Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Aviation museum in Chantilly, United States
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is an aviation museum in Chantilly, Virginia, part of the Smithsonian Institution, housing hundreds of aircraft and spacecraft. The two enormous hangars provide room for large machines such as bombers, fighters, airliners, and the Space Shuttle Discovery, which can be viewed from different levels.
The facility opened in December 2003 to create space for aircraft that could not be displayed at the main National Air and Space Museum building in Washington. The location near Dulles Airport was chosen because large machines could be delivered directly there.
The name honors Hungarian-American aviation entrepreneur Steven Udvar-Hazy, whose donation made construction possible. Visitors today see the machines up close, as many aircraft stand directly on the hangar floor with no barriers blocking views of details like cockpits or engines.
The museum opens daily from ten in the morning until half past five in the evening, and entry is free. Those arriving by car will find parking in front of the building, for which a fee must be paid.
In the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar, visitors can watch through glass panels as technicians work on historical aircraft and repair damaged parts. The workshop sits on a mezzanine, so you can look down directly onto work areas and opened fuselages.
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