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San Diego, California: Air and Space Museum: Nazi Flying Wing, Apollo 9 Capsule

The flying wing is an exact replica of the long-hidden Nazi secret weapon. Apollo 9 was the one Apollo flight that didn't go to the moon, but its capsule looks the same as the others. Also here: John Glenn's space wristwatch and the Avion, a car built with airplane parts to get 120 miles per gallon. Out front: an SR-71 Blackbird on a pole.

San Diego Air and Space Museum

Address:
2001 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, CA
Directions:
San Diego Air and Space Museum. Balboa Park in San Diego. Get here early or you'll have a problem finding a spot to park.
Hours:
Daily 10- 4 (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:
619-234-8291
Admission:
Adults $18
RA Rates:
Worth a Detour
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Visitor Tips and News About Air and Space Museum: Nazi Flying Wing, Apollo 9 Capsule

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Nazi Flying Wing.

Air and Space Museum: Nazi Flying Wing, Apollo 9 Capsule

Lots of rare and interesting things in an old exhibition building. They have a super cool A-12 Blackbird. I also like Winston Churchill's suit.

[Dan, 01/29/2017]
Aerospace Museum, Moon Rock

The San Diego Air and Space Museum should not be missed by anyone with even the slightest interest in aviation. Located outside the front door is a genuine SR-71 on a stick. This museum covers many square feet and nearly every inch of the floor and ceiling contain something related to aviation.

The SDASM pays tribute to famous aviators, planes, and gizmos from Kitty Hawk to the space shuttle and beyond. Scattered throughout were so many different types of engines that I stopped counting.

I really enjoyed seeing the real china used in first-class sections of airlines, and a wall covered with pilot and crew flight pins from current and long-gone airlines like Braniff, Eastern, and others. Also not to be missed things are the reproduction engine from the Wright Brother's plane and the Wright Brother's Wind Tunnel used to test their aerodynamic theories back in Ohio before their famous flight at Kitty Hawk, NC.

In the Primo Space Junk category are a replica space suit, Mercury 7 capsule, as well as a section dedicated to the space shuttle program. Also in this area is a genuine Moon Rock encased in a clear plastic pyramid -- which is further encased in a plexiglass case. Just try to get a decent picture of that!

Other items of interest were an F-4 Phantom, Messerschmitt BF-109, Maxim 7.7 MM aircraft machine gun, a complete section dedicated to the women of aviation, my personal favorite plane the PB5Y Catalina, and the Wee Bee -- a plane so impossibly small that the pilot had to lay down on the fuselage rather than sit in a seat.

[Greg Brown, 03/23/2001]

Nearby Offbeat Places

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In the region:
Mount Soledad Cross, La Jolla, CA - 9 mi.

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