Flying to Please New Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Takes Off at Dulles by Christine CubÈ Visiting the new Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum at Dulles is a lot like going to the airport. Your car must fall into line to get through the gated entrance, parking is limited (only 2,000 spaces for the $311 million museum) and carries an unexpectedly high fee ($12), and security greets you just past the doors into the facility. But once you get through the magnetometers, have your carry-on items checked, and wait in another line to get a map so you know where to go, the reason for your visit suddenly becomes very clear. Look straight ahead, and there lies a planeómany planes, in fact, as well as the Space Shuttle Enterprise. It might be the newness of the museum that has drawn throngs of people to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, making it a bit uncomfortable to wade through. Nevertheless, the museum is quite large and spacious, and there are many impressive historical displays about aviation to be seen. For any aviation enthusiast, this is one ride you donít want to miss. The Udvar-Hazy Center is located at the edge of Dulles International Airport and contains an aviation hangar with suspended walkways and its own 164-foot-tall observation tower, which gives visitors a birdís-eye view of air traffic arriving and leaving Dulles Airport. The new museum will be home to roughly 80 percent of the Smithsonianís Air and Space collection that was previously confined to storage. The remainder of the collection lies at the Smithsonianís flagship museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., which is visited by more than 9 million people each year. One of the most popular artifacts at the Udvar-Hazy Center is the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, which made history by dropping the first atomic bomb used in combat on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945. With its 141-foot wingspan and a top speed of 339 mph, the B-29 Superfortress was the most sophisticated propeller-driven bomber of World War II. Another notable exhibit is the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the worldís fastest jet-propelled aircraft, which flew at a top speed of 2,250 mph. The plane on display made its last flight across the United States in little more than an hour. Other must-sees include the Concordeówhich flew thousands of passengers at twice the speed of sound (it could cross the Atlantic in less than four hours) for more than 25 years before retiring from service in 2003óand the Space Shuttle Enterprise, which has been in storage since 1985. The shuttle is actually missing portions of its wings because NASA recently borrowed the pieces to aid in the Columbia accident analysis. Weighing 150,000 pounds and stretching 122 feet, the space shuttle orbiteróthe first of its kindówas used for flights in the atmosphere as well as tests on the ground. Already the Udvar-Hazy Center is filled with more than 80 aircraft, about 60 large space artifacts, and dozens of aircraft engines and other artifacts displayed in thematic groupings. These groupings include historical aviation displays on World War II, the Cold War, and the wars in Korea and Vietnam. There also are displays about commercial and business aviation, aerial cameras and sport aviation. And donít forget balloonamania. Thereís a display case showcasing the novelty of hot air balloons that includes artifacts imprinted with the ever-popular balloon on furniture, ceramics and clocks. The display also features some interesting factoids, such as the story of brothers Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier, who became the first people to fly a hot air balloon by sending a balloon made of paper and fabric from the town square of Annonay, France, in 1783. The Udvar-Hazy Center opened Dec. 15, 2003. Smithsonian officials wanted the museum opening to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the first powered flights by the Wright brothers, which took place on Dec. 17, 1903. The center opened with much fanfare and local high school band talentóand a run-in with two protesters who opposed the display of the B-29 Enola Gay for its role in the Hiroshima bombing. The two were arrested for throwing a glass container carrying red paint at the Enola Gay, which was slightly dented after the incident. The new Air and Space complex is named for Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, who pledged $65 million for the project. The museum still needs to raise $90 million to build the second phase of the center, which includes a restoration hangar and archive and storage space. The whole facility will eventually span 760,000 square feet and house more than 200 aircraft and 135 large space artifacts. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is at 14390 Air & Space Parkway, Chantilly, Va. Express bus service is available between the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall and the Udvar-Hazy Center. Round-trip tickets are $7 per person or $5 each for those traveling in groups of 10 or more. For more information, please call (202) 357-2700 or visit www.nasm.si.edu/museum/udvarhazy. Christine CubÈ is a freelance writer in Alexandria, Va.