A couple of weeks ago, we were tour guides for Jay's oldest brother for a few days. We went out to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport. Why the long name, he donated much of the money to get it built. Why is it out at Dulles; Dulles is a long-long way out, so they could fly in aircraft for display. It is home to an SR-71 Blackbird, a Concord, the original 707 prototype, and Space Shuttle Discovery.
I have watched Discovery launch and land at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. My one and only first cousin was a ground support worker in the shuttle processing hanger. The day we were out to Dulles, he forwarded one of those memories on Facebook, a selfie in the hanger with a freshly landed shuttle Discovery in the background.
The shuttle Discovery has traveled, around the earth many many times. The day it was brought into DC to go on display, the 747 carrying it made a couple of low and slow passes over the National Mall in DC. Half of the staff in our DC office was out on the roof terrace watching, including me.
I would have been on that roof, too. Must have been an exciting sight. Your cousin’s selfie is priceless!
ReplyDeleteOne of his best, his beard has become epic.
Delete747s have been retired now I think, here anyway. What a plane they were.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I don't think any 747s are in scheduled passenger service, a lot of them are hauling freight, there are a handful as private or charter jets, the last freighter will be built this year.
DeleteHow cool!
ReplyDeleteOh I would have loved to see that. And I wanna see a Concord!
XOXO
I think there are three Concords on display in the USA, Dulles, New York and Seattle, there is on in Germany that you walk inside of - did that six years ago.
Deletei didn't know part of the Air and Space Museum was at Dulles. Carlos would love that, especially the Concord.
ReplyDeleteIt is worth the drive out there.
DeleteMy mother's distant cousin was a shuttle pilot, Robert Overmyer. He flew two missions, the last being the last successful flight for Challenger. He headed up the NASA side of the investigation when Challenger blew up.
ReplyDeleteI bet he has some stories to tell
DeleteThat would be amazing to see. I had not heard about this museum. I saw a Concord take off from London back when they were still flying and I toured one in New York a few years ago. I would love a chance to see this shuttle.
ReplyDeleteWhen EPCOT opened, Air France and British Airways landed a pair of Concords in Orlando, I saw them on approach about 8 miles north of the the airport, they missed a simultaneous landing by about 15 second. I thought I had read that the one in New York was open for tours.
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