Video will begin in 5 seconds.

Space shuttle Endeavour flew over California landmarks including the Hollywood sign and Griffith Observatory before landing at the airport. (Raw Vision).

The US space shuttle Endeavour took its final flight on Friday, making a spectacular series of flypasts over California before landing in Los Angeles where it will retire near its birthplace.

Piggy backed by a specially fitted Boeing 747, the shuttle flew over San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge before heading south to take in the Hollywood sign and Disneyland, later landing at LA International Airport (LAX).

"It's so cool, and so sad," said Todd Unger, 28, who was among thousands who camped out from the early hours at the Griffith Observatory overlooking the city and the nearby iconic hilltop Tinseltown sign.

What a landing ... Officials and crew members walk the red carpet. Photo: Reuters

"It's the end of an era."

Advertisement

Cars were parked bumper-to-bumper up the winding roads leading up to the observatory, as Los Angeles residents turned out en masse in several parts of the city to witness Endeavour's final flight.

The shuttle had spent the night at Edwards Air Force Base north of Los Angeles, the last leg after a two-day trip across the country from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Read more:

Space shuttle Endeavour makes final flight