Please do not adjust your computer - it has not suddenly started displaying in Norwegian!! 
Actually, I have no idea where the Name Udvar Hazey comes from, but I can tell you that of all the aviation museums I have visited, the Udvar Hazey Center at Dulles International in Washington D.C. has got to be my favorite so far. In fact, this "annex" of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum is better than the one on the mall, in my opinion. Louise and I visited last week, and came to the conclusion that this facility is really going to be a hit with pilots - while the main NASM is oriented towards telling stories and interpreting the history of aviation and spaceflight, the Udvar is just about showing the hardware. Airplanes of all sizes and descriptions that have been donated but never before had a place to be displayed are here - many hanging from the ceilings as if in flight. There are corners of the vast building dedicated to collections of engines and other bits and pieces as well. The building is well designed with multi-level catwalks so that you really feel that you are in the sky with this marvelously animated (yet still-life) collection.
You can go here for a few pictures that we took, but I know that you can find many more on line.
The airplane collection is huge and eclectic. Everything from remnants of pre-WW I aircraft to the SR-71 and Space Shuttle Enterprise. Global Flyer is hanging from the rafters, and of course, they have a concord. But they also have some ordinary machines, such as a J-3 Cub, Aeroncas, and other classics. No RV's......YET! I suppose all they need is for someone to donate one - there is plenty of room still left! (Nope, the Val is not an option until both Louise and I have both lost our medicals....)
Probably the most sobering thing for me was to walk into the Space Wing and see tow major payload systems that I flew on the Shuttle there on display, The Spacelab Instrument Pointing System was my first major responsibility, and one that I got lots of attention with (in our world) back in the early 80's. There it is - a museum piece, tucked away behind the Enterprise. And hanging high above the gallery is the Space Radar Topography Mapper, a JPL payload which we mounted in the Shuttle's payload bay and flew on a ten day mission back at the turn of the century (the first flight of the 21st century to be exact) and mapped all of the dirt on the planet between 60 degrees north and south latitude - to an accuracy of 1 Meter!
It dos make one feel old, however, seeing major parts of your life work in a museum.....
I highly recommend this if you're visiting the D.C. area - we drove over from Louise's house, but there are several GA fields not that far away. The museum is free, but you have to pay 12 bucks for parking - still, IMHO, a real deal for what you get to see!
Actually, I have no idea where the Name Udvar Hazey comes from, but I can tell you that of all the aviation museums I have visited, the Udvar Hazey Center at Dulles International in Washington D.C. has got to be my favorite so far. In fact, this "annex" of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum is better than the one on the mall, in my opinion. Louise and I visited last week, and came to the conclusion that this facility is really going to be a hit with pilots - while the main NASM is oriented towards telling stories and interpreting the history of aviation and spaceflight, the Udvar is just about showing the hardware. Airplanes of all sizes and descriptions that have been donated but never before had a place to be displayed are here - many hanging from the ceilings as if in flight. There are corners of the vast building dedicated to collections of engines and other bits and pieces as well. The building is well designed with multi-level catwalks so that you really feel that you are in the sky with this marvelously animated (yet still-life) collection.
You can go here for a few pictures that we took, but I know that you can find many more on line.
The airplane collection is huge and eclectic. Everything from remnants of pre-WW I aircraft to the SR-71 and Space Shuttle Enterprise. Global Flyer is hanging from the rafters, and of course, they have a concord. But they also have some ordinary machines, such as a J-3 Cub, Aeroncas, and other classics. No RV's......YET! I suppose all they need is for someone to donate one - there is plenty of room still left! (Nope, the Val is not an option until both Louise and I have both lost our medicals....)
Probably the most sobering thing for me was to walk into the Space Wing and see tow major payload systems that I flew on the Shuttle there on display, The Spacelab Instrument Pointing System was my first major responsibility, and one that I got lots of attention with (in our world) back in the early 80's. There it is - a museum piece, tucked away behind the Enterprise. And hanging high above the gallery is the Space Radar Topography Mapper, a JPL payload which we mounted in the Shuttle's payload bay and flew on a ten day mission back at the turn of the century (the first flight of the 21st century to be exact) and mapped all of the dirt on the planet between 60 degrees north and south latitude - to an accuracy of 1 Meter!
It dos make one feel old, however, seeing major parts of your life work in a museum.....
I highly recommend this if you're visiting the D.C. area - we drove over from Louise's house, but there are several GA fields not that far away. The museum is free, but you have to pay 12 bucks for parking - still, IMHO, a real deal for what you get to see!
