Washington, DC has a very particular energy during the summer season. The universities are on summer term, those fortunate enough to have vacation days head out of the city, and even the most driven professionals feel the urge to sneak out a few minutes early. The interns take over the metro and bars, everyone sweats in their suits, summer Fridays are pervasive, business booms for restaurants with patios (and the servers hate the patio section), a Friday at Jazz in the Garden is a must, a couple rooftop happy hours are equally as essential, and suddenly Virginia and Maryland are more enticing for a visit. 

If you’re working through the DC summer, or just want to mix up the weekends you do spend in the city, daytrips and other roadtrips are a  great way to get out while staying put. Today I visited the second Air & Space museum (the Dulles Airport sister of the original DC museum), named the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, for a fantastic mini-adventure.

The museum consists of one main, massive hangar filled with planes, a second, space-themed hangar attached perpendicularly to the main hangar, a restoration hangar that you can observe, and a control tower.

If you have any interest in planes or flight at all, this museum is amazing. I arrived right at 10am, when they open, and had several areas of the museum to myself or just with another group nearby. By the time I left in the afternoon, the place starting to fill up- if you have any interest in using the flight simulator, heading up to the control tower, taking a tour, or seeing a movie, I suggest getting there as soon as it opens for no wait times.

The collection is extensive and diverse. In the same stroll, I saw World War II water-landing bombers, the world’s smallest airplane, an Air France Concorde, terrifying one man gyrocopters, and Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird”. Not to mention the space shuttle in the next room.

Check out some of my photos of the museum’s highlights below, and let me know what you think and if you have any questions about my experience at the museum.

Main Hangar:

Instant favorite: The world's smallest aircraft,
Instant favorite: The world’s smallest aircraft, “Sky Baby.” With a 6’4″ Emmie for size comparison.

Main Hangar:

The Air France Concorde was one of my favorite parts of the collection.
The Air France Concorde was one of my favorite parts of the collection.
The view from a stroll under the Concorde.
The view from a stroll under the Concorde.

I’ve had the opportunity to see the Concorde at Charles de Gaulle airport several times in person, but it’s not every day you get to walk under and get so close to a Concorde!

Main Hangar:

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird: A long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft that was operated by the United States Air Force
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird: A long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft that was operated by the United States Air Force.  It is primarily made of titanium, which the U.S. bought from Russia without Russia ever knowing who or what it was for.

Space Hangar:

The Space Shuttle Discovery in the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar.
The Space Shuttle Discovery in the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar.
The three main engines of the Space Shuttle Discovery.
The three main engines of the Space Shuttle Discovery.

Exit and Entrance:

A contrast of old and new at the Air & Space Museum.
A contrast of old and new at the Air & Space Museum.

Donald D. Engen Observation Tower :

The view from the top: Fulfilling my love of watching planes and airport traffic from a control tower.
The view from the top: Fulfilling my love of watching planes and airport traffic from a control tower.

Photos: Emmie Derbäck, Nikon 3200, 135mm lens

One thought on “DC Summer Series: The Dulles Air & Space Museum”

  1. Hej. Trevligt läsa och se. Kommer ihåg mitt flyg vid 25årsjubileet med AirFrance och flygturen från Stockholm ut över Atlanten för att få upp farten innan landningen i Paris. Man satt i fåtöljer som i min Daimler och åt rysk kaviar i stora lass nedskjöld i utsökt vodka. Det var tider ! Med den lilla lilla flygmaskinen borde man kunna landa på 51st Street! Tack för lektionen! Kram❤️

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