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The San Francisco International Airport (SFO) today reopened the renovated Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum & Library after a closure of more than two years. The facility, named after SFO’s Airport Director from 1981-1995, is an architectural adaptation of the Airport’s passenger lobby from the 1930s. Improvements make the facility more visible to travelers, and feature new galleries and exhibitions.
“We are proud to welcome visitors back to our Aviation Museum & Library,” said Airport Director Ivar C. Satero. “Since its opening in 2000, this facility has preserved and celebrated the rich history of aviation for generations of guests to enjoy. This renovation not only enhances the physical facility, but also makes the museum’s extensive collection of aviation objects more accessible to online visitors. We know this facility will continue to serve as a cherished center for the story of air transportation.”
During the closure, SFO Museum staff conducted an extensive digital construction of the museum’s Aviation Collection, which numbers more than 150,000 objects related to the histories of commercial aviation and San Francisco International Airport. Recently launched, this new website presents more than 40,000 objects and is updated weekly with new material. Highlights from the online collection include significant holdings on the histories of SFO, major airlines like Pan Am and United Airlines, along with photographs, uniform pieces, and other aviation memorabilia. Visit collection.sfomuseum.org/ to explore the collection online.
The Aviation Museum & Library is also launching a series of new exhibitions, including:
Going the Distance: Endurance Aircraft Engines and Propellers of the 1910s and 20s presents two groundbreaking engines, the V-8 Curtiss OXX-6 and the Wright J-5 Whirlwind radial engine, two related propellers, and historical documentation of two exceptional endurance aircraft and the resolute aviators who flew them to breakthrough achievements in aviation ruing the early twentieth century.
Jet Mainliner in Miniature: the United Air Lines Douglas DC-8 Cutaway Model presents a unique late-1950s United Air Lines Douglas DC-8 cutaway model, historical photographs, promotional materials, and video segments from United’s promotional film Jet Mainliner Flight 803.
Flying the Southern Cross Route: Seventy-Five years of Australian Commercial Air Service to North America presents variety of material illustrating a legacy of Australian air service to North America on the celebrated Southern Cross route that connects two diverse regions and the Southern and Northern hemispheres.
Australian Airliners Across the Pacific presents photographs that illustrate aircraft and passenger services of Australian airlines flying the Southern Cross Route to North America.
Airmail Down Under presents rare surviving airmail flight covers that document the development and evolution of commercial transpacific air routes between North America and Australia beginning in the 1920s.
The Aviation Museum and Library is located prior to security checkpoints in the Edwin M. Lee International Terminal Departures Hall. The facility is accessible to all Airport visitors daily from 10:00am to 4:30pm. The exhibitions will be on display from June through November. There is no charge to view any of the exhibitions.