San Diego Air & Space Museum's Departments

Educational and public programs have played a huge role in the expansion of the Museum's engagement in the San Diego Community. The departments at SDASM have expanded and engaged with the community by working with hundreds of volunteers, teaching people through educational programing, and by aiding the public with critical aviation information that comes from the third largest aviation archives in the country.

Keeping the entire Museum on its feet and running smoothly is the Facilities Department. There is a large amount of care that goes into making the Museum a safe and welcoming place for visitors. The Facilities team preserves the historic building, and maintains the integrity of the Museum as a historic landmark. The facilities department, as well as other Balboa Park institutions, are currently working to make the Museum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified by 2015 to minimize its carbon and ecological footprint.

The San Diego Air & Space Museum Education Department today seeks to explain and interpret in engaging and exciting ways that help make the Museum relevant and informative to visitors and our local community. The Department offers classes, workshops, tours, summer camps, and much more to inspire and inform audiences of all ages.

The Library & Archives, after losing so much in the fire, is now the third largest aviation archives in the United States. Today it is actively working to make its materials accessible to the public through digital means and media, and has aided in many publications and published its own books.*Two other important departments are Curatorial and Restoration. Curatorial cares for and handles all objects in exhibits for the Museum. Restoration deals with restoring or rebuilding aircraft, and all of the volunteers have a great passion for rebuilding aircraft. The Restoration Department is rooted in the Phoenix Flight volunteer group, who helped rebuild the Museum and its aircraft collection after the 1978 fire. Since the rebirth of SDASM, today's volunteers – combined with their predecessors in the Phoenix Flight group – have completed over a hundred restoration projects. Almost every aircraft that the volunteers work on is in operable condition.

Volunteers help operate SDASM in all departments and areas, and this museum would not be what it is without them. These volunteers are San Diegans that are in love with aerospace heritage, and they work as docents, archive assistants, restoration personnel, and so much more. Volunteers who have worked for an extended period of time at SDASM are honored with the status of Phoenix Flight to represent their dedication and hard work.The San Diego Air & Space Museum is just one of many distinguished institutions in Balboa Park.