The Aeronautical Engineering Department at Cal Poly was started in 1927 in conjunction with the Automotive Department. The aim of the new program was to teach students about the maintenance and repair of aircraft and their engines.

Using a laboratory equipped with airframes, engines, propeller balancing equipment, and engine test stands, airplanes were dismantled, overhauled, and rebuilt.

One or more airplanes were built each year --one of the first being the Glenmont, a six passenger replica of Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis. It was built by thirty students and had its first successful flight in March 1928. Named after H. Glen Warren, the first head of the Aeronautical Engineering Department, and instructor John Montigo, it was believed to be the first airplane constructed in the United States by students.

The quality of the workmanship and skill of the students was such that the Civil Aeronautics Authority granted the department an official Approved Repair Station license and rating in 1931. A proud moment for the students and department occurred in 1935 when Amelia Earhart, world famous aviatrix, landed on campus for structural repairs on her plane.

From 1943 to 1944 the U.S. Naval Flight Preparatory School was established on campus. Using its own curriculum and utilizing Cal Poly's facilities, the school trained some 3600 cadets for duty in World War II. From 1944 to 1946, because of the success of the cadet training program, about 1100 Naval cadets were sent to Cal Poly for refresher courses using the department's courses and facilities. In 1945, the Cal Poly airstrip was constructed by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, and the adjoining hangar was constructed in 1947 in order to provide more adequate facilities for the Aeronautical Engineering Department.

The department was first accredited by the Engineering Council for Professional Development (ECPD), the forerunner of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), in 1969. This represented a change for the department away from the technology-based program to one where engineering principals formed the basis for design and analysis. However, the department and its students have maintained their "hands on" approach to education.

The recent addition of a TF-104 Starfighter to the Aeronautical Engineering Department has aviation enthusiasts wondering about it's history. Information from Joe Baugher's Encyclopedia of American Military Aircraft indicates that tail number 61-3065 was a Lockheed-built TF-104G that was actually owned by the Luftwaffe but which had been retained in the United States for the training of Luftwaffe pilots at Luke AFB. It operated in USAF rather than Luftwaffe insignia. The TF-104G was donated to Cal Poly by NASA.

Today the Aerospace Engineering Department, as it was renamed in 2000, still prepares students for work in this exciting field. Students are prepared for engineering work dealing with aerodynamics, propulsion, stability and controls, and structures of aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft. Throughout the four-year program there is constant interplay between theory and application. Opportunities are available for advanced undergraduate and graduate work in the student's field of special interest, with laboratories provided for fabrication, propulsion, structural test, control systems, aerothermodynamics, wind tunnel, water tunnel, flight test, flight simulation and aircraft and spacecraft design.

Cal Poly also prides itself on many distinguished graduates from the Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering Department. Among them are: Dean Borgman, President of McDonnell-Douglas Helicopter Systems Lee Chapman, Vice President, Olec Corporation Michael Evans, Vice President, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works Robert Gibson, NASA Astronaut Robert Lang, President, International Aerospace Services Paul Martin, Vice President, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works Rodney Philbrick, President, Hangar One Aeroservice James Phillips, Vice President, McDonnell-Douglas Gary Riley, Vice President, Lockheed Martin, Aeronautical Systems Burt Rutan, President of Scaled Composites and designer of Voyager Alex G. Spanos, Owner, San Diego Chargers, NFL Team Richard Thomas, Principal President, Glumac International Roy Wickland, President, Wickland Oil Robert Wulf, Vice President of Northrop Grumman Corporation We are proud of the accomplishments of our graduates, as they reflect the quality of the education they received while here at Cal Poly.