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Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Washington, D.C.
The Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center opened at Dulles Airport in December of 2003. It provides additional space for the Smithsonian Institution to display thousands of aviation and space artifacts that could not be exhibited at its National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall.
The downtown center and the Udvar-Hazy Center together showcase one of the largest collection of aviation and space artifacts in the world.
Main Display Areas at Udvar-Hazy
A centerpiece of the building is the Boeing Aviation Hangar which permits visitors to see exhibits from three different levels. Visitors can walk among airplanes on the bottom floor, and view other planes hanging from the arched ceiling on elevated skywalks.
The James S. McDonnell Space Hangar opened in November of 2004, and displays hundreds of famous spacecraft, rockets, satellites and space-related small artifacts, including a space shuttle.
Also included in the building complex is the Donald D. Engen Observation Tower which provides an excellent location from which visitors can watch air traffic at Dulles Airport. Access to the tower is via elevator.
The Center also offers the Airbus IMAX Theater, flight simulators, food service, and a museum store.
Highlights of Aircraft and Spacecraft on Display at Udvar-Hazy
 B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay", on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center (staff photo) |
The collection of aviation and space artifacts is extensive. Shown below is but a quick list of highlights of the collection:
- Boeing 707 Prototype: 367-80 "Dash 80"
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay"
- Pan American Airways Clipper Flying Cloud
- Lockheed P-38 Lightning
- Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star
- Lockheed-Martin X-35
- McDonnell F-4 Phantom II
- Grumman A-6E Invader
- North American F-86A Sabre
- Air France Supersonic Transport (SST)
- Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
- Space Shuttle Discovery
- Redstone Missile
- Mercury Capsule "Freedom 7"
- LearJet 23
- Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk
- Russian MIG-15
Visiting the Udvar-Hazy Center
Udvar-Hazy is located on the south end of Dulles Airport, at 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, in Chantilly, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. (see map below)
Admission to the Center is free, but there is a charge for parking. Phone 703.572.4118 for opening hours and other information.
Photographs from Udvar-Hazy
Here is a sampling of the photographs the Airplanes Online Staff took at Udvar-Hazy during our recent trip to the facility.
Boeing Aviation Hangar at the National Air & Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center (staff photo) |
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B-29 Enola Gay (Serial Number 44-86292) at the Udvar-Hazy Center In July of 1946, it was flown to Davis-Monthan AFB where it could be preserved, and title was transferred from the Air Force to the Smithsonian Institution. Restoration began in December, 1984, and the Enola Gay was put on display at Udvar-Hazy in 2003. |
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B-29 Enola Gay at the Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian Institution |
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B-29 Enola Gay at the Udvar-Hazy Center |
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Boeing Dash-80, the 707 prototype, at the Udvar-Hazy Center |
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Pan American Airways Clipper Flying Cloud |
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Air France Concorde Supersonic Transport |
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USAF Lockheed Constellation |
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Space Shuttle Enterprise ... now replaced by the Discovery |
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SR-71 Blackbird at the Udvar-Hazy Center |
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Federal Express FedEx Jet "Wendy" |
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Area Map of the Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport
The map below shows the location of the Udvar-Hazy Center in suburban Washington, D.C. It is physically located at 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, VA 20151. Phone 703.572.4118.
For more information and operating hours, we recommend a visit to the website of Udvar-Hazy