Part 1: Innovation, Ingenuity, Indespensible
Air travel has always held a special place in people’s hearts and imaginations. The efficiency enjoyed today by the millions of passengers who fly into San Diego can be traced back to the inventiveness and ingenuity of San Diego’s early aviation pioneers.
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Part 2: A History of Innovation
The early history of San Diego flight was a time of exploration and discovery, from the world’s first directed, heavier-than-air flight by John Montgomery in 1883 to the start-up of the nation's first regularly scheduled airline in 1924.
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Part 3: San Diego's Airport is Born
Citizens select a site for the San Diego’s municipal airport – an uninhabitable tidal marsh that had been ravaged by tide and nature. Transforming this marshland into a serviceable airport required a monumental engineering feat.
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Part 4: Charles Lindbergh and the Spirit of St. Louis
Lindbergh contracts San Diego’s Ryan Aircraft to build the plane that he would later use to become the first person to fly nonstop between New York and Paris. On August 16, 1928, Lindbergh Field becomes the first federally approved airport in the U.S.
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Part 5: "Hey, They're Hiring at Consolidated!" The Depression
San Diego’s aviation industry helps cushion the blow from the depression. Federal funds are allotted to expand Lindbergh Field and Rueben H. Fleet moves his Consolidated Aircraft to San Diego in 1934. Consolidated would become the city’s largest civilian employer.
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Part 6: Women at Work: San Diego During the War Years
San Diego’s aviation industry boomed during the war years, sending thousands of men and women to work building and maintaining aircraft. The term “Rosie the Riveter” is coined at the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation.
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Part 7: "Catch Our Smile" San Diego's Hometown Airline
San Diego’s Pacific Southwest Airlines becomes the first airline to fly passengers to Northern California and back in one day – beginning the commuter airline boom. Aviation technological advances usher in the jet age, bringing wide body planes and international travel to San Diego.
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Part 8: “Tragedy in the Air” San Diego Transforms Air Traffic Standards
The investigation into the cause of a mid-air collision over San Diego brings new airline safety procedures to the entire country. The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority is established by state law to operate San Diego International Airport and address the region’s long-term air transportation needs.
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Part 9: “The One Runway Marvel” Aviation in the 21st Century
San Diego International Airport is the nation’s busiest single runway commercial airport and it hums with 24-hour-a-day activity. The airport today creates jobs for nearly 5,000 people, and its operations contribute almost five billion dollars annually to the regional economy.
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