A primary goal of the San Diego Air & Space Museum is to educate and inspire the public about the history of aerospace innovation, as well as it’s present and future. Their hands-on, inquiry-driven programming engages learners of all ages and emphasizes the importance of imagination and creativity in the fields of science, technology, and engineering.
At the Museum’s El Cajon location, more display space for the increasing collection, as well as a storage and restoration facility, are available to the public. Visitors may see a variety of aircraft at Gillespie Field’s northeastern section, including several military jets, private sports aircraft, and miniature racing planes, all of which are on display. The S-3 Viking, the P2 Neptune, and Baron Hilton’s Staggerwing are among the latest additions to Gillespie’s fleet. The facility is available to the general public from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Adults 12 years of age and older are required to pay $5 in admission. Anyone under the age of 12 is admitted free of charge. More interesting reads.
Similar to the repair shop at the Museum’s main building, the restoration shop at Gillespie Field is manned entirely by volunteers with a high level of expertise. In addition to restoring a variety of antique aircraft, they are also capable of building exact replicas of such aircraft. The FB5 and J-3 are two projects that are currently in the works for the year.
The San Diego Air & Space Museum’s annex at Gillespie Field has developed from its humble beginnings as a single hangar to become a vital element of the Museum’s aircraft restoration and replica replication programs. The Facility, which is staffed mostly by volunteers, has produced some of SDASM’s greatest work.
A Convair F-102A Delta Dagger, which is historically significant in the area, has finished repair at the Annex. The Lindbergh Field factory of Convair in San Diego was the site of the construction of this aircraft in the mid-1950s. Many of the volunteers that helped with the F-102’s preservation were former Convair/General Dynamics employees who had worked on the plane during their time there.
Tuesday through Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the store is open. The Gillespie Field Annex is situated on the north side of the field. For further information, please contact them at 619.258.1221. Adults 12 years of age and older are required to pay $5 in admission. Anyone under the age of 12 is admitted free of charge.