The museum is divided into many galleries with exhibits emphasizing the contributions San Diego has made to aviation. Sections include the Theodore Gildred Rotunda, Special Exhibit area, World War I Gallery, Golden Age of Flight Gallery, World War II Gallery, Modern Jet & Space Age Gallery, and the Edwin D. McKellar Pavilion of Flight. Admission is required and there is an additional cost to see the Special Exhibit. The restoration shop on site is available for tours when work is being done.
Theodore Gildred Rotunda Command Module
Gumdrop flown in 1969 by
James McDivitt,
David Scott, and
Rusty Schweickart in preparation of the
first lunar landing missions In addition to the
Apollo 9 Command Module
Gumdrop, the main entrance to the museum contains examples of aircraft from local San Diego companies. It also features the different types of exhibits throughout the museum. This includes originals, like the
Montgomery 1911 Evergreen glider, models, like the 1/2 scale model of the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk, flyable reproductions, like the
Curtiss A-1 Triad amphibious aircraft, replicas, like the
Ryan Airlines NYP (aka
Spirit of St. Louis).
Special exhibits In addition to the changing special exhibits at the front of the museum, there are several early aviation exhibits hanging from the ceiling. Visitors are encouraged to look up while making their way through the special exhibit. Guests who do not pay to see the special exhibit pass through the
International Air & Space Hall of Fame hallway, where portraits of aviation pioneers are displayed. Also along this hallway are exhibits about
Jacqueline "Jackie" Cochran and the
Women Airforce Service Pilots. Hanging above this area are exhibits of the Leonardo da Vinci Ornithopter (mock-up), Cayley Glider (reproduction),
Lilienthal Glider (reproduction),
Chanute Glider (reproduction),
1901 Wright Glider (reproduction), 1902 Wright Glider (reproduction), Deperdussin 1911 Type Militaire,
Beachey "Little Looper" (reproduction), and the
Vin Fiz Flyer (reproduction). The San Diego Air and Space Museum is currently showcasing an interactive exhibition dedicated to Leonardo Da Vinci’s groundbreaking inventions. The display features some of his most notable creations, including various flying machines, a life-sized hang glider, and Da Vinci’s own notes detailing his inventive process. Running through January 4, 2026, at 2001 Pan America Plaza, the exhibition aims to shed light on the often-overlooked story of Da Vinci's attempt at flight in 1506. His inventions were remarkably ahead of their time, introducing concepts like “wing warping,” a technology later attributed to the Wright brothers. Da Vinci’s extensive knowledge and visionary ideas anticipated many modern advancements, such as drones, parachutes, and helicopters. The museum also has the
California lunar sample displays.
World War I Gallery In addition to the boardwalk and era-style tent similar to those used by the
Lafayette Escadrille, the gallery has reproductions of an
Albatros D.Va, a
Fokker Dr.I and
Fokker E.III Eindecker, and authentic examples of a
SPAD S.VII.c.1 and
Nieuport 28. Among the many displays is a model of the
synchronization gear first developed for the Fokker Eindecker. With the press of a button, guests can see how the propeller and rotary engine would move and coordinate the trigger action so pilots would not shoot off their own propellers in combat.
Golden Age of Flight Gallery Along the long back stretch of this gallery are many aircraft, both on the deck and hanging from the ceiling. Aircraft in this section include a
Lincoln Standard J-1,
Consolidated PT-1 Trusty,
Aeronca C-3 Collegian,
Ryan M-1 (replica),
Lockheed Vega (replica made for the 2009 movie
Amelia (film))
Fleet Model 2,
Gee Bee R-1 (reproduction),
Bowlus SP-1 Paperwing (reproduction),
Ryan B-5 Brougham,
Ryan STA,
Piper J-3 Cub, and
Pitts Special. The museum also has several aircraft engines on display. This gallery contains a
Curtiss OX-5,
Aeronca E-107,
Liberty L-12,
Wright J-3 Whirlwind,
Curtiss V-1570 Conqueror,
Jacobs L-4MB (cutaway),
Menasco A-4, and
Continental A-40. The
Curtiss JN-4D "Jenny" was returned to the restoration shop to reskin the wings but has since been returned to the gallery. Access to the Edwin D. McKeller Pavilion of Flight is from this portion of the museum. This is also where the Education Center is, which hosts monthly Family Day activities. Guests will also locate the restrooms for the museum in this section of the building. On some days, lunch is available on the outer patio outside of this portion of the museum. There is an exhibit of the
Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA), also known as the Poor Sailor's Airline, in the museum. A replica of the airline's first ticket office has displays about the airline with a smile and includes stewardess uniforms from the 1950s through the 1980s, including the hot pants worn during the 1970s.
PSA Flight 182, registration N533PS, a
Boeing 727-214 commercial airliner collided with a private
Cessna 172 over San Diego on September 25, 1978. A memorial plaque honoring those who died on Flight 182 and the ground is located at the museum, near the Theodore Gildred Flight Rotunda. On the 20th anniversary of the tragedy, a tree was planted next to the North Park branch library, and a memorial plaque was dedicated to those who died.
World War II Gallery The latest addition to the museum is a replica
Horten Ho 229 flying wing, which was put on display in July 2009. This was donated to the museum's permanent collection by Northrop Grumman (owners of Ryan Aeronautical) following radar testing at the same test site, which was used to compare the Horten's radar cross-section to the
Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. Details of the work on the model and the history of the aircraft were featured on the National Geographic Channel's documentary Hitler's Stealth Fighter. Other aircraft in this portion of the museum include a
Stearman N2S-3 Kaydet,
North American P-51D Mustang,
Messerschmitt Bf 109G-14 (mock-up), and
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XVI. A
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3) Nose and Cockpit section loaned by the
National Air and Space Museum was previously on display in this gallery. This section of the museum is also where a mock-up of the was built. This Essex Class aircraft carrier has many of the Navy aircraft on display, including a
Douglas SBD-4 Dauntless,
Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat, and
Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat. Racing just feet over the deck, guests will see a
Mitsubishi A6M7 Zero-sen. Throughout the gallery are many of the aircraft engines which were used during this period. On display are a
Junkers Jumo 004B-1,
Allison V-1710-39, Walter RI-202B,
Rolls-Royce Merlin 62,
Pratt & Whitney R-2800,
Pratt & Whitney R-1830-17,
Wright R-1820 Cyclone,
Ranger 6-440C-2, and
Ranger SGV-770C-1.
Modern Jet and Space Age Gallery This gallery contains a
Douglas A-4B Skyhawk,
F/A-18A Hornet "Blue Angel 1", Gemini spacecraft (replica), an
Apollo Command and Service Module mock-up, and flight vehicles, like the
Ryan Firebee and
General Atomics MQ-1 Predator. At the far end of the gallery is the Boeing GPS-12 Satellite. This was an operational ground spare. Launched into space for the original GPS constellation were 23 operational spacecraft and two on-orbit spares. Several spares were flight-ready on the ground in case there were malfunctions in orbit, these spacecraft could be launched as replacements. When the next generation of spacecraft was developed, the ground spares were no longer needed, and one was donated to the museum. On display is a flight-ready GPS satellite. Along the inside wall of this gallery is the cockpit canopy of the
North American X-15. This supersonic rocket plane first flew on June 8, 1959, with
Scott Crossfield at the controls. Also in the display case near the canopy is Crossfield's flight suit from the X-15 and the air conditioning case used by
Neil Armstrong when he was an X-15 pilot. Eight of the X-15 pilots flew into space (above ) to earn their astronaut wings. The many astronauts who grew up and lived in the San Diego area include
Wally Schirra, the only astronaut to command missions in Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.
Edwin D. McKellar Pavilion of Flight and
Wee Bee in the Edwin D. McKellar Pavilion of Flight, 2025. The original courtyard of the Ford Building was used as a showroom during the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. Now, it houses many of the larger aircraft in the museum's collection. These aircraft include the
Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina,
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17,
Bell AH-1E Cobra, and
Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor. It also includes a replica of the
Beecraft Wee Bee several racing aircraft, and two Ford cars on loan from the
San Diego Automotive Museum. The
McDonnell Douglas F-4J/S Phantom II on display in the pavilion was the aircraft flown by
Duke Cunningham and
William P. Driscoll in Vietnam from the
USS Constellation (CV-64). Cunningham was the first ace to get all of his kills with missiles. The aircraft here has both radar guided
Sparrow missiles along the belly and infrared heat-seeking
Sidewinder missiles loaded on the wings. The museum also rents the pavilion for special events, from lectures to dinners. Upon request, volunteer museum docents can be available to provide additional information about the exhibits during these events.
Front of museum On display outside the museum are a
Lockheed A-12 and a
Convair YF2Y-1 Sea Dart.
Gillespie Field Annex In addition to the main facility at Balboa Park, the museum also has an annex at
Gillespie Field,
El Cajon. The Annex featured additional display space for more aircraft and restoration facilities. Some of the featured aircraft and spacecraft here include: •
Convair F-102A Delta Dagger •
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bis •
Bleriot XI (reproduction) •
Grumman F-14 Tomcat •
Lockheed P-2 Neptune •
Douglas A2D Skyshark •
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon •
Bell UH-1 Iroquois •
Ryan X-13 Vertijet •
Hawker Siddeley AV-8A Harrier •
Boeing FB-5 Hawk (reproduction) •
Ryan PT-22 Recruit •
WACO YKS-7 •
Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk •
SM-65 Atlas •
Lockheed S-3 Viking •
North American F-86F Sabre •
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21bis An F-14 Tomcat from the annex would be used in ground scenes during the filming of
Top Gun: Maverick. ==Collection==