The San Diego Air & Space Museum's world-class Restoration Facility in the historic Ford Building in Balboa Park.
Visitors to the main floor of San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park are immersed in a unique experience exploring the amazing story of aviation and space flight innovations and accomplishments. Everywhere they look, they see examples of aircraft and spacecraft which were part of groundbreaking making moments, from a Wright Brothers flyer, to Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, a Bell X-1, the actual Apollo 9 Command Module, and so much more.
Until now, one thing visitors haven’t been able to see is where a great number of these incredible treasures have been created, curated and crafted, the San Diego Air & Space Museum’s world-class Restoration Facility. And for the first time ever, the Museum is offering behind-the-scenes tours of its Restoration Facility at its location in the historic Ford Building in Balboa Park.
“Our world-class Restoration Facility is where the magic happens,” said Jim Kidrick, President & CEO of the San Diego Air & Space Museum. “Our volunteers and docents are the lifeblood of the Museum, the true driving force of what make the San Diego Air & Space Museum one of the premier aviation and space exploration experiences in the world. Their work, craftsmanship and dedication to perfection deserve our respect, and we’re thrilled to share their story with everyone who visits the Museum.”
The list of aircraft restored, revived, or purpose-built in the Museum’s Restoration Facility is impressive, including, but not limited to, a Bell X-1 (the first aircraft to break the sound barrier in level flight), Chance Vaught F4U-7 Corsair (AU-1), Fokker EIII Eindecker, Ford Tri-Motor, Douglas SBD Dauntless, Granville Brothers Gee Bee R-1 Thompson Trophy Racer, Boeing P-26 “Peashooter”, Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat, Grumman F3F, GPS Satellite and Boeing FB-5 Hawk (on display in Hangar One at the Museum’s Annex at Gillespie Field.)
The list of engines restored in the Engine Shop of the Restoration Facility is equally as noteworthy, which includes some of most famous power sources for aircraft throughout history, including a working replica of the Wright Flyer Engine (history’s first aircraft engine), an SR71 Engine Pratt & Whitney J58, Pratt & Whitney R-985, Allison V-1710, a rare Le Rhone from World War I, a GE I-16 Turbojet engine, and a Klimov VK-1F Turbojet, among many others.
Current restoration projects include a reproduction of Howard Hughes’ famous H-1 Racer (the centerpiece of the tour of the Restoration Facility) and the Piasecki-Vertol Model 44B “Holy One” at the Museum’s Gillespie Field location.
The list of aviation engines restored in the Engine Shop of the Restoration Facility is equally as noteworthy, which includes some of most famous power sources for aircraft throughout history, including a working replica of the Wright Flyer Engine (history’s first aircraft engine), an SR71 Engine Pratt & Whitney J58, Pratt & Whitney R-985, Allison V-1710, a rare Le Rhone from World War I, a GE I-16 Turbojet engine, and a Klimov VK-1F Turbojet, among many others.
The new tours of the Museum’s Restoration Facility start on Monday August 3 and are available on Mondays and Wednesdays. The first tours of the day start at 10:30 am, coinciding with the beginning of guided tours by Docents on the main floor. The tours are $10 with paid general admission. Guests can sign up for the tours in person at the Museum’s admission desk. The Museum’s website will be updated as the tours evolve. For more information, visit sandiegoairandspace.org
A sign on the wall near the elevator in the basement offers a poignant look into the work of the pioneering volunteers who were the founding fathers of the Restoration Facility:
“Beginning in 1979 following our relocation to this site, the men and women who depicted here donated thousands of hours as volunteers. Their backgrounds were diverse, but all shared a passion for keeping aviation history alive, many working into their 80’s and 90’s. Over twenty five aircraft were created or restored in this basement by hand, plus at least six full scale replicas, and dozens of aircraft engines were completely restored by our skilled mechanics. Some of these volunteers were Docents; many had aviation backgrounds, adding to the character and flavor of our visitor’s experiences.”
The tours of the Museum's world-class Restoration Facility have recently garnered interest from local media outlets KPBS, CBS 8 and ABC 10 News.
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The San Diego Air & Space Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Federal Tax ID Number 95-2253027.
