Giving The New Museum A First-Hand Once Over (Part One of Four)

By ANN Correspondent Rob Milford

Seeing the previews and reading the news releases is one thing. But being the first ANN staffer to tour the new National Air and Space Museum facility at Dulles International Airport (VA) is something else.

Exactly 48 hours after I was cold and soaked to the bone on the sands of Kitty Hawk, I pulled into the huge parking lot for the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Museum, which opened less than two weeks ago.

It’s easy to get to. On the southeast corner of Dulles, less than a mile north of US 50 and 3.5 miles south of the toll road that links the airport with Arlington. There is the shock of a $12 parking fee, but just pull out the cash, and roll in. You won’t regret it. Arriving just moments after the 10 am opening, there was a line out the door -- maybe 80 to 100 people -- standing there in the cold and wind.

In order to make the aviation theme more exciting, and realistic, and because it is post 9/11…you go through security. Not as rigid as what you need for your flight, but close. They will look in your camera bag, they want you to empty your pockets. As you’re waiting in line… you catch a glimpse of what lies ahead. There is the Space Shuttle Enterprise. You wonder if the Trekkies had not had their way about 25 years ago, would the Enterprise be flying still, and the Columbia parked there. Something to think about.

The ceiling holds a Pitts Special. This is "Little Stinker." The second aircraft Curtis Pitts built in Gainesville (FL) almost 50 years ago. It’s the aircraft that Betty Skelton used to whip the world in aerobatics during the 1950’s. It is inverted, as it should be, looking like it’s at the top of a loop. After a few steps, you come to a hallway on your left and right. In your 2 o’clock position is the ticket booth for the Imax theater. Next to that is the information desk, where they answer all. In your nine o’clock position is the gift shop.

But we’re here for airplanes -- and like a huge magnet, or the recipient of a blast from a Wright 1820 when it starts, you are drawn (propelled) to the hangar. You know that untold treasures await you.

Well, I’m here to tell you that there is no more dramatic setting then seeing an F4U-1D Corsair to the right, flaps and gear and tailhook down, just feet away from a P-40E in two-tone camouflage and with the yawning red shark mouth on it, coming at you from the left. Below them, nose on to you, an SR-71 Blackbird. Off the tail of the Blackbird, the huge nose of the Shuttle peeking at you from the James McDonnell space hangar.

I stood there for five minutes, taking it all in. This combination of aircraft is guaranteed to be the most photographed for years to come. An 8-year old, barely head high over the railing, was transfixed. His eyes were darting this way and over there, and was nailing his aircraft identification. He was spotting aircraft in a jumble and knew them on sight. It was enough to bring a tear to your eye. It reminded me of me 40 or so years ago, waiting to be taken to the air show at Dobbins AFB when Lockheed had their open house. I could see the wooden mock-up of the C-5, and walk through brand new C-130’s and C-141’s.

A visit to the new NASM annex will do that to you. On the floor below you, and hanging from the ceiling are so many of the planes that have been “pictures only” to this point in our lives. Now, for the first time, we will see so many that have been locked away, in a warehouse, for years. From that same vantage point, you also appreciate the huge space being occupied here. This place could handle some blimps in it’s spare time and with all the room it has. 986 feet long, 103 feet at the top of the curved roof, the plans call for the roof supports to carry the weight of many aircraft, displayed at angles and headings that will make them appear in flight. Each arch will support up to 20,000 pounds of hanging aircraft, not an issue for the Gossamer Albatross, which is well displayed. And since size does matter, let me phrase it another way. This building it so big, that the well-known and loved NASM building on the Washington Mall could fit inside the hangar here.

That’s big.

So you’ve caught your breath. Where to start? The ramp to your right leads to Vietnam-Korean military era aircraft, plus a huge collection of engines. The stairs on the left take you down to the nose of the SR-71. I go right, to take in the view, to savor each step. My phone rings. My buddy Greg is looking for some spare parts for his Merlin. I tell him where I am, and he falls silent. I can hear him turning green over the phone.

The Vietnam-Korean era display are the most modern of the aircraft now on display. An A-6E Intruder, an F-4S Phantom with one confirmed kill from Vietnam, and alongside them, their ultimate replacement, the X-35B Joint Strike Fighter. This is the Lockheed-Martin V/Stol Model, that was used for testing ad Edwards AFB just a couple of years ago. The engine has been pulled, but it’s a beautiful aircraft. That same block also displays a MiG-21m and UH-1H “Huey”. Across the aisle, an F-86A and MiG-15bis. There’s also a Matador TM-61C and a Regulus 1 missile, from the days when the Navy would have launched these cruise missiles from surface combatants and submarines.

Keep this in mind. The Udvar-Hazy NASM facility at Dulles Airport is a work in progress. They have 80 aircraft and major aerospace displays, and more on the way. We’ll cover them all, through the week.

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