San Diego Air & Space Museum, Balboa Park, San Diego |
An impressive collection housed in an impressive building. Started in 1963, the collection grew rapidly, but suffered a terrible setback in 1977 when most of the aircraft were destroyed in an arsonist's fire. The museum then moved to its current building in the California Pacific International Exposition area of Balboa Park, and many of the lost aircraft have been replaced by replicas.
It has a strong theme of aircraft with San Diego connections.
Apart from the very pleasant central central courtyard, the museum is now pretty crowded, and benefits from dramatic spotlighting, to the detriment of photographers. They have a restoration centre which also serves as an overflow collection at Gillespie Field, which we visited later. We visited the museum itself on 30th April. |
Aircraft | Reg'n | Thumbs | Notes |
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Aeronca C-3 Collegian | N13094 (NC13094) |
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Albatros DVa replica | N3767A |
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Beachey-Eaton Biplane 'Little Looper' flying replica | N5599N |
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This replica of the 1914 original was built in 1948. |
Bee Aviation (Beecraft) Wee Bee replica | 'NX90840' |
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'World's lightest plane' 1948 - did demo tour of the US and UK in 1949. |
Bell AH-1E Cobra | 77-22778 |
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USAF |
Bell X-1 replica | '46-0062' |
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Boeing P-26A Peashooter replica | '37' |
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Boeing Stearman N2S-3 Kaydet | 05414 |
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USN as '398', ex N1301M |
Bowlus BA-100 Baby Albatross | Unknown |
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1951 kit-built glider. |
Bowlus SP-1 Albatross replica | '493' |
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Original was built in 1929. |
Consolidated PT-1 Trusty | 27-150 N1926M |
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1928 original. |
Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina | 48406 |
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USN ex N5590V |
Convair YF2Y-1 Sea Dart | 135763 |
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USN |
Curtiss A-1 Triad flying replica | Unknown |
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Replica built in 1983 |
Curtiss JN-4D Jenny | N5391 (NX5391) |
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1918 original marked as '38262' |
Deperdussin 1911 Type C Militaire | Unknown |
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Original - monocoque design based on a racer. |
Douglas A-4B Skyhawk | 142905 NP-302 |
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USN ex N905MD |
Fokker Dr-1 replica | '477-18' |
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Cerfified to fly, but no known registration. |
Fokker E-III replica | '246' |
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Replica completed in 1997 |
Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor | N9637 |
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Ex NM22 (N22), XA-BCC, AN-AAJ, H-I3, NX1629M (N1629M), XB-KUI, XA-HIL, N76GC. Pan American Airlines (PAA) livery, with whom it first served in 1928. |
General Atomics RQ-1K Predator | 95200 |
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USAF |
Granville Brothers Gee Bee R-1 Super Sportster replica | 'NR2100 (N2100)' |
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Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat | 42874 21 |
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USN ex NACA 158 |
Horten 229 V3 replica | None |
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Built by Northrop Grumman to replicate the Horten Ho229 for radar testing. |
Lockheed A-12 Blackbird | 60-6933 |
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USAF |
Lockheed Vega 5B replica | None |
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Built for the 2009 film Amelia. |
McDonnell F-4J(S) | 157267 NG-112 |
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USN |
McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornet | 161963 |
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USN Blue Angels 1 - did actually fly with them. |
Messerschmitt Bf-109G-14 replica | None |
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Luftwaffe. Built in 1978. |
MiG-17F Fresco-C | 3020 |
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North Vietnamese AF markings. May have served in East Germany and Egypt. |
Mitsubishi A6M7 Zero Sen Model 63 | E-143 |
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Japanese AF original |
Montgomery Evergreen 1911 glider | None |
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John Joseph Montgomery made his first glider flight in 1883. |
Nieuport 11 replica | N1486 |
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Nieuport 11 replica marked as French AF 'N1256' |
Nieuport 28C-1 | 6169 6 |
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Original, origins murky, ex Mantz-Tallman, N28GH, USAF markings |
North American P-51D Mustang composite | '46-17569' |
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'Bunnie' |
Northrop Grumman BQM-74E Chukar III |
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Subsonic target drone | |
Northrop Grumman RQ-8A Fire Scout | FS-001 |
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The first prototype. I first saw this at the Farnborough Air Show in 2002. |
Piper J-3C Cub | NC333ED (N333ED) |
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Pitts S-1S Special | N4HS |
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Same colour scheme as Betty Skelton's Little Stinker. |
Robinson R44 Raven 1 | N544LB |
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Marked 'NR44LB' |
Ryan M-1 replica | None |
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Successful commercial deign, the basis for the NYP. |
Ryan NYP flying replica | N211SD |
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Marked as 'Spirit of St Louis N-X-211' |
Ryan B-5 Brougham | N9236 (NC9236) |
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1931 original marked as 'NC731M' |
Ryan BQM-34F Firebee II | 70-01418 |
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USAF supersonic target drone |
Ryan STA | NC17361 (N17361) |
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Donated by T. Claude Ryan himself after the fire. |
SPAD VII | B9916 |
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Built in Norwich by Mann Egerton and Co in 1917, and in use at San Diego North Island later that year. |
Standard J-1 | N2826D (NX2826D) |
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1917 original. Ex Cole Palen and Paul Mantz among others. |
Supermarine Spitfire LFXVIe | SL574 T-MD |
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Used in films Reach for the Sky and Battle of Britain. |
Vought F4U-7 Corsair | 133704 |
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USN, ex French AF 704, later damaged by storm Katrina at USS Alabama museum, restored here as 'USMC 129359 WS-8' |