The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Shows Its Appreciation

Years of planning, design, and construction were needed to build NASM's spectacular Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington Dulles International Airport. None of it would have been possible without the support and contributions of members of The National Air and Space Society and donors to the Wall of Honor. To recognize their dedication, 6 December 2003 was Appreciation Day at the Center. Ten thousand attendees were given a pre-opening look at the historic air and space artifacts nine days before the official opening . The attendees circulated throughout the museum and traded stories of their own experiences in the history of aviation and space travel.

	Visitors passing through the entryway for their first look at the huge (984 feet long) Boeing Aviation Hangar are greeted by the Pitts Special S-1C Little Stinker overhead in an aerobatic attitude.	From the overlook, visitors were treated to an array of aircraft below them and hanging at two levels from the ten-stories-high arches. In front of them is a P-40, painted in Flying Tiger colors, in a flying attitude.
	Down on the main floor of the Boeing Aviation Hangar, Appreciation Day visitors were welcomed and given special mementos for their help in building the new Center.	Wall of Honor donors and National Air and Space Society members were awed by this sight of the Boeing Aviation Hangar. This picture shows only half of the hangar, which is 984 feet long.
	Under the watchful eyes of Joe Suarez, Director of The National Air and Space Society, the high-stepping Mary Baldwin College color guard presented the colors at the start of a program that said: "Thank you for helping to make this museum a reality."	General Jack Dailey, director of the National Air and Space Museum, told Appreciation Day visitors that their support was absolutely vital to the Udvar-Hazy Center's opening on time and within budget. He then asked them to focus on the work yet to be done in building the rest of the museum -- units for restoration, archives, collections processing, and collections storage.
		After the band's concert, General Jack Dailey thanked the leader of the Mary Baldwin College band for their stirring music, which set the mood for Appreciation Day.
	Visitors were able to get up close and personal. In the left picture, at a Discovery Station, future pilots and space travelers get a hands-on feel for the means of space travel. In the right picture, one of the many docents on duty (200 were trained for the Udvar-Hazy Center) explain the history and importance of one of the engines on display at the Center. Many of the docents have personal tales to tell about the artifacts and can say, "I was there," or "I flew that." During the opening, visitors gave as much as they got because they, too, could tell about the parts they played in the history of aviation and space flight.
	Visitors rode in the first of several flight simulators that will be available for their enjoyment. On Appreciation Day, passengers took a journey to the International Space Station.	Donors to the Wall of Honor were pleased, and sometime nostalgic, as they found their names or those of people they had honored. See how to add your name!
		National Air and Space Society members were given a special opportunity to meet aviation legends, such as Don Lopez, who was an ace in the China-Burma-India theater of World War II and is now Deputy Director of the National Air and Space Museum.

			General Jack Dailey personally greeted The National Air and Space Society members and Wall of Honor donors and thanked them for their support.

Photos by Eric Long, NASM