SDASM Library & Archives

10/17/2022

75 years ago this month, the Sound Barrier was broken. Find out more here!

10/01/2022

San Diego Air & Space Museum - Aerofest - events

Come join us for a fun day at the Museum's Gillespie Field Annex tomorrow, October 1st from 9 AM to 3 PM. Hope to see you there.

San Diego Air & Space Museum Annual Open Hangar and Museum Sale this Saturday Oct. 1 at Gillespie Field. Enjoy an up-close look at the Museum’s latest restoration projects of a Boeing FB-5 and...

06/01/2022

Check out our recent artifact spotlight:
https://sandiegoairandspace.org/collection/item/gilbert-betancourts-aer-nostrum-airship-model-1929

04/29/2022

https://archive.org/details/aeronautica_202204
The SDASM digitizes a very important periodical! Since its inception, the Institute for the Aeronautical Sciences (IAS) had started preserving the history of flight. By 1940, this collection had become the world’s greatest collected works of artifacts and documents related to the history of aviation.

In 1948, Jack Northrop was the President of the IAS and he appointed an Archives Committee to supervise the matters of flight history within the Institute; this could be seen as the initial founding of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) History Committee; as the IAS merged with the American Rocket Society (ARS) in 1963 to form the AIAA. The IAS Council created a new grade of member, Historical Associate, for individuals with a serious interest in aeronautical history who might not qualify for IAS membership in the technical grades. Historical Associates would not have a vote, but their dues of $10 would entitle them to receive issues of the new quarterly publication “Aeronautica,” that would carry historical articles. These members would provide a pool of volunteers to perform a renewed effort to catalog objects in the IAS collection of aviation history artifacts and documents, and submit articles for the publication. In 1949, William Burden, the most significant donor to the IAS collections, took office as the President of the IAS. None of the past issues of the Aeronautica “magazine” survived in the AIAA.

The “magazines” are about the size of a newsletter; offset printed on two 11x17 sheets of glossy heavy-stock paper on both sides in black and white, glued or stapled. and folded into a multiple-page document that is 8½x11 in size.

By 1950, there were 55 active Historical Associates and 14 additional Historical members already enrolled in other grades. The program was not seen as being successful in keeping-up with the need. Around that time, the Aero Historical Society based in Los Angeles had disbanded and became a means of doubling the number of Historical Associates with John Slone, an engineer with North American Aviation , becoming the chair of the IAS Historical Branch. This group became very active on the west coast in developing programs, building exhibits, and publishing articles with their grass-roots support; but the IAS collection was on the east coast. The responsibility for publishing the “Aeronautica” periodical was transferred to the west coast. Throughout the 1950s, the research library, museum, and historical collections grew and took up half of the space in the New York IAS building.

The problem was that almost all of the Historical Associates were on the west coast. Beginning with the first issue of Aeronautica in 1952, the management of the Historical Associate program and the publication of Aeronautica was all moved to the west coast. Although touted as a magazine, the Aeronautica was not much more than a very professionally published newsletter. It did not publish any news about the Institute or the Historical Associate program, but it would have articles about aircraft, people, and events in aeronautical history with lots of graphics (pictures and scale drawings).

In the late 1950s, membership and revenues had peaked and started to decline. By 1960, expenses needed to be cut, and the historical and museum functions had been divested. Included in the divestiture was the Guggenheim Mansion which had been donated to finally give the Institute the space needed for the historical collections; and the publication of “Aeronautica” had also ceased in 1957. This was too much for Lester Gardner, the Institute’s founder, who for many years cut all ties with the Institute because of the massive divestiture.

Thanks to Kevin Burns for helping us digitize "Aeronautica"!

12/17/2021

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Every year Santa Claus makes his trip from the North Pole to deliver toys and goodies to all the good little boys and girls around the world. He does so without fail, and makes his journey in one night seem effortless. At the beginning of the 20th century, when airplanes began to fly longer distances, pilots tried very hard to replicate Santa’s feat by flying their planes to the North Pole. We hope you enjoy this exhibit that looks at the history of Polar flight! https://sandiegoairandspace.org/exhibits/online-exhibit-page/polar-express-introduction

05/25/2021

Pan American Airways was once the largest airline in the world and during its heyday in the 1930s, offered the most luxurious and comfortable air passenger service on their famous “Clipper” flying boats. Find out more about these majestic Clippers in this exciting online exhibit:
https://sandiegoairandspace.org/exhibits/online-exhibit-page/introduction-boeing-314-exhibit

02/22/2021

Want to learn more about the Link Trainer? Well, check this out!
https://sandiegoairandspace.org/collection/item/link-trainer

02/10/2021

In honor of Black History Month, we have created an online exhibit highlighting the extraordinary life of Norman Casson.

https://sandiegoairandspace.org/exhibits/online-exhibit-page/casson-introduction

11/04/2020

New Online Exhibit!
https://sandiegoairandspace.org/exhibits/online-exhibit-page/high-flying-films-introduction
Hollywood has long had an infatuation with flight, and many movies have been produced that have aircraft in leading roles. These aviation films tell us much about what was going on in society at the time they were produced, as these films often represented the hopes and fears of those that created them. We have created an online exhibit that highlights some of these “High Flying Films” and also discusses the historical context in which they were produced.

10/08/2020

This week's artifact spotlight is something you "Gotha" see!
https://sandiegoairandspace.org/collection/item/gotha

09/28/2020

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we have created an online exhibit celebrating Hispanics and Latinos/Latinas in aviation!
https://sandiegoairandspace.org/exhibits/online-exhibit-page/hispanic-and-latino-aviators-introduction

09/11/2020

Here are some cool matches! You know what else matches? Our grant! For a limited time your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar through the Museum’s Challenge Grant Recovery Fund: https://sandiegoairandspace.org/support/donate/donate
Please designate "Challenge Grant" if you kindly donate. Thank you very much!

09/09/2020

As the Valley Fire burns in San Diego County, we take a look back at the first airplane meant to fight fires in the area. In 1917 Orvar "Swede" Meyerhoffer was contracted by the San Diego Fire Department to fly his Curtiss F Boat to attack fires from the air. His plane, christened "Aerial Truck No 1", was going to use chemical fire extinguishers to put out fires. Although the exact method to be utilized is unknown and there is no record that Ole No 1 ever fought a fire.

Incidentally, in 2018, the San Diego Air and Space Museum acquired its own Aerial Truck, a Lockheed P2V Neptune which can be seen at our Gillespie Field annex. We do know that our Neptune, "Tanker 43" was quite successful at fighting fires!

08/20/2020

Check out this rare book spotlight!
https://sandiegoairandspace.org/collection/item/rare-material-spotlight-arthur-dunning-spearman-j.j.-montgomery-manuscript

07/31/2020

Two of the most prized possessions in the Museum's collection are a pair of logbooks recording events related to the 103rd Aero Squadron from the First World War. The 103rd squadron was the first American combat squadron to see action in the War, and was initially comprised of 17 pilots from the famed Lafayette Escadrille, the French squadron made up of mostly American volunteers. One of the logbooks contains a record of the flight operations of the squadron, including hours flown and a narrative about each day's activities. Some of these reports, listed as the "Nature of Patrol" are quite interesting and detailed.

The other logbook records more the Squadron's more mundane activities not related to flight, such as the names of new squadron members, or where the 103rd was stationed. This book spans the period when the squadron was formed till when it returned to the United States after the War.

Recently the library undertook the process of restoring these logbooks. The digitization of these log books means that the can be used by researchers without additional wear and tear. And in 2020, the activity logbook were transcribed by Steve Ruffin.

See the logbooks and transcription here: https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22103rd+Aero+Squadron%22

https://sandiegoairandspace.org/collection/item/logbooks-of-the-lafayette-escadrille-103rd-pursuit-squadron

07/07/2020

Do you like airplanes? Do you like dogs? We got the exhibit for you!
https://sandiegoairandspace.org/exhibits/online-exhibit-page/introduction3

05/19/2020

Three historically important scrapbooks, which belonged to Reuben H. Fleet, are being digitized by the Museum’s Library & Archives as part of the California Revealed program. California Revealed is a State Library initiative to help digitize California’s archival treasures, at no cost to the source institution. Fleet founded Consolidated Aircraft in 1923 in Buffalo, New York, relocating his company to San Diego in 1935. During World War II, located on Pacific Highway by Lindbergh Field, the company employed nearly 50,000 San Diegans, delivering tens of thousands of aircraft. His company merged with Vultee Aircraft in 1943, becoming Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation (Convair).
These oversized scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings and articles about Fleet and Consolidated Aircraft, dating from 1928 to 1942. On loan to the Museum by the Fleet family, they were created by Fleet’s personal secretary.
The digitization of these books will allow research of materials that include valuable marketing and media information about Consolidated Aircraft prior to its move to San Diego, as well as the early years of World War II. The California Revealed project has already digitized many of the Museum’s oral histories, including those of T.C. Ryan, Waldo Waterman and Lillian Boyer.
These are available at: https://archive.org/details/sandiegoairspacemuseum

04/22/2020

In March 2020 the world changed as non-essential businesses closed to the public to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Overnight, the Museum converted its daily activities into a variety of online and remote activities as staff began working from home. During the temporary closure, the Museum’s Library & Archives staff continue to respond to research requests and inquiries. In addition, they are exploring ways to stay connected with the public while working from home. To learn more about the Library & Archives recent accomplishments and future plans, read the new issue of “Researcher News.�http://sandiegoairandspace.org/pdf/LANewsletter_April2020a.pdf

04/16/2020

Take a closer look at one of our incredible artifacts:
http://sandiegoairandspace.org/collection/item/distinguished-flying-cross-society-short-snorter

03/24/2020

Bored while social distancing? We have the solution:
http://sandiegoairandspace.org/museum/sdasmtv
View some of our favorite digitized films, with new content published daily.

02/21/2020

BD-0121 Lt. Col Robert Friend, Tuskegee Airman Oral History

In honor of Black History Month, enjoy this oral history from Lt. Col Robert Friend, a Tuskegee Airman.
https://youtu.be/dD5yY2Gv1EE

Oral history interview of Lt.Col. Robert Friend by Ron Carrico, Docent at San Diego Air and Space Museum. L/C Friend was a Tuskegee Airman pilot and flew the...

02/06/2020

African Americans in Aviation

In honor of Black History Month, we are highlighting our African Americans in Aviation collection on Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/albums/72157628515561319/

To these heroes, we salute you!

Photos highlighting African American's contributions to aviation. This album includes images from SC.30003 a special collection donated by Leroy Criss

01/29/2020

Consolidated Field Service Bulletins Vol. 3 1945 : SDASM : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Do you have to make repairs to your B-24 or PBY and are worried you don't have the most current instructions? Don't worry! We have digitized Consolidated Field Service Bulletins from World War Two!
https://archive.org/details/consolidatedfieldservicebulletinsvol.31945

We have also digitized "Plane Talk" and Consairways "Plane Talk" check them out at https://archive.org/details/

Consolidated Aircraft Field Service Bulletins Volume 3, from December 1944 through December 1945.  The Field Service Bulletins gave updates and maintenance...

12/23/2019

Santa came early this year! We received a generous award from the California State Library for their "California Revealed" project. This project will digitize 50 items containing thousands of pages of content. The items to be digitized include board minutes from the Consolidated/Convair Aircraft Corporation from 1924 to 1954, which will give insight into the major decisions that made that company one of the most important aerospace manufacturers in America. Also selected for digitization are the company newspapers for the Northrop Corporation, which range in date from the 1940s to the 1980s. Northrop was known for manufacturing "Flying Wing" aircraft and several other important designs, such as the F-5. These newspapers include information about the products the company made, in addition to the everyday activities of its employees. Such activities include such things as employee spotlights and articles on company sports teams. Northrop was a major aerospace corporation, which employed several thousand Californians in the 1950s. These newspapers give a unique look into the aerospace industry in California during the Cold War. These items will be available on Archive.org in late 2020 and all of the text will be fully searchable!

12/18/2019

Naughty or nice? You are running out of time to impress Santa! If you really want to get on the good list, come volunteer at the Library and Archives! Thanks to Bill Allen for use of this image.

11/25/2019

As you know, our collections have grown rapidly over the past couple of years, allowing us the responsibility of maintaining the largest private non-profit aerospace collection in the nation. However, to ensure good stewardship and accessibility to these valuable collections, it is necessary to improve and expand our existing storage areas. We are now planning and starting to raise funds for the renovation of two more collection rooms. These improvements are needed to better utilize our limited space for proper storage and long-term preservation, as well as provide easier access for research purposes. It will also allow us to create better work areas for our staff and volunteers.

Pictured is the area once known as the "Tank Room" which will be used for expanded collection storage. If you would like to donate to this effort, or purchase items that will help, you can use this link:
https://www.charity.ebay.com/charity/San-Diego-Air-and-Space-Museum/2439925

11/18/2019

Support San Diego Air and Space Museum on eBay

Visit our eBay store for surplus books and other items for sale. All proceeds will go toward our renovation project to improve the storage and care of our collections. Thanks for your support.

Through eBay for Charity you can support the causes that matter most - to you - by buying and selling on eBay. We help nonprofits like San Diego Air and Space Museum connect to over 145 million eBay community members to raise money.

11/17/2019

Capturing the Excitement of the Upcoming Polar Circumnavigation | Robert DeLaurentis, Zen Pilot

Epic Pole to Pole flight departed Gillespie Field yesterday on November 16, 2019.
Track the flight at: https://share.garmin.com/CitizenoftheWorld

The Flying Thru Life team is proud to share this video by Damian Martorana that we have been working on for several months. We believe this captures the exci...

11/17/2019

BD-0260 B-17 Pilot Ed Davidson August 6 2017

In loving memory of Ed Davidson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbTJ0uW0mKA

10/30/2019

We have uploaded even more General Dynamics/Convair Newspapers to https://archive.org/details/sandiegoairspacemuseum
And if that wasn't cool enough, the website reads the newspapers to you if you so desire! You can search for friends or family members that worked at there and read...or hear all about them!

10/18/2019

Be happy its Friday...payday? Have fun checking out our digitized Convairieties here:https://archive.org/details/sandiegoairspacemuseum

10/15/2019

The San Diego Air and Space Museum : Free Texts : Free Download, Borrow and Streaming : Internet Archive

Big News! We have digitized 100s of issues of Convairiety, the employee newspaper of Convair. We have editions from San Diego, Fort Worth, Astronautics and even Antelope Valley. You can find them here: https://archive.org/details/sandiegoairspacemuseum

And, you can search the contents of all of them (and other documents from Convair and Ryan) but using the "Search this Collection" box and selecting "Text Contents".

The San Diego Air & Space Museum Library & Archives houses one of the largest collections of Air & Space-related books and archival materials in the country. This extensive collection, which includes many unique and rare items, consists of books, periodicals, films and video tapes,...

09/12/2019

Gordon Permann Collection SC.10219

Several 100 very rare images have been added to the Gordon Permann Collection on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/albums/72157672968365917

Scanned images from the Permann Collection

08/09/2019

Walter Osipoff Oral History : San Diego Air and Space Museum : Free Borrow & Streaming : Internet Archive

Think you are having a bad day? Listen to this Oral History from Walter Osipoff, who was dragged for an hour behind an airplane before he was rescued!
https://archive.org/details/casdam_000011/casdam_000011

Description: In one of the most unusual aviation events in Southern California history, Walter Osipoff was parachuting out of an airplane when his parachute...

08/07/2019

BD 0255 Stan Abele Oral History : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Here is another great oral history we have posted on Archive.org. It is from a Navy pilot that survived the attack on the USS Bunker Hill!
https://archive.org/details/bd0255abele

 Stan was a Navy pilot in the Second World War who survived the attack on the USS Bunker Hill

08/06/2019

BD 0256 Richard Stutzman Oral History : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Hello! Did you know that we have some very rare Oral Histories on Archive.org? Like this one from Richard Stutzman who flew with the 118th Tactical Recon Sq. and was shot down over China?https://archive.org/details/bd0256richardstutzmanoralhistory

Oral History from Richard Dick Stutzman, who served with the 118th Tactical-Reconnaissance Squadron in World War Two.  Mr. Stutzman discusses his time in...