NANCY'S CHRONICLE: SD, CA - Flying Through the Air and Space Museum

ALMOST CREAMED IN THE CROSSWALK

There is a nice law in Arizona and California and probably lots of other states that we do not have in Iowa. It states that pedestrians in crosswalks have the right of way and, when they are walking there, cars must stop. Now, as a great walker, I wish that was the law in Iowa. But, I have been in the crosswalk and many cars do not stop. Many do, but it only for courtesy not because it is the law. Sometimes I think they see a walker in the crosswalk as a challenge.

Here in California, we see people just walking into the crosswalks, seemingly without a looking in both directions at the traffic. Yesterday, a woman with two young children in a double stroller, just strode into the traffic, knowing that the drivers would stop - and they did. I would have stopped at the curb, looked both ways, waited until the way was clear and then, and only then, would I have stepped into the crosswalk.

Today, however, I pretended I was a Californian and, when I got to the curb, I strolled out into the crosswalk. Of course, I had to do it in front of a car from Montana. Silly me. Guess what law they do NOT have in Montana? I jumped back more quickly than any 65-yr old I know. But, I still am alive. Whew.

CAR2GO

We think this is the future of rental cars. If you live in the city and don’t need a car very often, you can join a club called CAR2GO where you rent a car for just as long as you need it. These are electric Smart Cars and in front of the Automobile Museum, next to the Air and Space Museum is an ‘electricity’ pump where you get the car all juiced up for the next person. Behind this car are 2 others, each at their own pump. One day as we were walking through the city, we noticed 3 CARS2GO behind each other probably being driven to another location for use. We see these all over here.

AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

February is Museum Month in San Diego sponsored by Macy’s. During this month tickets are half-price and several of the museums are actually free. We got to Macy’s at 10:00, picked up our ticket and were on our way. This is the 3rd year that we’ve been here for Museum Month and we’ve seen many of them but we still have more to visit. Our procedure is to take the lowered price and then donate to the museum. Huh? Don’t ask.

Today we’re visiting the San Diego Air and Space Museum in Balboa Park with plans to visit others while we’re here.

Two things I’ve learned about museums: visit on a weekday and you’ll have lots more room to maneuver. Secondly, if a docent says ‘Do you have a few minutes to look at something special?’ say ‘Yes.’ Several years ago we got an individual tour through the carrier Midway by an older gentleman who was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese bombed it. Today we got a special tour of the basement of the museum where they build, repair, refurbish and restore all of the planes they have in the museum. We also got to meet some of the volunteers who work here and see their workshops. Fascinating. When several museum planes were destroyed by Katrina in New Orleans, they were sent here for restoration and repair. We didn’t know this facility existed and now we’ve spoke with the some of the people who built some of the planes in the museum. We have a much greater appreciation of what goes into making a museum good.

The museum began in 1963 in what was the Food and Beverage Building built for the Panama-California Exposition in 1915. It was moved to another building in 1965 but was destroyed in an arson fire in 1978. More than 50 aircraft were destroyed including several one of a kind aircraft along with many artifacts and archives. Altogether it was estimated that there were $4,000,000 in losses.

Fortunately, the museum itself was in the process of being moved to a larger building and many newer pieces accumulated for display in the new larger building were still in storage. In addition, the fire stimulated large donations both of money and of artifacts. The new museum opened in 1980 with a smaller collection but with plans to rebuild some of the more significant planes in the original museum.

Interestingly, the museum is in a historic building and thus cannot make renovations to it. They can’t add heat, they can’t add air conditioning, they can’t add a new wing unless this new wing does not touch the original building. They did put a canopy over the center section which was open but first they put in metal grid pillars from which the canopy is suspended. Neither the canopy nor the pillars touch the original building. Unfortunately, that meant that I was a bit chilly inside the building since it was the same temp as the outside, 64 degrees.

The exhibits began with displays of some early flying machines. Unfortunately, these planes are hanging from the ceiling above a new exhibit which opens on Friday and we could not see them. We then began in the WWI section which included several models which flew in that war. We were especially intrigued with the display of how the pilot could fire his machine gun from his position in the plane. How in the world did he not shoot off the propeller blades with the machine gun? Well, the Germans developed a gear mechanism which alternated shots between the rotating blades. Until the Allies could develop this, the Germans had quite an advantage.

Here you can see the propeller with the black machine gun on top of the fuselage pointing right at it.

There was copy of Amelia Earhart’s airplane. There was a space capsule. There were several planes from WWII. There was a copy of the Wright Bros. plane.