Tour Highlights

Introduction

(In front of docent desk, welcome, factoids, and tour outline)

SR-71 Black Bird

(Move away from docent desk and with Blackbird in background)

Space Hangar

(Begin with Space Shuttle Discovery, then turning the group to missile and satellite, next move around to cover early U, S, Space Program, i.e. Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo modules)

Cold War Aircraft and Modern Military Aviation

(First stop between MiG-15 and F-86 and then move to MiG-21 and F4S; and continue to cover A6E and then walk around for a closer look at the X-35B, SA-2 and Huey)

World War I Fighters
Explore the history of “the war to end all wars” amid 4 World War One aircraft. Learn how the fighter plane and fighter tactics evolved as you discover the personal stories of flyers from early last century.

World War II Aircraft

(Underneath F4U/P-40/Lysander, then move to brief Stearman. Next stop underneath Hellcat then between Hurricane and P-38, next position in front of B-29 Enola Gay then move to P-47 and continue to cover WW II Japanese fighter and German aircraft)

Commercial Aviation

(In front of JU-52 then turning the group around to brief the Stratoliner, Dash 80 and Concorde)

Wrap-up

(in front of Concorde; Thanks/ IMAX /Food/Gift shop)

Introduction

Good morning, it is a great pleasure for me to extend to you the warm welcome for the National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. My name is Kent Wang. I am a weekend volunteer docent and I will provide a highlight tour this morning. 

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

The Lockheed SR-71 was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3 strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft by the Lockheed Skunk Works. The SR-71 was unofficially named the Blackbird, and called the Habu by its crews. Clarence "Kelly" Johnson was responsible for many of the design's innovative concepts. A defensive feature of the aircraft was its high speed and operating altitude, whereby, if a surface-to-air missile launch were detected, standard evasive action was simply to accelerate. The SR-71 line was in service from 1964 to 1998, with 12 of the 32 aircraft being destroyed in accidents, though none were lost to enemy action.

Space Shuttle Discovery

Space Shuttle Discovery is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, and was operational from its maiden flight in 1984, until its final landing during in 2011. Discovery has flown more than any other spacecraft having completed 39 successful missions in over 27 years of service.

U. S. Space Program

The United States human space flight effort has progressed through a series of programs of ever increasing scope and complexity. The first Mercury launch required only a few hundred people. The launch of Apollo 11 for man's first lunar landing engaged thousands. The complex and sophisticated Space Shuttle of today began with this tiny Mercury capsule in 1961.

Space Hanger - Missile and Satellite

The McDonnell Space Hangar is named for aerospace pioneer James S. McDonnell, whose company built a number of pioneering aircraft and both the Mercury and Gemini spacecraft, flown by the first American astronauts. A total of 138 large space artifacts are housed in the hangar. Let’s begin the Space Hanger tour by defining the rocket, missile, and launch vehicle.

Cold War Aircraft

There are a total of 198 Cold War US Military Aircraft American Warbirds in the Military Factory. Displaying in this area are seven most famous fighter aircraft during the Cold War Era.

Modern Military Aviation

The Lockheed Martin X-35 was an experimental aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin for the Joint Strike Fighter Program. It was declared the winner over the Boeing X-32 and went on to enter production in the early 21st century as the F-35 Lightning II.

World War I Fighter Aircraft

In honor of those who served in the world war in defense of liberty and our country. Explore the history of “the war to end all wars” amid these World War One aircraft and interactive exhibits. Learn how the fighter plane and fighter tactics evolved as you discover the personal stories of flyers from around the world.

World War II Era -USA

Follow the consequences of World War II through history’s greatest conflict. Eight fighter aircraft representing all the major combatants serve as guideposts for our exploration of interactive exhibits on the men and women who designed built and flew these planes in every theater of the war.

Boeing B-29 Enola Gay

Boeing's B-29 was the single most complicated, sophisticated, and expensive weapon produced by the United States during World War II. Nearly 4,000 B-29s were built for combat in the Pacific theater, including the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima and is perhaps the best-known aircraft from World War II.

World War II Era - Japan

This section covers four Japanese Imperial Navy aircraft used during World War II.  Japanese aircraft were at least the equals of anything then flying in the West, and in some cases (as with the legendary Shiden-Kai fighter) were substantially better.

World War II Era - German

This section covers three most significant aircraft of Nazi Germany that served in the Luftwaffe during the Second World War as defined by the years 1939 to 1945.

Commercial Airliners

(Sweet Spot) The Stratoliner, Dash 80 and Concorde are the three of the most significant airlines that ever flew. Each represents a significant advancement in the technology of flight.

Wrap-up and Question

Now we have come to the end of the tour. May I close by expressing my deepest appreciation of your interests? To be a docent of such a wonderful group is really an honor of which the Smithsonian might well be proud. I want to thank you all for coming here and joining my tour. I hope that I will have the pleasure of seeing you all again in the future. Have a great day! Thank you.

A Trip to UHC

National Air and Space Museum (NASM) has the largest collection of aviation artifacts in the world. The collection began in 1876 and continues to expand each year. Because its original location in downtown Washington limited the number of artifacts that could be placed on display at one time, the Udvar-Hazy Center (UHC) now allows visitors to see things that could not be exhibited before. UHC documents the history of aviation through the exhibition of more than 137 aircrafts, a selection of flight memorabilia, and other artifacts.