(FOX40.COM) — From the past to the present, Sacramento has continuously evolved as a backbone to American aviation.

FOX40 is celebrating the “Spirit of America” and transported us back into the city’s history with aerospace technology and showing us this ongoing role in Northern California.

Our team headed to McClellan Park to launch a journey through space and time. Some like to say it’s not rocket science, but in Sacramento… it actually is.

For Glen Brady, the Aerospace Museum of California isn’t just a place where he volunteers. It’s home and it’s history.

“I started out here at McClellan Air Force Base in June of 1973 as a brand new second lieutenant,” Brady said.

“How special is it now to still see this space alive, just looking a lot different?” FOX40’s Sierra Krug asked Brady.

“I’m so happy that they’ve been able to repurpose a lot of the facilities here through the McClellan Business Park,” Brady said.

The McClellan Air Force Base holds deep roots in our nation’s aviation evolution. Established in 1936 as a West Coast air depot, Brady said the location was key.

“It’s centrally located along the West Coast. It has good flying weather year round,” Brady said. “One of the criteria was that it was far enough inland that it wasn’t susceptible to a naval attack.”

This site played a critical role in aircraft engineering support, electronic work and logistics and maintenance during the World War II, Cold War, and even Korean and Vietnam War eras. The base closed in 2001, but its legacy lives on each day.

“The museum’s mission is to honor the past and inspire the future through aviation technology and allow people the opportunity to explore, discover and be inspired by that technology,” Brady said.

The spot also prepares visitors for take-off. Whether training the next generation of actual pilots or those just interested in learning to fly, the modern-day museum’s Flight Zone brings participants right into the cockpit.

So, from planes of the past, to the next frontier, Sacramento continues to claim its role in the nation’s aviation development and aerospace exploration. Sacramento-based company Tecma contributed precision parts used in NASA’s Artemis space missions. Meanwhile, California remains the largest state contributor to NASA’s Artemis program.

“What I always say to visitors, if the planes could talk, what could they do?” Brady said. “It’s just part of the legacy of aviation here in Northern California. McClellan Air Force Base played a very important role in that.”

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