John Tabor's Visit to the National Air & Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air & Space Museum is only a few miles from my home and I finally had a chance to go visit the facility today.

The first thing that got my attention was the sheer size of the place. It's built (appropriately) as a giant hangar and you walk in on the second of three levels. This allows you to get fairly close to the many planes they have suspended from the ceiling as well as offering a different vantage point for the planes on the floor.

The collection runs the gamut from the Langley aerodrome to the space shuttle Enterprise and there is a sense to the madness of the layout. However, if you're like me, just jumping in with both feet with a devil-may-care attitude toward logic can be fun. After all, how could it fail to be fun and interesting when you're surrounded by historic airplanes? Just seeing these craft - many of them one-of-a-kind - is inspiring enough.

There are also a number of artifact displays and learning stations (mainly geared toward the younger patrons) scattered throughout the facility. Artifacts on display include period uniforms, paraphernalia, weapons and moondust-stained space suits.

There's also a surprisingly interesting exhibit of aviation engines. There's a massive 36-cylinder engine developed for heavy bombers in WWII (never actually put into an airframe), a Japanese spin-off of the Junkers Jumo jet and a goodly number of radial and inline pistons and turbojets. It was intriguing to see just how small some of the current generation of cruise missile engines are.

After seeing the size of the current cruise missile engines, turning the corner came as an amusing counter-balance. There sit two of the largest cruise missiles ever fielded by the United States - the Air Force's Matador and the Navy's Regulus. Absolute monsters - even more so when you remember that their purpose was to deliver nuclear (sorry, "newcular") weapons. Of course, they put a recent generation air launched cruise missile nearby. It looks like it would fit entirely within the maw of the Regulus.

One thing I liked is how the staff put primary opponents together in the different "period" settings. For instance, in the WWII area, you can get a head-to-head comparison of the FW190 and the P-47 Thunderbolt. In the Cold War section, you can see a MIG-15 alongside an F-86 Sabre (Korea). Turn around and you can compare a MIG-21 with an F-4 Phantom (Vietnam). It would have been nice to see a Zero squaring off against the Hellcat, but just seeing the 'Cat zeroed in on the catwalk was cool enough.

Speaking of squaring off against the Japanese, it's sobering (from this admittedly Western perspective) to see the "human missile" Kugisho Okha 22. I can only imagine the resolve it must take to fly that craft on its intended mission.

Moving right along to the south end of the hangar, one comes nose-to-nose with the venerable Boeing Dash 80. I've seen this plane in pictures and read of its accomplishments (and significance) ever since I was a kid. To actually see it this close was impressive. I can just picture Tex at the controls as he came through the top of that infamous barrel roll.

Right behind that is the very Concorde I photographed back in June '03. Having the Concorde near the Boeing Stratoliner, for instance, shows how far civil aviation advanced in what is really a very short period of time. Remember, the Concorde had been flown for 30 years. In the three decades preceding Concorde, we went from flying 33 passengers at a loping 246mph to flying three times as many passengers at over 1300mph (over twice the speed of sound). Incredible, really. I can only hope the X Prize (set to expire on December 31, 2004) can inspire similar lasting advancements.

Getting an honorable mention is the collection of gliders and hang-gliders. I'll leave it up to others to describe the significance of these craft since I'm not really into that field.

There are also a number of aerobatic and competition craft on display. One of the most recognizable to me was the racer Nemesis. Try to picture yourself joyriding in that little thing at almost 300mph just a couple hundred feet in the air. I didn't have much trouble doing so. Another cool racer was Excalibur III.

Moving back northward on the west side of the hangar, one comes to the space hangar. Sitting somewhat forlornly in the center of the hangar in somber lighting is the space shuttle Enterprise. Adding to the mood of the display when I was there were the missing wing panels and gear well doors that were used during the investigation of the Columbia's destruction. Also on display were capsules from Mercury and Gemini missions, but there were slim pickin's in this section, for sure.

Leaving the space hangar leads you to what could be considered the centerpiece of the collection - the always impressive SR-71 Blackbird. LA to DC? 64.3 minutes. 'Nuff said.

My tour today was a whirlwind "reconnaissance" visit. My intent was to gauge my perceived value of the new facility and I must say that I will most definitely be going back. The NASM claims to draw over 9 Million visitors each year and this facility is sure to increase that number significantly. I will certainly be contributing to that as I go back to pay more attention to each "era" of flight in more detail. I strongly recommend visiting this facility.

After all, how many flight museums put you right under the short final approach path of landing airliners?

Here are the pictures I took during my visit. Be warned: There are nearly 100 thumbnails (~600KB) to download (hence the separate page). Enjoy - and be sure to visit my main page where you'll find more photos and videos along with links to let me know what you think!

- John Tabor, 6 Feb 2004