The Smithsonian Institution’s annex to the National Air and Space Museum, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, is nearly 75 percent finished and is scheduled to open December 2003, at Washington Dulles International Airport, 100 years after the Wright brothers’ first powered flight. Seventy denizens installed for the opening will include a Lockheed SR-71, the Space Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise, Federal Express’ first carrier, a Curtiss JN-4D Jenny … and the Enola Gay (which currently exists in 52 separate pieces). By 2007, the museum expects to hangar 200 aircraft, with one Concorde promised upon its retirement from Air France. Visitors will have access to their own 164-foot tower compete with audio feed of the actual goings-on at Dulles’ real tower — that, and an IMAX theater to project digital and celluloid reality. Some 3.5 million visitors are expected to make the pilgrimage each year. Private donors have contributed roughly two-thirds of the project’s $311 million cost, including a $66 million donation from Udvar-Hazy, jet-leasing magnate and av-phile.
Annexing Air And Space At Dulles
Key Takeaways:
- The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, an annex to the National Air and Space Museum, is scheduled to open in December 2003 at Washington Dulles International Airport.
- It will initially house 70 aircraft, expanding to 200 by 2007, including iconic pieces like the SR-71, Space Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise, and the Enola Gay.
- The center will also feature a 164-foot observation tower with audio feed from Dulles' real tower and an IMAX theater, expecting 3.5 million visitors annually.
- The $311 million project is largely funded by private donors, with a significant $66 million contribution from Steven F. Udvar-Hazy.
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