Beginning with the Wright Brothers first successful aircraft in 1903, there has been a need for training pilots without risking the pilots lives and an aircraft in the process. In 1910, the French commanders Clolus and Laffont and Lieutenant Clavenad, built the first aircraft ground training device, the "Tonneau Antoinette" (Antoinette barrel). Thus, began the precursor of flight trainers and ultimately simulators. A flight trainer is a ground-based device that mimics aircraft flight. The most successful early flight trainer was the “Link Trainer”, produced by Edwin Link in Binghamton, New York, starting in 1929. The Link Trainer is a basic metal frame flight trainer usually painted in its well-known blue color.
Recently, the San Diego Air & Space Museum received a donation of Louis James Hector’s service trunk. This unique artifact contains WWII related memorabilia including his flight log, silk maps, photographs, medals, his caps and uniform pieces, aircraft manuals and correspondence.
The San Diego Air & Space Museum holds a large collection of Audio and Visual recordings. These recordings come in many formats, including good old phonographic records. One of these records in our collection shows how popular Charles Lindbergh was, as it contains not one, but two songs about the hero aviator.
In recognition of Women’s History Month, our museum is honored to highlight the career of Major General Sheila Zuehlke through a recent and significant acquisition. In 2025, the museum received a donation consisting of several of her military uniforms. Since their arrival, the uniforms have been fully cataloged, professionally photographed, rehoused in archival materials, and placed in secure collections storage. Although not currently on public display, this virtual spotlight allows us to share the history and leadership embodied in this important addition to the collection.
As we open our "Ripley's Believe It or Not" exhibit, we are reminded the Ripley has a long history of having a presence in Balboa Park. During the California Pacific International Exposition of 1935, Ripley's had an "Odditorium" that highlighted the strange and bizarre. However, it was not the only unusual attraction at the Exposition. Using photos and documents from our Archives, we will look at some of the bizarre points of interest from the 1935 Expo, using a Map of the event as our guide.
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The San Diego Air & Space Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Federal Tax ID Number 95-2253027.
