Over a century has passed since Wilbur and Orville Wright took to the air in the first powered, controlled, heavier-than-air flight. Since that cold, windy day on the beach near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the airplane has transformed the world in astonishing ways. Originally a miraculous novelty, the airplane quickly became an indispensable tool for commerce, transportation, and war. In 1903 one could only imagine the possibilities of worldwide travel by air; today one cannot imagine traveling around the world in any other way.
The Smithsonian Institution has played a role in this dramatic story. Samuel Pierpont Langley, the third secretary of the Smithsonian, was a contemporary of the Wright brothers. His aerial experiments in the late 19th century paved the way for future pioneers, though his attempts at manned flight failed in 1903. The Smithsonian assisted the Wrights in 1899, and supported rocket pioneer Robert Goddard. In 1915 the Smithsonian helped create the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA), NASA’s predecessor, which made critical discoveries leading to safer, more efficient flight.
In keeping with the Institution’s original mandate for the “increase and diffusion of knowledge,” the Smithsonian has led the way in preserving the history and technology of the artifacts of flight. From its first collection of Chinese kites in 1876, the nation’s collection of aeronautical artifacts has increased to over 33,000 objects encompassing virtually every aspect of aviation and spaceflight. As the collection expanded, the Smithsonian’s ability to display these treasures often failed to keep pace—until now. Following the successful 1976 opening of the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., momentum grew to construct an extension at a nearby major airport where our large aircraft and spacecraft could be displayed. This dream became a reality on December 15, 2003, with the opening of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport.
In addition to the 70 aircraft we exhibit on the Mall, we now display 200 aircraft and thousands of smaller, equally important artifacts in a magnificent new building over three times larger than the main museum. The aircraft exhibited here cover the entire history of flight and are some of the most significant examples of their types. This modern facility has enabled us to show the vast majority of our superb collection to the public, many objects for the first time. Now, with the completion of the Udvar-Hazy Center, we will have an outstanding preservation, restoration, and storage facility where all of the objects, including our priceless archival holdings, will reside in the latest climate-controlled environments, preserving our nation’s aerospace treasures for generations to come. It is indeed the Nation’s Hangar.
John R. Dailey
Director
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum