Udvar-Hazey Annex Opens Amid Some Controversy, Miscues | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Mon, Dec 15, 2003

Udvar-Hazey Annex Opens Amid Some Controversy, Miscues

Key Exhibits Include Shuttle Enterprise And Enola Gay

It's opening day for the National Air and Space Museum's newest facility, the long-awaited Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Intentional Airport (VA). Vice President Dick Cheney, who dedicated the extension, called it "a monument to the many great achievements in flight."

Cheney said the museum clearly is worth the 30 mile drive from the Smithsonian's main campus in Washington (DC). "I've been looking forward to coming here for a tour," Cheney told the crowd at Thursday's dedication ceremony. "I'm extremely impressed by what I saw this morning."

He wasn't the only one. "I could probably jump in it and I'd probably know where everything is because it's just like riding a bicycle." said Col. Bob Shawn, standing in front of a P-38 Lightning similar to those he flew during World War II.

Retired General Paul Tibbets, pilot of the first aircraft ever to drop an atomic weapon in war, was equally impressed. Although somewhat controversial, Tibbets said he was excited at seeing the Enola Gay (above) on prominent display at the museum. "When I came in here and saw this thing, the symbols, looking the way it looked," Tibbets said, "I wanted to get right in there and taxi it out."

For pilots attending Thursday's ceremony, it was an emotional day. Col. Richard "Butch" Sheffield, one of the first pilots ever to fly the fastest aircraft in the world -- the SR-71 -- said seeing the reconnaissance plane on display at the Udvar-Hazy center took his breath away. "I thought it was awesome. I came in on the upper deck there and I looked down on it and there were a bunch of spectators standing around and they were just going 'ooh' and 'aah.' It's a very dramatic looking airplane."

FMI: www.nasm.si.edu/museum/udvarhazy

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1

Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.08.25)

Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Fly Corvair’s Reliable Engine Alternative

From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]

ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV

How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: CiES Fuel-Quantity and e-Throttle Systems Praised

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC