Smithsonian Air & Space Museum
Monday, 31st October 2005 by James Turnbull
As the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum is spread over a couple of locations. The main display facility is right in the heart of Washington DC, although all the aircraft are stored indoors so it's not much to look at.
The companion facility, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre was opened in December 2003 but in the aerial photo it is still under construction (so no planes to see). The completed hanger currently houses hundreds of aircraft including Concorde 205.
The Smithsonian Institution also have two aircraft on permenant display at Dulles International Airport (finally, some planes!). The one to the north is a Lockheed C-130 (one of more than 2,000 built) and the one to the south a Lockheed Constellation (which were the first pressurised aircraft in widespread use).
Thanks: Kirk & Marquis de Sade
Actually, I stand corrected in my original post from which this was taken. The plane to the north is a C-130.
Just doing some tidying up.
I went to this museum about a year ago. The building was finished, but they was plenty of space to add more planes. I took a bunch of pictures, too.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robbyb/sets/45297/
the udvar-hazy center is so awesome. you walk in and immediately are overlooking an Sr-71 Blackbird. my husband about died he was so excited to see it. I also went about a year ago- December 2004. I also liked seeing the Concorde, the Enola Gay, and the Space shuttle Enterprise.
Enola Gay – such a delicate name for something so deadly.
bit wrong that.
HMMMMM, The Enola Gay was not deadly, it was the cargo that fell out of it….. I have visited Hiroshima several times and the peace park is beautiful. To bad it is in lo-res on Google.
The Enola Gay is a beautiful aircraft.
The southeast plane on the second picture is Lockheed “Constellation”
I think the Enola Gay was a very interesting aircraft. peace out
The hanger in between those planes is the home of one of the Space shuttles. There used to be a SR 71 on the other side of the road, don’t know where that one went.