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2013-11-10 01:01
in Flying, Nflying
This is the companion museum to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in downtown Washington DC. I saw companion, but it's a humongous hangar attached to IAD airport, and it contains the huge unique collection of air and space vehicles they have that would never fit in the original museum (also being just next to the runway makes getting a space shuttle or a concorde in, a lot easier).
We showed up at 10:30, a little late (opens at 10:00) because we spent more time than expected visiting the Cathedral in Washington, and we arrived just in time for a volunteer led tour that was absolutely fantastic. He spent 3h45 with us to show us just a portion of their amazing collection, and he really knew space stuff since he worked at NASA before retiring.
We started with a collection of very early planes, including one before the Wright Flyers' which never managed to fly: the Langley Aerodrome A.
This place is one of a kind, it totally deserves a stop in IAD when you're flying by washington, it's that good. Also, you may get plane fatigue after a while, because of how many artifacts they have. Either way, it's a do not miss.
look at this plane. It never flew but sure looked cool.
Enola Gay was the superfortress that dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima
dual prop plane with pusher prop
A japanese cruise missile that was actually piloted by a kamikaze
Messerschmitt Komet plane with a propellor to run a generator
The tracking and data relay satellite that allowed coms with the space shuttle
A concept of gliding wing to land capsules on ground instead of sea
an early drone (KD2C-2 Skeet Target)
An F35 with its engine, very cool
This place is one of a kind, it totally deserves a stop in IAD when you're flying by washington, it's that good. Also, you may get plane fatigue after a while, because of how many artifacts they have. Either way, it's a do not miss.
See more images for Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy by Washington Dulles Airport