Udvar-Hazy

In September, one of my life-long friends (somewhere there is a picture of us standing in front of a kindergarten bus together) came to visit us, and he had only two requests.  One was the USS Barry, but a recent shooting at the Navy Yard had resulted in increased security, removing that option entirely (despite a misleading website which said everything was still open.  But they had some things to deal with, so that's understandable).  The other was the Udvar-Hazy Center.

I'll admit: when he told me he wanted to go, my first response was to look it up and try to figure out what it was.  I knew that the Smithsonian had acquired a space shuttle--heck, I watched it fly over the city--but I wasn't very clear on where it went after it buzzed the Mall.

Turns out Discovery went to Udvar-Hazy.  If the Smithsonian is "America's Attic," then Udvar-Hazy is the garage where America keeps the vintage automobiles.  Aircraft from every single stage of human flight is present here, in person or in replica.  Including at least one from the future, sort of.

The studio model of the alien ship from Close Encounters of the Third Kind was built using spare parts and bits of several model kits, so if you look closely, you can see things that look like railroad signals and farm silos.

You also see things like R2-D2, airplanes, a mailbox, and a graveyard.  Model makers have a good sense of humor.

I was only disappointed because we were limited to the outsides of all the aircraft.  I realize that allowing thousands of eager museum visitors to go stomping through the space shuttle would be a terrible idea for a lot of reasons, but they managed to allow us to go through the SkyLab module at the Air and Space Museum--can't we at least get a peek inside the cockpit of an SR-71?  Pretty please?

I sometimes felt like I do at the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Museum; that in order to really get a lot out of the experience, you have to be fanatically into the subject before you step through the door.  That's a letdown, because I remember going to museums as a kid and they would get me excited about the exhibits and make me want to learn more about aviation, or science, or natural history.  Then there are museums that are aimed at people who already know everything about the subject, and are only there to revel in the presence of these artifacts.  I feel like there's a lost opportunity there.

On the other hand, it was still interesting to see so much of aviation's history under one roof, to marvel at the things we have accomplished as a species, and to goggle in bewilderment at some of the ridiculous ideas we've had.  My friend and I specifically sought out the Manta Pterodactyl Fledgling, solely because of the fantastic name, to find out what that aircraft was (a record-setting ultralight).  And the thing about him is that he remembers everything, and reads everything, so it was sort of like taking a tour of the museum with an aviation authority.  And it's good just to see him having fun.

Enola Gay

Discover Discovery

On April 17, 2012, the day after The Girl ran a hot, humid Boston Marathon and I drove for nine hours, we woke groggily and got on the first Metro to the Mall.  History was happening, and since we're both great big Space Nerds, we wanted to see it happen.

The space shuttle Discovery was getting a ride to her retirement home, and on the way, she was going to fly low over the DC area several times.  I'd been keyed up for this event since a friend sent me a link and I found out that it would happen in my new backyard.  We had grabbed a quick breakfast at Panera, and sat on the Mall (I found out this morning that I should always capitalize that), waiting and wondering where we would see it.

As ten o'clock approached, the area filled with people--most of them seemed to know that Discovery would first appear for us near the Washington Monument, because that was the obvious focal point of the crowd.  We even saw a few camera crews setting up and getting B-roll footage.  Then someone shouted, and everyone leaped to their feet, pointing and cheering as we saw the shuttle swoop low over the horizon--and disappear almost immediately behind the trees.  Surely that couldn't be it?  I didn't even have my camera out in time, and missed part of the flight because I looked down to check the camera.  Give me more, NASA!!

Our patience was soon rewarded; Discovery and her fighter jet escort made three passes over the Mall; on the last two, she was close enough that I could clearly see the NASA logo on the 747's tail fin.

Discovery and the Smithsonian Castle

Nobody else dressed for the occasion.

Discovery had a fighter jet escort, in case she tried anything funny.

I held out my thumb; they didn't even slow down.