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The Rotunda of Flight

at the San Diego Air & Space Museum


The Rotunda of Flight



Theodore Gildred Flight Rotunda
THEODORE GILDRED
FLIGHT ROTUNDA

THE ROTUNDA OF FLIGHT IS DEDICATED TO THEODORE GILDRED (1900-1967), AVIATOR AND BUSINESSMAN, WHO, INSPIRED BY CHARLES A. LINDBERGH'S 1927 FLIGHT, BEGAN FLYING AT DUTCH FLATS, SAN DIEGO IN 1928.

GILDRED TOOK OFF FROM SAN DIEGO ON MARCH 13, 1931, IN A RYAN BROUGHAM AND COMPLETED A HAZARDOUS AND HISTORIC 4,600 MILE GOOD-WILL FLIGHT ACROSS TEN COUNTRIES AND THE ANDES, LANDING AT QUITO, ECUADOR ON MARCH 31, 1931.

THE GILDRED FOUNDATION AND FAMILY DEDICATE THIS ROTUNDA TO THOSE PIONEER AVIATORS IN SAN DIEGO WHO CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO SAN DIEGO'S RICH HERITAGE IN AVIATION.





The Apollo 9 display contains the actual space capsule used on the mission.





The rotunda contains a replica of the Spirit of St. Louis which was flown by Charles Lindbergh in the first solo trans-Atlantic flight.





A reproduction of the first Navy seaplane, the Curtiss A-1





RQ-1A Predator - Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)





RQ-4A Global Hawk - Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)





BQM-34F Firebee II - Remotely piloted vehicle (RPV)





BGM-109 Tomahawk Cruise Missile



The Rotunda of Flight The Rotunda of Flight




Items of Interest...