Travel:

Smithsonian Institute
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

Conclusions

by Russ Lockwood



This is another marvelous Smithsonian museum. As usual, the photos help capture the grandeur of the center, but come up short from eye-balling it yourself. The Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum on the Washington DC mall attracts about 9 million visitors a year. The Smithsonian expects 3-4 million visitors a year will travel to the UHC.

A German Zeiss camera, although I neglected to write down the model number.

It's a bit of a long trip from NJ -- about 3.5 hours each way from Trenton -- but worth it and doable in a long day. Obviously, it's easier to do if you're already staying in the DC area, and combine it with a trip to other historic sites, such as Manassas Battlefield about a dozen or so miles away and the entire set of museums on the Mall. We combined it with a quick look in the Aberdeen Proving Ground Museum and Tank Park, which is on the way back from the UHC to NJ.

We spent 3-4 hours in the museum and felt that we had seen everything, although we did not take in an Imax movie, nor stand in the line for the flight simulator ride.

There's a lot of great aircraft in the museum, but if I were to pick a centerpiece, it would have to be the B-29 Enola Gay. I've seen SR-71s and Space Shuttles before at NASA's museum in Huntsville, AL, and most of the other military aircraft at various museums around the world, but this is the first time I saw a B-29.

Runner up would be the Arado 234B for the same reason.

Tripe and Snipe

The only thing I can't remember is the B-29's plaque notes--specifically, whether it said if the plane was the first to drop the atomic bomb. I could swear the plaque did NOT make any mention of the A-bomb, and almost certain Hiroshima wasn't mentioned. I recall it said something about being on many "historic missions."

Back in 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the A-bomb drop, the National Air and Space Museum exhibited the forward section of the fuselage along with a plaque that emphasized how many Japanese were killed, the devastation of Hiroshima, etc. There was not a mention of how many American lives were saved, or sneak attack at Pearl Harbor, or inhumane treatment of POWs (including beheading captured US fliers). The then director was sacked, rightly so I might add, after veteran groups and historians complained.

With the caveat that I'm not positively sure I remember correctly, if so, it does smell of the usual wishy-washy history that abounds in this revisionist age. The historical significance of this particular B-29 is that it dropped the first A-bomb in history. Maybe that fact is mentioned in the gift-shop booklet, and maybe not. But imagine if similar exhibits were labeled with the same idea: the Wright Brothers' Flyer, Spirit of St. Louis, etc. They were number one for an event, and mentioning the event seems important in displaying information about a significant historical artifact.

Maybe museum director Gen. John R. "Jack" Dailey will set me straight. Or maybe someone can go and doublecheck my rant.

Missing In Action

What is always interesting about taking a trip like this is how much you miss when you come back to look at the photos. Not all of mine came out, and some of the ones you see required some Photoshop manipulation to bring out details and hide flaws. But I would have liked to take a few other photos of planes -- F4U up close, F-86 Sabre, and the MiG-21 comes to mind.

On the other hand, I specifically ignored otherwise photographical planes such as the P-51 and F8F Bearcat because they were in civilian markings, not WWII markings.

Some of the display cases had interesting items within, and yet I neglected to stop and take photos as well.

All I can say is that when you walk in, you get overwhelmed by the sheer multitude of space and aircraft, and your mind wanders as you amble along. I could swear I took some pictures that are nowhere to be found in the camera. Go figure.

Highly Recommended

All in all, I can recommend the museum wholeheartedly. Yes, I'm not pleased to be socked with tolls or parking fees, but that's the price of admission. It is a marvelous structure in its own right, and the cornucopia of aircraft and artifacts will make your head spin. And another good thing....the UHC makes you want to see the rest of the collection in DC, and I'd urge you to do that as well.

The UHC, and the Smithsonian in general, is worth every penny we spend for it. Go see it.

UHC Displays

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