As a corporate pilot, I can not think of a better way to spend an
afternoon off than touring the National Air and Space Museum/
Steven Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles International Airport.
The day started as any other day at work, with three legs planned
and an overnight in Columbus, Ohio. After completing our first two
trips, we landed in Dulles and were setting up for the final leg of the
day, when scheduling called and told us to go to the hotel because
the passengers were going to be too late for us to do the trip.
This was at 11 am. So, of course, my first thought was, “I’m going to
the museum!”
The museum is located at the south end of Dulles Airport, only an
hour away from the main museum in Washington D.C. It opened in
December 2003, in time to celebrate the 100th anniversary on the
Wright Brothers’ first flight. It’s comprised of a large quonset type
hanger that can accommodate 200 aircraft. In addition, there is the
James S. McDonnell Space Center that houses the Space Shuttle
Discovery and about 130 other space vehicles. Also attached is the
Mary Baker Engen Restoration hangar, where the B-26 “Flak Bait” is
currently being preserved and readied for display. If you so desire a
bird’s eye view of Dulles, then the Donald Engen observation tower
is the place to go.The facility contains some of the most iconic airplanes ever built,
such as Concorde, the Boeing Dash 80, and the B-29 “Enola Gay”.
Also, aircraft ranging from early homebuilts to fighters and bombers
from WWI to present day are all on display, some of which are the