More than two dozen aircraft--from a nostalgic Staggerwing biplane to the remarkable U.S. Marine Corps Harrier--will visit the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on June 11 as part of the first "Become a Pilot" Family Day and Aviation Display.
Appearing with their machines parked outside the center's huge aviation hangar, pilots will greet visitors and discuss their high-flying adventures over African grasslands, Central American jungles and through bullet-filled Iraqi skies. The day offers the rare chance to study working aircraft up close.
The Harrier is the world's only operational vertical take-off and landing fighter jet. Other aircraft slated to take part in the outdoor display include a home-built Burt Rutan-designed VariEze and a U.S. Air Force MQ-1A Predator, the first in a series of advanced unmanned aerial vehicles now being used in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Also on hand for the day will be a Fairfax County (Virginia) Police helicopter; the Exxon Flyin' Tiger, a modified RV-4 that has set or broken more than 28 world records; and the Firefly, a prototype airplane designed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and flown by "Amazing Race" participant Gus McLeod during his 2004 attempt to circumnavigate the globe over both North and South poles.
Inside the center on June 11, visitors will be able to attend a briefing on flight safety procedures, help launch the new educational Discovery Station "Become a Pilot," and try other hands-on activities. Young people can enjoy a "Flights of Fancy" story time and meet special guest Jay Jay the Jet Plane to learn what makes an airplane fly.
The participation of visiting aircraft in this event is weather contingent. Should inclement weather prevent those aircraft from taking part, Family Day activities inside the center will still occur.
A full list of participating aircraft is available on the National Air and Space Museum Calendar of Events at www.nasm.si.edu/events/calendar.cfm.
Because of safety and security issues, there will be no public viewing of the aircraft arriving and departing at the nearby Washington Dulles International Airport.
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Va., off of Route 28. It is open daily from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission to the Udvar-Hazy Center is free, but there is a $12 fee for parking. The museum operates a shuttle bus between the center and its flagship building on the National Mall in Washington from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a round-trip ticket costing $12. Group discounts are available.