Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Encyclopedia
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is the Smithsonian
National Air and Space Museum
(NASM)'s annex at Washington Dulles International Airport
in the Chantilly
area of Fairfax County, Virginia
, United States.
The Center was made possible by a US$
65 million gift in October 1999 to the Smithsonian Institution by Steven F. Udvar-Hazy
, an immigrant from Hungary and co-founder of the International Lease Finance Corporation
. Construction of the Center, which was designed by HOK
, required 15 years of preparation and was built by Hensel Phelps Construction
Co. Site Civil Engineering design was performed by Patton Harris Rust and Associates, Inc. of Chantilly, Virginia.
NASM has always had more artifacts than could be displayed at the main museum on the National Mall
in Washington, D.C.
Most of the collection had been stored, unavailable to visitors, at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility
in Silver Hill
, Prince George's County, Maryland
. A substantial addition to the center encompasing restoration, conservation and collection storage facilities is expected to be complete in late 2011; once complete, restoration facilities and museum archives will be moved from from their current location at the Garber facility to the Udvar-Hazy Center. A taxiway
connects Dulles Airport to the museum.
, including:
The museum is still in the process of installing exhibits, but 163 aircraft and 154 large space artifacts are already on display as of November 2008, and plans call for the eventual installation of over 200 aircraft. The current list is maintained at the Objects On Display page of the Smithsonian Institution NASM Collections site. The museum also contains an IMAX
theater.
On December 2, 2008, the center received a gift of $6 million for Phase Two of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center from Airbus
Americas Inc. The gift was the largest corporate gift to the Smithsonian Institution in 2008. Phase Two of the Udvar-Hazy Center will be dedicated to the behind-the-scenes care of the Smithsonian’s collection of aircraft, spacecraft, related artifacts and archival materials.
The new wing will include:
The Udvar-Hazy Center is located near Dulles Airport
. From downtown Washington, D.C., the easiest route runs from I-66
West to VA 267 (Dulles Toll Road) West to VA 28 South, then follow the signs to a specially-marked exit off of VA 28 that leads directly to the museum parking lot.
As in other Smithsonian museums, admission is free, but there is a fee to park (currently $15 per vehicle) at Udvar-Hazy because of its close proximity to Dulles Airport; the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
requested a parking fee higher than the least expensive parking fee at Dulles due to the possibility of travelers taking advantage of lower-cost parking at a non-airport location, as well as the financial and insurance liabilities associated with airport patrons parking on non-airport property.
While it is possible to get to Udvar-Hazy from the National Air and Space Museum using mass transit, direct shuttle service was discontinued in 2006. The National Air and Space Museum has a flier available to patrons with shuttle bus schedules and bus and route information. Visitors wishing to take mass transit to Udvar-Hazy from downtown DC should take Metro Bus #5A to Dulles Airport, then catch the Virginia Regional Transit shuttle bus to the museum. The earliest you can arrive via Virginia Regional Transit is 10:45am. The entire commute takes 1–2 hours, because the schedules are set up in such a way that passengers miss the connecting bus by five or ten minutes, resulting in a wait of up to one hour at the airport. Drop-off by shuttle or bus is allowed free of charge -this includes hotel shuttle vans.
DC Metro service will become available to the Dulles International Airport with the completion of the Silver Line
in 2016 with the possibility of transportation being offered to the museum.
. The center remained open while filming took place, although certain areas were closed. The SR-71 that is on display in the museum was used as Jetfire
, a Decepticon
who switches sides to become an Autobot
, in the film. In the film, it is misnamed as the National Air & Space Museum.
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
National Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
(NASM)'s annex at Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport is a public airport in Dulles, Virginia, 26 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C. The airport serves the Baltimore-Washington-Northern Virginia metropolitan area centered on the District of Columbia. It is named after John Foster Dulles, Secretary of...
in the Chantilly
Chantilly, Virginia
Chantilly is an unincorporated community located in western Fairfax County and southeastern Loudoun County of Northern Virginia. Recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census designated place , the community population was 23,039 as of the 2010 census -- down from 41,041 in 2000, due to the...
area of Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
, United States.
The Center was made possible by a US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
65 million gift in October 1999 to the Smithsonian Institution by Steven F. Udvar-Hazy
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy
Steven Ferencz Udvar-Házy is the CEO of Air Lease Corp. He is the former Chairman and CEO of International Lease Finance Corporation , one of the two largest aircraft lessors in the world...
, an immigrant from Hungary and co-founder of the International Lease Finance Corporation
International Lease Finance Corporation
The International Lease Finance Corporation is an aircraft lessor headquartered in Century City, Los Angeles, California.It is the world's largest aircraft lessor by value, though ILFC's rival, General Electric's GECAS unit, has more aircraft...
. Construction of the Center, which was designed by HOK
Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum
HOK is a global architecture, interiors, engineering, planning and consulting firm. HOK is the largest U.S.-based architecture-engineering firm and the "No. 1 role model for sustainable and high-performance design." HOK also is the second-largest interior design firm...
, required 15 years of preparation and was built by Hensel Phelps Construction
Hensel Phelps Construction
Hensel Phelps Construction Co. is one of the largest general contractors and construction managers in the United States, ranked consistently among ENR's top 20 Contractors....
Co. Site Civil Engineering design was performed by Patton Harris Rust and Associates, Inc. of Chantilly, Virginia.
NASM has always had more artifacts than could be displayed at the main museum on the National Mall
National Mall
The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The National Mall is a unit of the National Park Service , and is administered by the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Most of the collection had been stored, unavailable to visitors, at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility
Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility
The Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility is located in Suitland, Maryland, USA. The facility, also nicknamed "Silver Hill", is where the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum restores aircraft, spacecraft, and other artifacts.It is named in honor of...
in Silver Hill
Suitland-Silver Hill, Maryland
Suitland-Silver Hill is a census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The census area include separate unincorporated communities of Silver Hill and Suitland, and other smaller communities. The population was 33,515 at the 2000 census...
, Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
. A substantial addition to the center encompasing restoration, conservation and collection storage facilities is expected to be complete in late 2011; once complete, restoration facilities and museum archives will be moved from from their current location at the Garber facility to the Udvar-Hazy Center. A taxiway
Taxiway
A taxiway is a path on an airport connecting runways with ramps, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller airports sometimes use gravel or grass....
connects Dulles Airport to the museum.
Collection
The center finished construction and opened in December 2003, the Udvar-Hazy Center displays historic aviation and space artifacts, especially items too large for the National Air and Space Museum's building on the National MallNational Mall
The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The National Mall is a unit of the National Park Service , and is administered by the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit...
, including:
- The Enola GayEnola GayEnola Gay is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, mother of the pilot, then-Colonel Paul Tibbets. On August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb as a weapon of war...
, the Boeing B-29 SuperfortressB-29 SuperfortressThe B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
that dropped the first atomic bombNuclear weaponA nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
on Hiroshima, JapanAtomic bombings of Hiroshima and NagasakiDuring the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
- The Space ShuttleSpace ShuttleThe Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
EnterpriseSpace Shuttle EnterpriseThe Space Shuttle Enterprise was the first Space Shuttle orbiter. It was built for NASA as part of the Space Shuttle program to perform test flights in the atmosphere. It was constructed without engines or a functional heat shield, and was therefore not capable of spaceflight...
. The DiscoverySpace Shuttle DiscoverySpace Shuttle Discovery is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States, and was operational from its maiden flight, STS-41-D on August 30, 1984, until its final landing during STS-133 on March 9, 2011...
is expected to replace Enterprise after a period of preparation and delivery.
- The Gemini VII capsule
- An SR-71 BlackbirdSR-71 BlackbirdThe Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft. It was developed as a black project from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft in the 1960s by the Lockheed Skunk Works. Clarence "Kelly" Johnson was responsible for many of the...
- An Air FranceAir FranceAir France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
ConcordeConcordeAérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
supersonic airliner - A US Air Force Lockheed L049, the military version of the Lockheed ConstellationLockheed ConstellationThe Lockheed Constellation was a propeller-driven airliner powered by four 18-cylinder radial Wright R-3350 engines. It was built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. A total of 856 aircraft were produced in numerous models, all distinguished by a...
("Connie") - The Boeing 367-80Boeing 367-80The Boeing 367-80, or "Dash 80" as it was called within Boeing, is an American prototype jet transport built to demonstrate the advantages of jet aircraft for passenger transport over piston-engine airliners....
jet transport, which was the prototype for the Boeing 707Boeing 707The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on... - A RedstoneRedstone (rocket)The PGM-11 Redstone was the first large American ballistic missile. A short-range surface-to-surface rocket, it was in active service with the U.S. Army in West Germany from June 1958 to June 1964 as part of NATO's Cold War defense of Western Europe...
rocket - The Langley Aerodrome A, an early attempt at powered flight by Smithsonian Secretary Samuel Pierpont LangleySamuel Pierpont LangleySamuel Pierpont Langley was an American astronomer, physicist, inventor of the bolometer and pioneer of aviation...
- The Northrop N-1
- The only surviving Dornier Do 335Dornier Do 335The Dornier Do 335 Pfeil was a World War II heavy fighter built by the Dornier company. The two-seater trainer version was also called Ameisenbär . The Pfeils performance was much better than other twin-engine designs due to its unique "push-pull" layout and the much lower drag of the in-line...
Pfeil - The only surviving Boeing 307Boeing 307The Boeing Model 307 Stratoliner was the first commercial transport aircraft with a pressurized cabin. This feature allowed the plane to cruise at an altitude of 20,000 ft , well above weather disturbances. The pressure differential was 2.5 psi , so at 14,700 ft the cabin altitude...
Stratoliner, the ex-Pan AmPan American World AirwaysPan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
Clipper Flying Cloud - The only surviving Heinkel He 219Heinkel He 219The Heinkel He 219 Uhu was a night fighter that served with the German Luftwaffe in the later stages of World War II. A relatively sophisticated design, the He 219 possessed a variety of innovations, including an advanced VHF-band intercept radar...
Uhu - The only surviving Arado Ar 234Arado Ar 234The Arado Ar 234 was the world's first operational jet-powered bomber, built by the German Arado company in the closing stages of World War II. Produced in very limited numbers, it was used almost entirely in the reconnaissance role, but in its few uses as a bomber it proved to be nearly impossible...
Blitz - One of three surviving Bachem Ba 349Bachem Ba 349The Bachem Ba 349 Natter was a World War II German point-defence rocket powered interceptor, which was to be used in a very similar way to a manned surface-to-air missile. After vertical take-off, which eliminated the need for airfields, the majority of the flight to the Allied bombers was to be...
Natters - The only surviving Nakajima J1NNakajima J1N-See also:-Bibliography:* Francillon, Réne J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970 . ISBN 0-370-30251-6....
1 Gekko - One of four surviving Northrop P-61 Black WidowP-61 Black WidowThe Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first operational U.S. military aircraft designed specifically for night interception of aircraft, and was the first aircraft specifically designed to use radar. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War II...
s - One of two surviving Boeing P-26 PeashooterP-26 PeashooterThe American Boeing P-26 Peashooter, was the first all-metal production fighter aircraft and the first pursuit monoplane used by the United States Army Air Corps...
s - A Bede BD-5, single-seat, home-built aircraft that was somewhat popular in the 1970s (5J version is smallest manned jet aircraft)
- The Beck-Mahoney SorceressBeck-Mahoney SorceressThe Beck-Mahoney Sorceress was a racing staggerwing biplane originally designed by the father and son team of Lee and Seldon Mahoney with later improvements accomplished by pilot Don Beck....
which is known as the "winningest" racing biplane in aviation history - A Hawker HurricaneHawker HurricaneThe Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
fighter - A Japanese balloon bombFire balloonA , or Fu-Go, was a weapon launched by Japan during World War II. A hydrogen balloon with a load varying from a incendiary to one antipersonnel bomb and four incendiary devices attached, they were designed as a cheap weapon intended to make use of the jet stream over the Pacific Ocean and wreak...
like the one that killed six U.S. civilians in Oregon during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis... - Lockheed Martin X-35Lockheed Martin X-35The Lockheed Martin X-35 was an experimental aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin for the Joint Strike Fighter Program. It was declared the winner over the Boeing X-32 and went on to enter production in the early 21st century as the F-35 Lightning II....
Joint Strike Fighter, prototype of the F-35 Lightning IIF-35 Lightning IIThe Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, fifth generation multirole fighters under development to perform ground attack, reconnaissance, and air defense missions with stealth capability... - F-14 TomcatF-14 TomcatThe Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental program following the collapse of the F-111B project...
involved in the Gulf of Sidra incidentGulf of Sidra incident (1989)The second Gulf of Sidra incident occurred on 4 January 1989 when two US F-14 Tomcats shot down two Libyan MiG-23 Flogger-Es that gave all appearances of attempting to engage them, as had happened seven years prior in the first Gulf of Sidra incident ....
- The Gossamer AlbatrossGossamer Albatross-See also:-Further reading:*Allen, Bryan. Winged Victory of "Gossamer Albatross". National Geographic, November 1979, vol. 156, n. 5, p. 640-651...
, which was the first man-powered aircraft to fly across the English Channel - The primary special-effects miniature of the "Mothership" used in the filming of Close Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
- The Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyerVirgin Atlantic GlobalFlyerThe Scaled Composites Model 311 Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer is an aircraft designed by Burt Rutan in which Steve Fossett flew a solo nonstop airplane flight around the world in a time of 67 hours 1 minute from February 28, 2005 until March 3, 2005...
piloted by Steve FossettSteve FossettJames Stephen Fossett was an American commodities trader, businessman, and adventurer. Fossett is the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon...
for the first solo nonstop and nonrefueled circumnavigation of Earth - The Winnie Mae, a Lockheed VegaLockheed Vega|-See also:-References:NotesCitationsBibliography* Allen, Richard Sanders. Revolution in the Sky: Those Fabulous Lockheeds, The Pilots Who Flew Them. Brattleboro, Vermont: The Stephen Greene Press, 1964....
piloted by Wiley PostWiley PostWiley Hardeman Post was a famed American aviator, the first pilot to fly solo around the world. Also known for his work in high altitude flying, Post helped develop one of the first pressure suits. His Lockheed Vega aircraft, the Winnie Mae, was on display at the National Air and Space Museum's... - The first aircraft operated by FedExFedExFedEx Corporation , originally known as FDX Corporation, is a logistics services company, based in the United States with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee...
, a Dassault Falcon 20Dassault Falcon 20The Dassault Falcon 20 is a French business jet and was the first of a family of business jets built by Dassault Aviation.-Design and development:... - A piece of fabricFabricA fabric is a textile material, short for "textile fabric".Fabric may also refer to:*Fabric , the spatial and geometric configuration of elements within a rock*Fabric , a nightclub in London, England...
from the LZ 129 HindenburgLZ 129 HindenburgLZ 129 Hindenburg was a large German commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship, the lead ship of the Hindenburg class, the longest class of flying machine and the largest airship by envelope volume...
which survived the Hindenburg disasterHindenburg disasterThe Hindenburg disaster took place on Thursday, May 6, 1937, as the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station, which is located adjacent to the borough of Lakehurst, New Jersey...
. - Mercury-Atlas 10Mercury-Atlas 10Mercury-Atlas 10 was a cancelled early manned space mission, which would have been the last flight in NASA's Mercury program. It was planned as a three-day extended mission, to launch in late 1963; the spacecraft, Freedom 7-II, would have been flown by Alan Shepard, a veteran of the suborbital...
unused Project MercuryProject MercuryIn January 1960 NASA awarded Western Electric Company a contract for the Mercury tracking network. The value of the contract was over $33 million. Also in January, McDonnell delivered the first production-type Mercury spacecraft, less than a year after award of the formal contract. On February 12,...
spacecraft - A Launch Entry SuitLaunch Entry SuitThe Launch Entry Suit or "pumpkin suit", was a partial pressure suit worn by all Space Shuttle crews for the ascent and entry portions of flight from STS-26 to STS-65 . It was completely phased out by STS-88 and replaced by the ACES suit...
- A Vought RF-8 Crusader
- A McDonnell Douglas F-4S Phantom II
- A Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 was a jet fighter developed for the USSR by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich. The MiG-15 was one of the first successful swept-wing jet fighters, and it achieved fame in the skies over Korea, where early in the war, it outclassed all straight-winged enemy fighters in...
- A NASA Pathfinder
- A Piasecki PV-2
- A Caudron G-4
- A Focke Wulf Fw 190
- A Westland LysanderWestland LysanderThe Westland Lysander was a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft used immediately before and during the Second World War...
- A CASA 352LJunkers Ju 52The Junkers Ju 52 was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Deutsche Luft Hansa as an airliner and freight hauler...
- A Republic F-105D Thunderchief
- A Lockheed P-38 Lightning
- Darryl Greenamyer's Grumman F8F Bearcat "Conquest I"
- The North American P-51C Mustang "Excalibur III"
- A Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
- A Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat
- A Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was popularly nicknamed "balalaika", from the aircraft's planform-view resemblance to the Russian stringed musical instrument or ołówek by Polish pilots due to...
"Fishbed" - A Beechcraft BonanzaBeechcraft BonanzaThe Beechcraft Bonanza is an American general aviation aircraft introduced in 1947 by The Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. , it is still being produced by Hawker Beechcraft, and has been in continuous production longer than any other airplane in history...
- A Beechcraft Model 18Beechcraft Model 18The Beechcraft Model 18, or "Twin Beech", as it is better known, is a 6-11 seat, twin-engine, low-wing, conventional-gear aircraft that was manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas...
- A Bell 47Bell 47The Bell 47 is a two-bladed, single engine, light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. Based on the third Model 30 prototype, Bell's first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young, the Bell 47 became the first helicopter certified for civilian use on 8 March 1946...
- A Bell H-13 Sioux
- A Bell UH-1 Iroquois
- A Boeing-Stearman Model 75
- A Grumman A-6E Intruder
- A Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk
- A Piper J-3Piper J-3The Piper J-3 Cub is a small, simple, light aircraft that was built between 1937 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. With tandem seating, it was intended for flight training but became one of the most popular and best-known light aircraft of all time...
- A Grumman G-22 Gulfhawk
- An Aeronca C-2Aeronca C-2-See also:-External links:*...
- The Stanley NomadStanley Nomad|-See also:-External links:***...
The museum is still in the process of installing exhibits, but 163 aircraft and 154 large space artifacts are already on display as of November 2008, and plans call for the eventual installation of over 200 aircraft. The current list is maintained at the Objects On Display page of the Smithsonian Institution NASM Collections site. The museum also contains an IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
theater.
On December 2, 2008, the center received a gift of $6 million for Phase Two of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center from Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
Americas Inc. The gift was the largest corporate gift to the Smithsonian Institution in 2008. Phase Two of the Udvar-Hazy Center will be dedicated to the behind-the-scenes care of the Smithsonian’s collection of aircraft, spacecraft, related artifacts and archival materials.
The new wing will include:
- Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar: spacious enough to accommodate several aircraft at one time with a second-floor viewing area designed to give visitors a behind-the-scenes look at work rarely seen by the public.
- Archives: the foremost collection of documentary records of the history, science and technology of aeronautics and space flight will be housed in a single location for the first time, providing researchers with ample space and equipment.
- Emil Buehler Conservation Laboratory: will provide conservators much-needed space to develop and execute specialized preservation strategies for artifacts.
- Collections Processing Unit: a dedicated loading dock and specially designed secure area for initial inspection and analysis of artifacts.
Transportation
Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport is a public airport in Dulles, Virginia, 26 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C. The airport serves the Baltimore-Washington-Northern Virginia metropolitan area centered on the District of Columbia. It is named after John Foster Dulles, Secretary of...
. From downtown Washington, D.C., the easiest route runs from I-66
Interstate 66
Interstate 66 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. As indicated by its even route number, it runs in an east–west direction. Its western terminus is at Middletown, Virginia, at an intersection with Interstate 81; its eastern terminus is in Washington, D.C., at an...
West to VA 267 (Dulles Toll Road) West to VA 28 South, then follow the signs to a specially-marked exit off of VA 28 that leads directly to the museum parking lot.
As in other Smithsonian museums, admission is free, but there is a fee to park (currently $15 per vehicle) at Udvar-Hazy because of its close proximity to Dulles Airport; the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is an independent airport authority, created by the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia with the consent of the United States Congress to oversee management, operations, and capital development of Washington, D.C.'s two major airports:...
requested a parking fee higher than the least expensive parking fee at Dulles due to the possibility of travelers taking advantage of lower-cost parking at a non-airport location, as well as the financial and insurance liabilities associated with airport patrons parking on non-airport property.
While it is possible to get to Udvar-Hazy from the National Air and Space Museum using mass transit, direct shuttle service was discontinued in 2006. The National Air and Space Museum has a flier available to patrons with shuttle bus schedules and bus and route information. Visitors wishing to take mass transit to Udvar-Hazy from downtown DC should take Metro Bus #5A to Dulles Airport, then catch the Virginia Regional Transit shuttle bus to the museum. The earliest you can arrive via Virginia Regional Transit is 10:45am. The entire commute takes 1–2 hours, because the schedules are set up in such a way that passengers miss the connecting bus by five or ten minutes, resulting in a wait of up to one hour at the airport. Drop-off by shuttle or bus is allowed free of charge -this includes hotel shuttle vans.
DC Metro service will become available to the Dulles International Airport with the completion of the Silver Line
Silver Line (Washington Metro)
The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, formally dubbed the Silver Line, is an extension of the Washington Metro rapid transit system, currently under construction with the goal of providing rapid transit service to Dulles International Airport and Tysons Corner...
in 2016 with the possibility of transportation being offered to the museum.
Media appearances
The center made its first media appearance in the 2009 film Transformers: Revenge of the FallenTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a 2009 American science fiction-action film directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. It is the sequel to the 2007 film Transformers and the second installment in the live-action Transformers series...
. The center remained open while filming took place, although certain areas were closed. The SR-71 that is on display in the museum was used as Jetfire
Jetfire
Jetfire is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers universes. He is nearly always depicted as an Autobot with jet or space shuttle alternate mode.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, a Decepticon
Decepticon
The Decepticons are usually depicted as the antagonists in the fictional universes of the Transformers stoyline and related comics and cartoons, and the enemies of the Autobots and the University of California Davis Aggies...
who switches sides to become an Autobot
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...
, in the film. In the film, it is misnamed as the National Air & Space Museum.