Curatorial:The Curatorial department is putting the finishing touches on our greatly improved WWI history exhibit, with the addition of new artifacts including machine guns, helmets, aviation uniforms, and a fine collection of trench art on loan from Bill Allen. The exhibit’s expansive timeline relates the most significant activities of the conflict in the air and on the ground.  

We have targeted the first of the year as the opening of our new “American Women of Flight” exhibit. It will occupy the space in front of the Zable 3D/4D Theater and feature the greater and lesser known names in aviation. While the exhibit will highlight those women who have been inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame, artifacts and models, historical tales and legend, will round out the exhibit.

Restoration:

From newsletter to newsletter the story of the Hughes H-1 Racer will change very little. This rather large and complex undertaking progresses steadily but slowly, and will for the duration. The Balboa Park machine shop crew have fashioned most of the landing gear parts at this point and the fit trials are underway. Fastening exterior skin to the fuselage frames has begun and because of the need to precisely butt join the skins to one another, an enormous amount of fitting and grinding goes into attaching a single panel.

At Gillespie Field, work continues on the restoration/construction of the 1927 Boeing FB-5 biplane fighter.The lower wings, vertical and horizontal stabilizers have been covered and doped while the massive upper wing nears completion. The fuselage is taking shape as a myriad of attach points are welded securely where they will accept the flying wires and struts as well as the landing gear and wing attachments.

The T-34 restoration project is proceeding well. The interior of the aircraft is now complete, the engine installation nears completion, and the canopy pieces ar being restored at this time. The landing gear is ready to install in the wings, which are primed and ready for a finishing coat of paint. When finished, the aircraft will be displayed in the south hangar at Gillespie Field.