Miles Blaine (1913-2009) was a long time San Diego resident and photographer for SDASM. His collection features 860+ photographs from 1935 to 1952, related to aviation and a growing San Diego. He began to volunteer at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in 1977 and continued to do so until he passed away March 10, 2009.

Blaine was born November 17, 1913, in Weatherford, Oklahoma. He was the youngest of seven and moved with his family to San Diego,... CA, in 1927. A member of the first graduating class of Hoover High School, Blaine had his first ride in an airplane with Ryan pilot Bob Kerlinger in a Great Lakes 2T-1A at Lindbergh Field. He also learned to fly in San Diego at Peik’s Airport with instructor Arnold H. “Tex” Peik, starting out in an OX-5 American Eagle aircraft, and then switching to a Waco 10 after a student had totaled the American Eagle before he could finish his hours. Blaine then soloed in the Waco 10 in 1936 and continued flying for many years until he was 90 years old.

He worked for several years in civil service as an aircraft machinist at the Naval Air Station, North Island, and also for Consolidated and Lockheed aircraft companies. He was a member of the Consair Flyers Club, Inc., which helped to organize the aviation groups OX-5 Aviation Pioneers and Silver Wings in 1940. He was an avid photographer and gathered many aerial photos of early San Diego development as well as various other photographs of people, aircraft, and automobiles. One of Blaine’s fond memories was of Arnold Peik climbing out onto the wing of the Waco 10. He had only 3 hours of solo time and was unsure of what to do, since he had never flown a wing-walker before.