>h1>Sky High
Aerospace Museum gets kids hooked on aviation
By Jeff Harris
January 2025
If you haven’t visited the Aerospace Museum of California, January is the perfect time.
The Smithsonian-affiliated Aerospace Museum is the greatest aviation show in town.
Located on 7 acres at McClellan Business Park, the museum showcases planes from past to present. There are rockets, space travel displays and World War II aircraft.
Flying has long been part of my life. A pilot for 42 years, I’m on the museum board. I wish I had a museum like this to visit when I was a kid.
The museum inspires pilots and aspiring pilots. You can even learn to fly. In 2024, the Aerospace Museum partnered with the Ellsworth Hovey Getchell Foundation to give $12,500 scholarships for young people to obtain pilot’s licenses.
It’s a fantastic opportunity for aspiring pilots ages 16–22. I mentored our first scholarship recipient, age 17. This year, we have three scholarships. Applications open in January and must be received by Feb. 15. Check the museum website for details.
If you’re not aiming for a pilot’s license, the museum still has much to offer. With 40 aircraft to explore, visitors experience aviation and aerospace history in an interactive setting. The museum is a treat for the imagination.
Among the highlights is Flight Zone, where guests sit in a simulator and get the feel of flying an airplane. You take off, fly and land at various airports. No harm done if you crash.
The museum blends aviation with science, technology, engineering and math.
“Our mission is simple but powerful: using the wonders of aviation and aerospace to inspire curiosity and a love for STEM in everyone who walks through our doors,” says museum director Tom Jones. “This museum belongs to the community, and with your support we can keep sparking imaginations for generations to come.”
The museum attracted nearly 80,000 visitors in 2024 and hopes for 100,000 this year. Volunteers and docents keep the displays in great shape and answer questions.
Special events include summer camps for kids and educational programs for girls and young women ages 11–18.
The goal is to help people become educated, inspired and involved in aviation.
In years past, most commercial pilots came from the military. These days, many airline pilots are hitting mandatory retirement age. Aviation has tremendous job opportunities for young people. It’s a wide-open field. The Aerospace Museum can unlock the door.
For information, visit aerospaceca.org.
Jeff Harris represented District 3 on City Council from 2014 to 2022. He can be reached at cadence@mycci.net. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
