Vintage San Diego: San Diego Takes Flight

Vintage San Diego: San Diego Takes Flight

Share your vintage photo of San Diego! Send your pic and story to [email protected].

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Share your vintage photo of San Diego! Send your pic and story to

[email protected]

.

San Diego, the “Birthplace of Naval Aviation,” has much to celebrate during National Aviation History Month this November. When flight enthusiast Glenn Curtiss came to California from New York for a flying exhibition in 1910, he discovered the long, flat, sandy beaches of North Island were ideal for landing planes. Curtiss opened the Curtiss School of Aviation in 1911. Among the first to enlist was Lt. Theodore Ellyson.

Just three years later, the government bought the land to create Naval Air Station. In Curtiss’ spirit, the North Island base continued to advance flight research. In the picture above, Lts. Lowell H. Smith and John P. Richter achieve the first successful midair refueling while flying over North Island on June 27, 1923. Other impressive aviation feats launched from North Island include the first seaplane flight and the first nonstop transcontinental flight.

Today Naval Air Station North Island is homeport to aircraft carriers and squadrons, advancing aircraft practice and providing thousands of jobs. (The two carriers alone will pump $1 billion into the economy this year. Cha-ching!)