9Apollo 9, the third manned mission in the American Apollo space program, was the first flight of the Command/Service Module with the Lunar Module...
command module "Gumdrop"
Spirit of St. Louis
Spirit of St. Louis
The Spirit of St. Louis is the custom-built, single engine, single-seat monoplane that was flown solo by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris for which Lindbergh won the $25,000 Orteig Prize.Lindbergh took off in the Spirit from Roosevelt...
replica (Spirit 3 was built after the 1978 fire)
- Curtiss 1912 amphibious aircraft
- General AtomicsGeneral AtomicsGeneral Atomics is a nuclear physics and defense contractor headquartered in San Diego, California. General Atomics’ research into fission and fusion matured into competencies in related technologies, allowing the company to expand into other fields of research...
MQ-1 Predator UAV (tail number 0018) - Ryan Aeronautical Firebee
- Northrop Grumman Global Hawk (1/2 scale model)
- Wright Flyer (reproduction, currently not on display)
- Vin Fiz FlyerVin Fiz FlyerThe Vin Fiz Flyer was an early Wright Brothers Model EX pusher biplane, that in 1911 became the first to cross the North American continent by air.-History:...
(reproduction) - Ford TrimotorFord TrimotorThe Ford Trimotor was an American three-engined transport plane that was first produced in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and that continued to be produced until June 7, 1933. Throughout its time in production, a total of 199 Ford Trimotors were produced...
- Supermarine SpitfireSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
Mk.XVI - North AmericanNorth American AviationNorth American Aviation was a major US aerospace manufacturer, responsible for a number of historic aircraft, including the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F-86 Sabre jet fighter, the X-15 rocket plane, and the XB-70, as well as Apollo Command and Service...
P-51D Mustang - SPAD VII.c.1
- NieuportNieuportNieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars.-Beginnings:...
28Nieuport 28|-See also:-Bibliography:* Cheesman E.F. Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War. Letchworth, UK: Harleyford Publications, 1960, pp. 98–99.... - Curtiss JN4 "Jenny" (Currently returned to restoration to reskin the wings)
- Curtiss P-40Curtiss P-40The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...
E Warhawk - North AmericanNorth American AviationNorth American Aviation was a major US aerospace manufacturer, responsible for a number of historic aircraft, including the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F-86 Sabre jet fighter, the X-15 rocket plane, and the XB-70, as well as Apollo Command and Service...
F-86F "Sabre" (at Gillespie Field annex) - MitsubishiMitsubishiThe Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
A6M "Zero-sen" - Grumman F-14 Tomcat (at Gillespie Field annex)
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (at Gillespie Field annex)
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (It is in fact a Chinese Shenyang J-5Shenyang J-5The Shenyang J-5 , originally designated Dongfeng-101 - , and also Type 56 before being designated J-5 in 1964, is a Chinese-built single-seat jet interceptor and fighter aircraft derived from the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17. The J-5 was exported as the F-5...
.) - McDonnell DouglasMcDonnell DouglasMcDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It formed from a merger of McDonnell Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft in 1967. McDonnell Douglas was based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport...
F-4S Phantom IIF-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,... - Bell AH-1E Cobra
- PBY-5A CatalinaPBY CatalinaThe Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
- Horten Ho 229Horten Ho 229The Horten H.IX, RLM designation Ho 229 was a late–World War II prototype fighter/bomber designed by Reimar and Walter Horten and built by Gothaer Waggonfabrik...
(model) - P-26 Peashooter (currently undergoing construction)
- Vought F4U Corsair (currently undergoing restoration)
SDASM has two restoration facilities, one on site, and the other located at Gillespie Field
Gillespie Field
Gillespie Field is a county-owned public-use airport located 10 miles northeast of the central business district of San Diego, in El Cajon, San Diego County, California, United States....
. The Gillespie Field Annex is open to the public with numerous aircraft on display outdoors, a Convair
Convair
Convair was an American aircraft manufacturing company which later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Vultee Aircraft and Consolidated Aircraft, and went on to produce a number of pioneering aircraft, such as the Convair B-36 bomber, and the F-102...
SM-65 Atlas ICBM, museum model shop, and a fantastic restoration shop.
History
The museum was first opened to the public on February 15, 1963 in the Food and Beverage Building, which had been built in 1915 for the Panama–California Exposition. In 1965 the museum was moved to the larger Electrical Building. On February 22, 1978 the Electrical Building and the Museum were destroyed in an arson fire. Several one-of-a-kind aircraft were destroyed, including the Beecraft Wee BeeBeecraft Wee Bee
-External Links:* rare photos of the WeeBee -- ie pages 137 to 139...
, the world's lightest aircraft, and her sister craft the Queen Bee. A reproduction of the Spirit of St. Louis, built in 1967 by some of the same people who built the original, was also destroyed, along with more than 50 other aircraft, an extensive collection of artifacts and archives, and the International Aerospace Hall of Fame. Owen Clarke, the museum's executive director, said of the $4 million in losses, "This is unbelievably tragic. When you've spent that length of time acquiring history, building something up to where it had international prestige, then see it all disappear in a couple of hours, what else can it be?"
Before the fire, plans had already been under way to move the museum to the larger Ford Building
Ford Building, San Diego, California
The Ford Building, a Streamline Moderne structure in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, serves as the home of the San Diego Air & Space Museum. The building was originally built by the Ford Motor Company for the California Pacific International Exposition, which was held in 1935 and 1936...
, also in Balboa Park, which had been built for the 1935-36 California Pacific International Exposition. Even though several important historic aircraft were lost in the fire, much of the collection on display was dated or insignificant. The museum was already accumulating new aircraft that were in storage awaiting space in the new building and so were spared from the fire. In addition, the community rallied, raising funds and donating items from private collections. The museum reopened, with a smaller but growing collection, in its current home in the former Ford Building on June 28, 1980. A new reproduction of the Spirit of St. Louis was built for the new museum. Because of its historical significance, a reproduction of the Wee Bee was also built.
Exhibits
The museum is divided into many galleries with exhibits emphasizing the contributions San Diego has made to aviation. Sections include the Theodore Gildred Rotunda, Special Exhibit area, World War I Gallery, Golden Age of Flight Gallery, World War II Gallery, and Modern Jet & Space Age Gallery, and the Edwin D. McKeller Pavilion of Flight. Visitors can enter the Rotunda for free. Admission is required to visit the remaining galleries and additional cost to see the Special Exhibit.The restoration shop on site is available for tours when work is being done. The front Admissions Desk will be able to answer questions about getting tours of the restoration shop.
Guests can inquire at the front desk about availability of docents to answer questions or provide tours. Depending on availability of these volunteers, tours can be provided to share more information about the aircraft and the specific exhibits throughout the museum. While a lot of the history within the museum is available on the placards and signs, there are many tales and trivia that the vast experience of the docents can add to a visit.
Theodore Gildred Rotunda
In addition to the Apollo 9 Command Module, the main entrance to the museum contains examples of aircraft from local San Diego companies. It also features the different types of exhibits throughout the museum. This includes models, like the 1/2 scale model of the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk, flyable reproductions, like the Curtiss A-1 amphibious aircraft, replicas, like the Ryan Aeronautical NYP (aka Spirit of St. Louis), and flight vehicles, like the Ryan Firebee and General Atomics MQ-1 Predator.Special Exhibits
In addition to the changing special exhibits at the front of the museum, there are a number of early aviation exhibits hanging from the ceiling. Visitors are encouraged to look up while making their way through the special exhibit. Guests who do not pay to see the special exhibit pass through the Hall of Fame hallway where portraits of aviation pioneers are displayed. Also along this hallway are exhibits about Jacqueline "Jackie" CochranJacqueline Cochran
Jacqueline Cochran was a pioneer American aviator, considered to be one of the most gifted racing pilots of her generation...
and the Women Airforce Service Pilots
Women Airforce Service Pilots
The Women Airforce Service Pilots and its predecessor groups the Women's Flying Training Detachment and the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron were pioneering organizations of civilian female pilots employed to fly military aircraft under the direction of the United States Army Air Forces...
.
Hanging above this area are exhibits of the Leonardo Da Vinci Ornithopter (mock-up), Cayley Glider (reproduction), Lilienthal Glider (reproduction), Chanute Glider (reproduction), 1901 Wright Glider (reproduction), 1902 Wright Glider (reproduction), Montgomery Evergreen Glider, Deperdussin 1911 Type Militaire, Beachey
Lincoln Beachey
Lincoln J. Beachey was a pioneer American aviator and barnstormer. He became famous and wealthy from flying exhibitions, staging aerial stunts, helping invent aerobatics, and setting aviation records....
"Little Looper" (reproduction), and Wright EX Vin Fiz Flyer.
World War I Gallery
In addition to the boardwalk and era-style tent similar to those used by the Lafayette EscadrilleLafayette Escadrille
The Lafayette Escadrille , was an escadrille of the French Air Service, the Aéronautique militaire, during World War I composed largely of American volunteer pilots flying fighters.-History:Dr. Edmund L...
, the gallery has reproductions of an Albatros D.Va, a Fokker Dr.I
Fokker Dr.I
The Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918...
and Fokker E.III Eindecker
Fokker E.III
|-See also:...
, and authentic examples of a SPAD VII.c.1, Nieuport 28, and Sopwith Pup
Sopwith Pup
The Sopwith Pup was a British single seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good maneuverability, the aircraft proved very...
. The fabric skin of the Sopwith Pup was left off to make visible the complex structure and craftsmanship that went into the original aircraft, as well as these museum reproductions. Among the many displays is a model of the synchronizer gear first developed for the Fokker Eindecker. With the press of a button, guests can see how the propeller and rotary engine would move and coordinate the trigger action so pilots wouldn't shoot off their own propellers in combat.
Golden Age of Flight Gallery
Along the long back stretch of this gallery are many aircraft both on the deck and hanging from the ceiling. Aircraft in this section include a Lincoln Standard J-1, Consolidated PT-1 Trusty, Aeronca C-3 Collegian, Ryan M-1 (replica), Fleet Model 2, Curtiss B-1 Robin, Gee Bee R-1, Bowlus SP-1 Albatross (reproduction), Ryan B-5 Brougham, Ryan STA, Piper J-3 Cub, and Pitts Special.The museum also has a number of aircraft engines on display. This gallery contains a Curtis OX-5, Aeronca E-107, Liberty L12-A, Wright J-3 Whirlwind, Curtiss Conqueror V-1570, Jacobs L-4MB (cutaway), Menasco 4A, and Continental A-40.
The Curtiss JN-4D "Jenny" was returned to the restoration shop to reskin the wings.
There is an exhibit of the Pacific Southwest Airlines
Pacific Southwest Airlines
Pacific Southwest Airlines was a United States airline headquartered in San Diego, California, that operated from 1949 to 1988. It was one of the first large discount airlines in the United States and is considered a precursor to Southwest Airlines...
(PSA), also known as the Poor Sailor's Airline, in this portion of the museum. A replica of the airline's first ticket office has displays about the airline with a smile and includes stewardess uniforms from the 1950s through 1980s, including the hot pants worn during the 1970s.
Access to the Edwin D. McKeller Pavilion of Flight is from this portion of the museum. This is also where the Education Center is which hosts monthly Family Day activities. Guests will also locate the restrooms for the museum in this section of the building. On some days lunch is available on the outer patio outside of this portion of the museum.
World War II Gallery
The latest addition to the museum is the Horton 229 flying wing which was put on display July 2009. This was donated to the museum's permanent collection by Northrop Grumman (owners of Ryan Aeronautical) following radar testing at the same test site which was used for the B-2 stealth bomber. Details of the work on the model and the history of the aircraft were featured on the National Geographic Channel's documentary, Hitler's Stealth Fighter. This is the only Horton wing on public display.Other aircraft in this portion of the museum include a Stearman N2S-3 Kaydet, Curtiss P-40E Warhawk, North American P-51D Mustang, Douglas C-47 (CD-3) Nose and Cockpit section, Messerschmitt Bf 109G-14 (mock-up), Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XVI.
This section of the museum is also where a mock-up of the USS Yorktown (CV-10) was built. This Essex Class aircraft carrier has many of the Navy aircraft on display, including a Douglas SBD-4 Dauntless, Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat, and Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat. Racing just feet over the deck, guests will see a Mitsubishi A6M7 Zero-sen.
Throughout the gallery are many of the aircraft engines which were used during this period. On display are a Junkers Jumo 004B-1, Allison V-1710-39, Walter RI-202B, Rolls-Royce Merlin 62, Pratt & Whitney R-2800, Pratt & Whitney R-1830-17, Wright Cyclone 1820, Ranger 6-440C-2, and Ranger SGV-770C-1.
Modern Jet & Space Age Gallery
This gallery contains a Bee Aviation Wee Bee (replica), Ryan X-13 Vertijet, Douglas A-4B Skyhawk, F/A-18 A Hornet "Blue Angel 1", Gemini spacecraft (replica), and Apollo Command and Service Module (mock-up).At the far end of the gallery is the Boeing GPS-12 Satellite. This was an operational ground spare. Launched into space for the original GPS constellation were 23 operational spacecraft and two on orbit spares. A number of spares were flight ready on the ground in case there were malfunctions on orbit, these spacecraft could be launched as replacements. When the next generation of spacecraft were developed, the ground spares were no longer needed and one was donated to the museum. On display is a flight-ready GPS satellite.
Along the inside wall of this gallery is the cockpit canopy of the North American X-15
North American X-15
The North American X-15 rocket-powered aircraft/spaceplane was part of the X-series of experimental aircraft, initiated with the Bell X-1, that were made for the USAAF/USAF, NACA/NASA, and the USN. The X-15 set speed and altitude records in the early 1960s, reaching the edge of outer space and...
. This supersonic rocket plane first flew on June 8, 1959 with Scott Crossfield at the controls. Also in the display case near the canopy is Crossfield's flight suit from the X-15 and the air conditional case used by Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong is an American former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, United States Naval Aviator, and the first person to set foot upon the Moon....
when he was an X-15 pilot. Eight of the X-15 pilots flew into space (above 60 miles) to earn their astronaut wings. The X-15 also flew faster than Mach 5 long before the A-12 and SR-71 Blackbird took to the skies. Much of what was learned during the X-15 test flights was used in the design and development on the Space Shuttle.
The many astronauts who grew up and lived in the San Diego area include Wally Schirra
Wally Schirra
Walter Marty Schirra, Jr. was an American test pilot, United States Navy officer, and one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts chosen for the Project Mercury, America's effort to put humans in space. He is the only person to fly in all of America's first three space programs...
, the only astronaut to command missions in Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.
Edwin D. McKellar Pavilion of Flight
The original courtyard of the Ford Building was used like a showroom during the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. Now it houses many of the larger aircraft in the museum's collection. These aircraft include the Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17, Mercury spacecraft (mock-up), Bell AH-1E Cobra, and Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor.The McDonnell Douglas F-4J/S Phantom II on display in the pavilion was the aircraft flown by Duke Cunningham
Duke Cunningham
Randall Harold Cunningham , usually known as Randy or Duke, is United States Navy veteran, convicted felon, and former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from California's 50th Congressional District from 1991 to 2005.Cunningham resigned from the House on November 28,...
and William P. Driscoll
William P. Driscoll
William "Willy Irish" Driscoll is a former United States Navy Flight Officer who received the Navy Cross during the Vietnam War for his role in an aerial dogfight with North Vietnamese MiGs...
in Vietnam from the USS Constellation (CV-64)
USS Constellation (CV-64)
USS Constellation , a Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the "new constellation of stars" on the flag of the United States and the only naval vessel ever authorized to display red, white, and blue designation numbers...
. Cunningham was the first ace to get all of his kills with missiles. The aircraft here has both radar guided Sparrow
AIM-7 Sparrow
The AIM-7 Sparrow is an American, medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps, as well as various allied air forces and navies. Sparrow and its derivatives were the West's principal beyond visual...
missiles along the belly and infrared heat seeking Sidewinder
AIM-9 Sidewinder
The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried mostly by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. The missile entered service with United States Air Force in the early 1950s, and variants and upgrades remain in active service with many air forces...
missiles loaded on the wings.
The museum also rents the pavilion to special events from lectures to dinners. Upon request volunteer museum docents can be available to provide additional information about the exhibits during these events.