


This modest building is where PSA's original offices were in 1949. Friedkin bought a old, used Marine Corps Latrine and moved it to Lindbergh Field. Total cost: $3.80. Inside this building were bathroom scales for weighing luggage, ticket counter, dispatch, flight control, and reservations desk. The only thing not here was cash.
J. Floyd Andrews, in charge of accounting, used to sweep all the cash into a drawer and not organize it. Fergie couldn't understand why until she saw Kenny (Friedkin) look at the cash drawer and think PSA was making a lot of money.
The original Friedkin school/PSA hangar, located near the Ryan plant.
This was a World War II vintage hangar that Friedkin bought. Of course,
by the Electra days, it could only hold one airplane and painting was
done outside.
The Friedkin school was located next to the old Terminal (located behind
the building, with the control tower sticking out of it.) This building
was incorporated into the Terminal in 1952 to ease congestion. PSA's first
passengers checked in through this building.

By 1962, PSA had sufficiently grown to need an addition to hold the engine
rebuilding shop, plus the offices for the airline. This conception shows
all the buildings in relation to the original hangar and the barracks
housing PSA headquarters.
PSA grew to the point where the barracks were no longer enough. In
addition, the hangar (now called "West Hangar") was so antiquated
that it could barely handle one Electra at a time, let alone the 727 fleet.
In fact, 727 maintenance had been outsourced to TWA due to lack of space.
Plans were written up for a new, cantilevered office and hangar complex.
The new hangar was sited slightly southwest of the original hangar, and
west of the barracks. The groundbreaking, shown below, featured three
stewardesses ceremoniously removing their garters and throwing them into
the ground...while Frank Curran (mayor), J.F. Andrews, Wes Wescott, and
Bill Shimp watched.


1967 brought a progression of construction, showing the general form.
The angled beams were designed to help support the hangar (designed to
hold 3 planes inside and 2 nosed-in.)

Late 1967 brought the hangar half, most of the administration half, and
finishing work. The blast fences were added to deal with engine run-up
blasts. The parking lot shown in the picture was turned into the PSA cargo
building/dispatch office in later years.

N981PS shown in the hangar. This was taken from an old set of Kindergarten
teaching cards!

Effective advertising! 90% of the travelers into Lindbergh field saw this
side of the hangar. For me, it meant that we were close to the terminals
when I went to meet relatives (and say goodbye). This image was always
shown by the local media. Note the old USAir logo on it. The tail in the
background belongs to an Emery Worldwide freighter parked at the cargo
terminal.

The front of the hangar, facing San Diego Bay. The top floor consists
of all the executive offices, which were disused soon after the buyout.
To the left of those office windows was the PSA logo, which was removed
and painted over on the last day of PSA's existence.

The back of the hangar, taken from the SkyChefs parking lot. In years
past, there would have been people and planes around here, but no longer.
All that remained of the operation (1996) are disused baggage carts, tugs,
and stairs. This equipment is littered across the ramp in front of the
hangar. (It now sits behind the new tower.)

The closest one can get to the hangar, without hopping the fence. Boy,
is it deserted in there! PSA designed the Hangar to hold 3 jets inside
and 2 nosed-in for work.

The back of the Administration building, taken February 6, 1996. The Hangar
was torn down in about one week, during early January 1996.

The side of the building, taken from the parking lot nearby. This shot
gives a good perspective of the height of the building, and shows how
naked it looks without the angled roof supports or the hangar at the rear.

The side of the Terminal in August 1996. Sigh...

And on June 7, 2002. The mural of Lindbergh was painted in 1997 as part
of the Port's public art program.

The new terminal opened on July 23, 1996. The Port District put out this
brochure (reproduced at 50% size) showing the interior layout of the first
floor of the former executive offices. Aircraft are parked around a big
'U' layout on the ramp covering the former hangar space.
The third floor office complex now holds the offices for the Airport. The offices were projected to be ready in November 1998, but actually opened in August 1999. Windows have been cut in the sides of the building, dramatically altering the appearance. The third floor has been drastically remodeled, and no longer resembles the original PSA layout. The second floor is in the process of being reconfigured into additional offices for the San Diego COunty Regional Airport Authority (SDCRAA).
All modern photos on this page are copyright © 1995-2002 Kevin Trinkle. Historical photos (in black and white) came from Skylines, the PSA employee newsletter.