Curatorial Updates
The Museum’s exhibits staff has been working steadily during the pandemic shut-down preparing for what has now become the second grand opening on August 31 this summer.
The Wright model EX “Vin Fiz” has been relocated from the Gillespie Field annex to the Rotunda downtown where it now hangs opposite the “Spirit of St. Louis.” The Vin Fiz is a reproduction of the aircraft that famed aviator Cal Rodgers flew across the country from Sheepshead, New York to Pasadena, California in 1911. He had hoped to cash in on the $50,000 prize put up William Randolph Hearst for the first pilot to perform the feat, unprecedented at the time. Rodgers completed the trip but not in the requisite 30 days or less as stipulated, taking 49 days to make the trip due a rash of mechanical breakdowns and crashes along the way.
Work is underway converting two pavilion roof support posts to resemble Reno Air Race pylons, where our three formula racers will soon hang in an air race diorama. The display will offer an accurate look at the aircraft in racing mode chasing each other around the pylons with only the noise missing.
Exhibits and displays across the gallery floor have been repositioned in a number of locations to provide appropriate distancing during the Covid pandemic, allowing the proper social distancing for all visitors
Restoration Updates
Without the benefits our volunteer corps provides to our ongoing projects, precious little has been accomplished in recent months. Maintenance of the shop areas has taken place enhancing the work spaces that the volunteers will enjoy when they return.
We had hoped to complete the restoration of the Wright Flyer, allowing it to be displayed in the Rotunda’s “Milestones of Flight” gallery, but sadly it was not quite ready when it came time to reopen on August 31. It will ultimately, and we hope soon, take its place among the other milestone aircraft currently on display in the Rotunda such as the Spirit of St. Louis, the Bell X-1, two Wright gliders, and the Montgomery Evergreen Glider. Expect more restoration updates when our volunteers return.
2001 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, CA
Phone: 619.234.8291
Información En Español
Contact Us
We would like to thank all our sponsors who help us make a difference. Click here to view all who help us.
The San Diego Air & Space Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Federal Tax ID Number 95-2253027.