The San Diego Air & Space Museum is a celebration of aviation in all its forms, and Balboa Park’s most popular attraction since it opened in 1963. You will discover the entire history of flight from a model of the Montgolfier brother’s hot air balloon that made humankind’s first-ever flight in 1783, all the way through to state-of-the-art supersonic aircraft.
The museum’s circular space is divided into a number of themed areas to illustrate the evolution of powered flight. Make sure you look up as well as down, as many exhibits are hung from the ceiling as if in flight. As you step in to the building, the first thing you’ll see is the original Apollo 9 Command Module – nothing brings the reality of space flight to life quite like this!
Make your way through the galleries dedicated to aircraft from the two World Wars and see just how quickly new technology develops in times of need. Compare the fabric-skinned WWI aeroplanes with the sleek Spitfires and Messerschmitts of WWII.
The Golden Age of Flight gallery celebrates peacetime achievements in aviation. Here you’ll find a model of Amelia Earhart’s bright red Lockheed Vega in which she set two of her many records. This model featured in the 2009 film Amelia, with Hilary Swank in the starring role.
For the latest developments in flight and to learn all about the ever-evolving space programme, head to the Modern Jet & Space Age Gallery. Get right up close to supersonic aircraft such as the X-15, and marvel as the replicas of the Gemini space craft and Apollo Command and Service Module. Here you’ll also discover the only GPS satellite on public display in the whole world.
The museum also hosts a programme of special exhibitions, and the Education Center in the Edwin D. McKellar Pavilion of Flight hosts family days where children can try building their own miniature glider or hot air balloon. Don’t miss the 4-D simulators that will transport you to the moon or send you on a mission to Mars!
The San Diego Air & Space Museum is open every day except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
