In The Museum
Airplane Meet 'n' Greet
In the darkness of an early Saturday morning last June, we met at Culpeper Airport in Virginia, the home base of my friend Charles Maples' restored 1944 Beech D17S Staggerwing biplane. Charlie and I pushed the aircraft out of its hangar and into the fresh air, and after a quick preflight, we were ready to fly to Washington-Dulles International Airport, where the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center was hosting a fly-in as part of its "Become a Pilot" Family Day. Charlie was one of more than two dozen pilots invited to the fly-in, and I was excited to be his passenger for the 35-mile hop.
At 8:30 a.m. we took off into the summer haze, and, a few vectors and 25 minutes later, we were over Dulles, the sky now bright. I had flown into Dulles many times via airliner, but this time I was arriving in style. Transportation Security Administration and airport authorities were all smiles and waves as the yellow Staggerwing passed through the security gate stationed between one of the airport's taxiways and the tow road leading to the Udvar-Hazy Center. Waving back to everyone from the Staggerwing's right seat, I felt like a movie star from the 1940s.
The ramp at the Udvar-Hazy Center hosts airplanes, pilots and visitors. (photo: Carolyn Russo) More than two dozen aircraft had already arrived and were parked outside the center's main hangar, including a U.S. Marine Corps Harrier vertical-takeoff-and-landing jet, an Aero Vodochody L-39 jet trainer, a Lancair, a North American Navion, a Globe Temco Swift monoplane, and a World War II-era Vought F4U Corsair gull-wing fighter. Visitors had the opportunity to enter the cockpits of many of the airplanes and ask questions of the pilots. Volunteers from the Civil Air Patrol and the Girl Scouts of America kept the aircraft display area free of litter and watched over airplanes when their pilots wanted to go inside but did not want to leave their aircraft unattended.
The Staggerwing received a steady stream of visitors who wanted to see the regal biplane up close. Charlie refers to the Staggerwing, first produced in 1933, as the "Learjet of the '30s" because of its popularity among corporate executives of the day, who fancied the biplane's 200-mph cruising speed. They probably also liked the luxury of the craft; the Staggerwing's back seat can seat three abreast (it's like "something out of a '56 Buick," says Charlie). A 450-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-985 engine provides the Staggerwing with robust propulsion up to 15,000 feet.
National Air and Space Museum director John Dailey (above), who flew in to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (left) in an Aero Vodochody L-39 jet trainer, spent the day explaining the aircraft's cockpit display to young visitors. (photo: Dane Penland)
A sleek fiberglass Lancair, flown by pilot Michael Young, was a favorite with visitors. (photo: Carolyn Russo) Event organizers had set up an array of activities for all ages inside the hangar. Adults could listen to curators talk on various artifacts while children learned about the parts of an aircraft from Museum docents, who took turns dressing up as television cartoon character Jay Jay the Jet Plane. By day's end, more than 5,500 people had stopped by, and the inaugural event was deemed so successful that fly-in organizer Margy Natalie, who is the Udvar-Hazy Center's aerospace educator-in-residence, says that a second "Become a Pilot" Family Day has been planned for June 17 (for more information visit the Web site http://www.nasm.si.edu or call 202-357-2700).
The author will never forget her experience flying into Dulles in the right seat of a 1944 Beech Staggerwing biplane. (photo: Carolyn Russo) Visitors who stayed until the end were rewarded by the sight of the fly-in aircraft departing Dulles along with scheduled airliners. By 2:30 p.m., Charlie and I were back in the Staggerwing, and we took our place in line with a few United Airlines Boeing 737s and several Independence Air Bombardier CRJ-200s. We had a long, slow taxi to the runway, but after getting clearance for takeoff, we broke ground and as we climbed to 2,500 feet, we found ourselves with a lovely view of the center. How many of the visitors will return in June with a few flying lessons under their belts? I know I will.
- Caroline Sheen is Air & Space/ Smithsonian's editor of photography and illustrations.
Artifacts
Baby Bell
Three generations of Bell Helicopters pose at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. (photo: Dane Penland) The Bell Model 30 Ship 1 helicopter, now on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, is the first of three prototypes that led to the ubiquitous bubble-canopy Bell 47, which was known for transporting injured soldiers during the Korean War. Built in 1942, the Model 30 made its first flight on December 29; during the next year, the prototype crashed twice during test flights, and each time the tail boom had to be rebuilt. A single 160-horsepower engine powered the craft, which has a steel-tube airframe, tricycle undercarriage, and rotor blades of laminated wood. In 1964, the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia donated the Model 30 to the Smithsonian Institution. The Model 30's descendant, the Bell 47, is known for its stability and ease of handling. Beginning in 1946, Bell manufactured more than 4,000 of the type, and nearly 1,000 are still registered with the Federal Aviation Administration.
NASM Daily Activities
- Events
- The Museum offers the public a variety of programs, including lectures, concerts, and educational workshops. To receive the Museum's monthly e-newsletter and calendar of events, sign up by going to the NASM e-newsletter sign up page.
You can also go to the NASM website events page or call the Smithsonian Information line at 202-633-1000; TTY (202) 357-1729.
- IMAX Theaters
- Learn how fighter pilots train for combat and view Earth from the open cargo bay of an orbiting space shuttle at the Museum's Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater and the Udvar-Hazy Center IMAX Theater, where large-format films are projected onto a screen five stories high. For information on tickets and showtimes, call (877) 932-4629.
- Albert Einstein Planetarium
- Embark on a celestial adventure. Realistic astronomical experiences are produced under the planetarium's 70-foot dome. The current feature, "Infinity Express: A 20-Minute Tour of the Universe," zooms audiences through the solar system, past the Milky Way, and out to the very edges of the cosmos. For information, call (202) 357-1686.
General Information
- Hours
- The National Air and Space Museum is open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day except December 25. General admission is free. Except where noted, no tickets or reservations are required. To find out more, call Smithsonian Information at (202) 633-1000; TTY (202) 357-1729.
- Food:
- The Museum on the Mall has the Wright Place Food Court, which offers selections from the breakfast and lunch menus of McDonald's, Boston Market, and Donatos Pizzeria. The Udvar-Hazy Center offers burgers, salads, and other favorites from McDonald's, along with muffins, cakes, and specialty coffees from the McCafé. Please note that food and drink must be consumed inside the restaurants; they may not be taken into display areas.
- Shopping:
- Both the Museum and the Udvar-Hazy Center shops offer a variety of souvenirs, books, DVDs, models, posters, clothing, and toys. A selection of these products can be purchased online at SmithsonianStore.com.
- Tours:
- Free docent-led tours highlight the Museum's collection and trace the history of air and space travel. Daily tours depart from the Welcome Center, South Lobby. For information on special tours, call the Tours and Reservations Office at (202) 633-2563.
- Special Events:
- April 6
Growing Up With General James Doolittle: "An Evening With Jonna Doolittle Hoppes." Free tickets can be obtained online through http://www.nasm.si.edu ; for more information, call (202) 633-2398. Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater, Museum on the Mall, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- April 8
Family Day: "Telescopes, Telescopes, Telescopes." Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- April 11
Exploring Space Lecture: "Our Home in Space-the Sun-Earth System." Free tickets can be obtained online through http://www.nasm.si.edu ; for more information, call (202) 633-2398. Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater, Museum on the Mall, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- April 15
Family Day: "Explore the Universe." Museum on the Mall, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- May 9
Exploring Space Lecture: "Unraveling the Mysteries of the Earth's Changing Ice Cover." Free tickets can be obtained online through http://www.nasm.si.edu ; for more information, call (202) 633-2398. Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater, Museum on the Mall, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- May 16
An Evening With Vern Raburn: "Founder of Eclipse Aviation." Free tickets can be obtained online through http://www.nasm.si.edu ; for more information, call (202) 633-2398. Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater, Museum on the Mall, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- May 20
Family Day: "Celebrating the Early Years of Airmail." Museum on the Mall, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Curator's Choice:
- Occasionally a National Air and Space Museum curator gives a 15-minute talk about an artifact or subject of interest at either the National Air and Space Museum on the Mall or the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in northern Virginia. Meet at 12:15 PM at the gold seal near the Information Desk in the Museum on the Mall or at the nose of the SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft at the Udvar-Hazy Center.
Museum on the Mall:
- None Scheduled
Udvar-Hazy Center:
- Apr. 6
"Vega spacecraft"
- Apr. 20
"Jerrie Mock's 'round-the-world solo flight"
- May 4
"Quarantining returning astronauts"
- May 18
"FB-5 fighter"Except where noted, no tickets or reservations are required. To find out more, visit http://www.nasm.si.edu or call Smithsonian Information at (202) 357-2700; TTY: (202) 357-1729.
- Museum Locations
- The National Air and Space Museum is on the National Mall, along Independence Avenue SW, between 4th and 7th Streets, Washington, D.C.
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is at 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, Virginia, near Washington-Dulles International Airport.
- NASM Express Shuttle Bus:
- A round-trip shuttle runs between the Museum and the Udvar-Hazy Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Since the $12 round-trip shuttle tickets sell out quickly, visitors are encouraged to purchase them in advance at (202) 633-4629; toll-free: (877) 932-4629.
Directions to either facility can be found on the web at:
- Parking:
- The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center's parking lot can accommodate 2,000 vehicles. Daily parking is available for $12. Visitors may also be dropped off and picked up at the center's entrance at no charge. There is also free parking for up to 40 buses.
- Donald D. Engen Tower:
- The Udvar-Hazy Center has an observation tower from which visitors can watch air traffic arriving at and departing Washington-Dulles International Airport. The only way to access the tower is via an elevator that rises 164 feet above the ground. The elevator can transport 15 people every five minutes.
- Security:
- All visitors and their bags will be screened. School groups are advised to leave all unnecessary belongings on the bus.
- For More Information:
- Find out more about the new addition to the National Air and Space Museum at:
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
Mail to: Editors - Circulation
Last Update: Wed, Mar 15, 2006 at 7:15:44 PM.
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