Saxon Aerospace Museum

Set on the edge of the Mojave Desert in Boron, the Saxon Aerospace Museum (also known historically as the Colonel Vernon P. Saxon Jr. Aerospace Museum and later the Boron Aerospace Museum) reflects the close relationship between a small desert community and nearby flight-test and aerospace activity. Conceived in the mid-1990s by the Boron Chamber of Commerce and opened in 2003, the museum was originally named for Colonel Vernon P. Saxon Jr., former Vice Commander of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base. Its holdings have included components from polar aviation, such as skis and seats from an aircraft associated with a Byrd Antarctic expedition, as well as a J35 flight simulator, a Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour, an XLR-8 rocket engine, an R-2800 radial, and a P-38 instrument panel. The recovery of disused rocket engines from the surrounding area underscores how experimental propulsion work has left tangible traces across this landscape. A veterans wall inside the museum ties these technical artifacts back to individual service, giving enthusiasts a focused, locally rooted counterpart to the larger Air Force Flight Test Museum at Edwards AFB nearby.