Come join the SFAS for an evening of laughter during the special screening of the 1980 classic comedy Airplane!  Starring Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, and Leslie Nielsen, the film is about an ex-fighter pilot afraid to fly, and who must land a passenger plane after the crew gets food poisoning. The film will be shown at San Francisco International Airport in the Aviation Museum and Library on Thursday, April 09, 2026, at 530PM (doors open at 500pm) and there will be free popcorn, candy and refreshments.

The museum is located on the Departures Level of the International Terminal.

This event is open to the public and free of charge.

Free tickets can be obtained on a first come, first serve basis by completing the online reservation form below.

For additional information please contact Cecilia Cordero, SFAS Administrator

T: (415) 405-5976

Email: ccordero@sfaero.org

The San Francisco Aeronautical Society is excited to present a special screening of the 2002 comedy classic Catch Me If You Can staring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.   The film will be shown at San Francisco International Airport in the Aviation Museum and Library on June 10, 2025, at 6:00pm (doors open at 5:30pm) and the event is open to the public, free of charge.  In addition, validated parking will be provided.

The museum is located on the Departures Level of the International Terminal.

Free tickets can be obtained by completing the online reservation form below.

For additional information please contact Cecilia Cordero, SFAS Administrator

T: (415) 405-5976;

Email: ccordero@sfaero.org

The Society will be holding its annual gala and fund raising event themed Salute the Crew, Celebrating the Flight Attendant on Thursday November 7, 2024. The evening will recognize the key role flight attendants have played in commercial aviation history in protecting and promoting aviation safety and in being the face of the aviation industry for travelers.

The evening will include a gala dinner followed by a remarkable program paying tribute to Achievement in Aviation Award recipient, Sara Nelson, CEO, Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), in recognition of her outstanding service as a leader in the aviation industry.

We hope that you will join us for this dynamic, exclusive evening with prestigious aviation leaders and to  support the SFAS.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2023

A large crowd of aviation enthusiasts gathered at the Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum at SFO to honor this year’s Achievement in Aviation Award recipient Edward Trippe, chairman of the Pan Am Historical Foundation and son of Pan Am founder Juan T. Trippe. This year’s award was presented to Trippe by William R. Hearst III, the Society’s 2022 award recipient and long-time aviation preservation supporter.

Trippe delivered a moving speech about Pan Am’s storied past and announced some very exciting news: The Pan Am Historical Foundation is donating its entire film archive to the SFO museum for preservation and to be shared with the public. This impressive collection includes an estimated 700 titles and footage from over 6 decades, specifically from 1927 through 1991. “The collection is extraordinary and includes hundreds of hours going back to the early days of the company… included are travel logs of almost every country served by Pan Am, engineering and maintenance films, advertising materials, flight training videos, mechanical issues, and rare footage of Pan Am at war,” Trippe said.

Trippe added that the collection “couldn’t have a better home,” than at the Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum at SFO. “I’m delighted that it will be available for future generations and will be well taken care of.”

In addition to this amazing film archive donation, Trippe said that he was pleased to announce a matching grant of $100,000 as an initial contribution in a proposed partnership with the San Francisco Aeronautical Society. “It is our hope that this pledge will be a catalyst to raise significant endowment for the preservation and management of the film collection going forward,” Trippe explained.

“The Pan Am film collection is a veritable treasure trove of aviation history.” Pan Am paved the way for air travel as we know it today and this film collection tells their story of courage, innovation and leadership. We are grateful for this generous donation and look forward to working with the SFO Museum to make this content available for the public to enjoy,” San Francisco Aeronautical Society’s  President John L. Martin said. He also pledged to raise an additional $100,000 donation to match the Pan Am Historical Foundation donation.

After the award and exciting news about the donation and grant, a lively auction was held to raise funds for the SFAS.  Prizes included airline tickets, hotel stays and a great sports package including a pair of Warrior tickets and a two-night weekend stay at San Francisco’s Westin St. Francis hotel in Union Square.

 

Written By Vanessa Guerra

Please use the link below to make a donation, which will help SFAS continue to preserve aviation history:

Proceeds from the Gala Dinner enable SFAS to continue its efforts to preserve the history of aviation through educational programs and acquisition of artifacts for the permanent collection at SFO Museum.

Spring 2018 – John Travolta receives the 2017 Achievement in Aviation Award at our November 2017 gala, “A Century of Airplanes”. The Society’s newest acquisition, “The Jim Lund 1:72 Scale Model Airplane Collection”, is gifted to the SFO Museum. Meet our newest board member, John L. Martin.