As planned before we left Australia, on Tuesday we visited the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F Udvar-Hazy Centre (I dare you to say that while doing a 4G inverted loop!). The centre is home to thousands of NASM exhibits that they never had space to publicly display until generous public donations (the largest from a fellow called, you guessed it, Mr Steven F Udvar-Hazy) allowed the Smithsonian to build a massive hangar-like structure near Dulles Airport (in Virginia, just over 30 minutes drive west of DC). The centre is… well, words don’t do it justice. It is a must-see for jet-heads, no doubt.
When you enter, if you walk straight forward from the entry doors you will arrive on a platform that looks over what is arguably the centre’s most fascinating exhibit — a genuine SR-71 Blackbird, possibly the most well-known secret plane that flew during the Cold War years. Behind the Blackbird you will look into the Space Hangar and see the Space Shuttle Enterprise. Turn to your right, and you will see various fighter and bomber planes from the Cold War era. Turn to your left, and you will see the Enola Gay (yes, the real one). On the other side of a walkway past the Enola Gay, you will see the Boeing 367-80 (the development prototype for the 707) and beyond the Boeing you see a Concorde.
As I said: words can’t do it justice.
Most people will visit the centre to see the Blackbird, or to see Concorde, or perhaps the Enterprise. The “big-ticket” items. But there is so much more there that is both interesting (sometimes fascinating) and worthwhile. It’s more than just a big shed with planes in as well — a great deal of imagination has been applied to the display of some of the exhibits, like aerobatics planes displayed in their “natural states” such as inverted, or vertical, or mid-roll.
I was a little disappointed with Enterprise, as she looked a little fake — this will be mainly because she was only used as a development mule and flight trainer and lacked various features like real rockets and real heat-shield tiles. Perhaps one day she will be joined by Discovery or Atlantis! The Space Hangar displays a large number of rockets and missiles, including a real Goddard rocket from 1937. There are also various satellites and other space artifacts.
The Aircraft Hangar is where most of the action is though. There really is such a variety of exhibits. The ceiling of the centre is peppered with aircraft, from a Learjet to a Piper Cub. There’s a history of helicopters, including a very early Bell that was the forerunner of the Jet Ranger. There are commercial aircraft and military aircraft. Of course, Blackbird is just stunning. Looking into the engine exhaust (which for me fortunately is just about at eye level) borders on surreal! The Enola Gay, for sheer weight of history, is remarkable, and to see Concorde up close is also quite an experience.
However, for all that, for me there was one plane that I just couldn’t stop photographing, couldn’t take my eyes off — the Boeing 367-80, the “Dash-80”. I can’t explain it — maybe it’s all the time I’ve spent in 737s over the last few years that drew me to their great-great-great-grandfather… To me, that was the plane I’d come to see, ugly 1960s brown-and-yellow paint job and all! Even thinking about it now, I feel compelled to go back.
We started looking around (after visiting the Donald Engen Tower, a purpose-built control tower like structure that provides a bird’s eye view of Dulles Airport and the surrounding area) at about 12:30 and had a 3:00 ride back to DC. Taking away lunch and a browse in the gift shop (which you could safely skip if you take the shuttle, as the main NASM centre on the National Mall has the same stuff on sale) we looked around for about two hours but could easily have spent more time — I rushed through the foreign warplane section, and could certainly have gawked at the Dash-80, SR-71 and Enterprise for a lot longer.
Even the building itself is worth marvelling over — there are no pillars supporting the roof, as they would make it difficult to maneuver the exhibits inside the space. Instead, the ceiling is arched — just like aircraft hangars of old, which has led to the centre being nicknamed “America’s Hangar” — and supported from the sides. An engineering marvel in its own right, to match the marvels of aeronautical and space engineering that it houses.
If I haven’t said so already, it is a must-see for jet-heads. There is no admission charge, but you will have to pay for transportation or parking (we got there using a shuttle bus provided by the NASM which costs US$12 for a return trip; booking in advance is recommended especially during peak times, details can be found on the Centre’s web site). If you are a fan of things with wings and find yourself in the Washington DC area, run — don’t walk — to the Steven F Udvar-Hazy Centre and be amazed!
Crossed Wires 