The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, a 760,000-square-foot facility that houses airplanes belonging to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s vast collection of aviation artifacts, celebrated its 10th anniversary over the weekend. Named after Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, a Hungarian entrepreneur who donated millions to the National Air and Space Museum, the facility is home to a large collection of small aerobatic, taildragger, biplane and warbird airplanes from all eras. The massive facility also houses business aviation aircraft, such as the Lear Jet 23, Bill Lear’s first bizjet, as well as large aircraft such as the space shuttle Discover, SR-71 Blackbird, Concorde and B-29 bomber Enola Gay.
In addition to the impressive collection of aviation artifacts, the Udvar-Hazy Center, which is located adjacent to Washington Dulles International Airport, has an IMAX theatre, flight simulators, and an observation tower that provides a 360-degree view of the area as well as an exhibit explaining the air traffic control system. A restoration hangar is also attached to the facility.
To get an idea of what you can see at this impressive facility, check out our photo gallery here.
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