Have an Aviation History and Innovation Weekend at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

Are you an aviation history or technology buff? Does early flight fascinate you just as much as the information coming out about the Artemis moon missions? If you’re excitedly screaming yes, then you might be interested to know that the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center are just 32 miles or 47 minutes away from each other. That means that you could spend a weekend in the area and visit two major aviation museums. To make things even more fun, convenient, and interesting, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located almost across the street from Dulles International Airport, which makes getting to the museums a breeze.

Dulles and General Aviation Services

The general aviation services at Dulles are handled by Signature Aviation and Atlantic Aviation. Atlantic features a conference room, Go Rentals, Wi-Fi, a pilot’s lounge, and crew cars. Signature Aviation offers rental cars, a business center, bottled water, computers, a conference room, a crew room, and day rooms. Once you’ve landed and tied your aircraft down or rented some hangar space, all you need is a rental car, and you’re ready for a weekend of aviation fun at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located at 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway in Chantilly, Virginia, just south of Washington Dulles International Airport. The museum is open every day from 10 AM until 5:30 PM, and museumgoers who arrive after 4 PM can enjoy free parking. Museumgoers who arrive earlier in the day must pay for parking.

The History of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center’s history started in 1977 when the Chair of the Aeronautics Division, Don Lopez, sent a letter explaining that the aircraft museum needed larger facilities due to the size of some of the newer artifacts. Don Lopez was starting to notice that storing historic aircraft was fairly easy. They were fairly small vehicles, especially when compared to modern aircraft, and it was the modern aircraft that Don Lopez was concerned with. They were huge, and it would be unlikely that those aircraft could be disassembled, trucked across land, and reassembled in a cost-effective manner. Instead, he surmised, it would likely be cheaper if the modern airplanes were flown to their final museum destinations.

Director Micheal Collins agreed with Lopez, but it would still take three years to determine that Dulles International Airport would probably be the best location. Through a series of agreements, the FAA approved 100 acres of land to the south of the international airport for the project. It would be known as the Dulles Annex.

The project gained more momentum in 1993 when President Bill Clinton signed Public Law 103-57. This law created an extension for the museum at the Dulles Annex. That extension is currently known as the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, and it would come to be known as the largest construction project ever undertaken by the Smithsonian Institute. The center opened in 2003 and got its name from the project’s largest donor.

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Contains Some fascinating Aviation Exhibits that Are Sure to Pique Your Interest.

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is home to thousands of artifacts and many full exhibits that feature amazing airplanes from the early days of aviation to modern spacecraft. The massive museum is home to the Discovery shuttle, a Concorde aircraft, and a Blackbird SR-71, as well as plenty of early biplanes and military aircraft. They also have exhibits featuring aerobatic flight, applications satellites, which were used during the Cold War, and business aviation aircraft exhibits that include both jets and propeller-driven aircraft.

The center even has an extensive general aviation exhibit. Visitors can view an Arrow Sport A2-60 and a Travel Air D4D. Their Sport Aviation collection includes a Monnett Moni, a Bowlus-du Pont 1-S-2100 Senior Albatross, and an Arlington Sisu 1A.

Visiting the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is sure to take up an entire day and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Continue Your Aviation Educational Adventure at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is part of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, located in Washington, DC. In fact, a trip to visit the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center wouldn’t be complete without a side trip to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, which is also open from 10 AM until 5:30 PM.

The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum hosts thousands of aviation, space, and technology artifacts, from early flight to modern space vehicles and even satellites. The Smithsonian’s early flight exhibit includes a Lilienthal glider. It was invented by Otto Lilienthal between 1891 and 1896, and his flight discoveries were essential for creating the modern wing and proving that heavier-than-air flight was possible.

Along with Otto Lilienthal’s hang glider, the exhibit also features a 1909 Wright Military Flyer, an Ecker Flying Boat, and a Curtiss D-III Headless Pusher.

The next most popular exhibit just might be Destination Moon, especially since there’s been renewed interest in landing more people on the moon with the announcement of the Artemis Program. If you’re not familiar with the Artemis Program, the goal is to explore the moon in-depth and create the first lunar space station.

The Smithsonian’s moon exhibit features a pressure suit that was actually used during a flight, a Gemini VII Capsule, the Apollo 11 Command Module, an F-1 Rocket Engine, and a Ranger Spacecraft, as well as other interesting exhibits.

Another popular exhibit is the One World Connected exhibit. This exhibit explains the advancements in communication and how near-instant global communication has changed the world. Additional exhibits include America By Air, the Wright Brothers & the Invention of the Aerial Age, and the Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets Gallery.

If you’re looking for aviation history and innovation, you can’t go wrong with a visit to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. From the early days of flight to modern satellites and technology, there are lots of exhibits to experience. You could even visit the IMAX theater and watch Planetarium, a movie that allows you to explore the universe. You’re sure to make lots of lasting memories and pique your interest in aviation history and technology.