Event Schedule:

11:30 a.m. – Doors open to outdoor ceremony
12:00 p.m. – Fly-In and ceremony begin
2:30 p.m. – Indoor panel discussion
3:00 p.m. – Lines close to enter aircraft

When the aircraft are ready to depart, visitors will be moved to a designated viewing area.

Event Information:

The CH-46 Sea Knight has served America's military with distinction for more than 50 years. On Saturday, August 1, the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, in collaboration with the United States Marine Corps and National Museum of the United States Marine Corps, will present a retirement ceremony for this historic aircraft. Join us at noon outside the Boeing Aviation Hangar as one of the last CH-46 Sea Knights makes its final flight to the Udvar-Hazy Center.

The ceremony will begin with a flyover of the CH-46 Sea Knight and its replacement, an MV-22 Osprey. After landing, the two aircraft will serve as centerpieces of the ceremony, which will honor the service of the CH-46 and the Marines who served in and around them over its 51 years of service. The ceremony will also highlight the “passing of the torch” of the USMC medium lift assault support mission to the MV-22.

The aircraft featured in the retirement ceremony is being donated to the National Museum of the Marine Corps by the United States Marine Corps. It will be loaned to the National Air and Space Museum and remain on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center until an expansion of the National Museum of the Marine Corps is complete in the coming years.

Parking Information:

Cars can park in the Udvar-Hazy Center parking lot starting at 9:00 am for a fee of $15/car. Due to the volume of visitors anticipated, please allow time to get into the parking lot, and consider using public transportation. The parking lot may fill up as the day progresses. To check on the status of the parking lot, please call the UHC Welcome Center at (703) 572-4118.