Looking for fun, hands-on activities to entertain the whole family this Summer? Then the San Diego Air & Space Museum is the place for you!

One of the most popular endeavors at the Museum is the opportunity to climb into actual airplane and spacecraft cockpits. Starting in the Museum’s entryway Rotunda, visitors can experience the Spartan conditions Charles Lindbergh felt as he flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean in May 1927 in a spot-on replica of his bare-bones cockpit. See and feel the wicker seat he sat on as you manipulate the control arm that helped him guide his sturdy aircraft on one of the most memorable flights in human history.

In the SPACE: Our Greatest Adventure special exhibition you will find out how it feels to be “Spam in a Can” when you crawl into a rare replica of an actual Mercury spacecraft. Feel the proximity of the controls and tight spaces of America’s first daring astronauts, the “Mercury Seven.”

In the Golden Age of Flight, you can sit at the controls of a Robinson R44 helicopter and experience what it is like to enjoy one of the most interesting inventions in the annals of flight. You can also sit in a rare cockpit of dual seat trainer in the Golden Age of Flight, just like the ones they use at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. You can also get your photo taken in a mock-up of a supersonic jet fighter in the Kid’s Aviation Action Hangar.

Do you feel the need, the need for speed? Then strap yourself into a life-sized cockpit of an A-4 Skyhawk, better known as Heinemann’s Hot Rod, after legendary aircraft designer Henry Heinemann. Noted for its speed, maneuverability and capability, the A-4 is truly one of the greatest jets ever created.

And if experience flight is for you, then we have simulators galore for you.

First up is the twin seat Space Shuttle simulator in the SPACE: Our Greatest Adventure special exhibition. Learn how to dock the shuttle with the International Space Station before returning to Earth and trying your hand at landing the shuttle at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Then there is the Kid’s Aviation Action Hangar, where future pilots of all ages can try their hands at flying an airplane in a simulated wind tunnel or in simulators replicating a Red Bull racing team acrobatic plane or a trusty modern day trainer.

In the Modern Jet Age Gallery, the thrills continue in the state-of-the-art Max Flight simulators, on the Museum’s most popular experiences. Fly an F-18 Blue Angel Super Hornet, go on a roller coaster ride, or journey to the bottom of the Bermuda Triangle in a submarine in this unique and exhilarating experience.

Or, if you want to know what it feels like to be in a World War II era good old-fashioned dog fight, strap into the Aerial Combat Experience (ACE) simulators, where you get to put your skills to the test against your fellow pilots.

Whatever your desired thrill level, the San Diego Air & Space Museum offers you the opportunity to pursue your dreams of flight and beyond.