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clairewentwandering · 2 years ago

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Steven F Uzdar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - Chantilly, VA

Visit: Tuesday December 13th 11am-2pm 2022

Louie and I spent our last morning with Charlie at the Air & Space Museum near the Dulles Airport. Parking cost less than $10 (Louie can't remember exactly), but they did only have credit options open that day (no ticket stall was open that would take cash). There was tons of parking available in the lot, and this museum isn't close to much else so parking directly here seems like the only option.

The museum layout is HUGE. With multiple levels, exhibits, an imax theater, an observation tower, and an engineering warehouse, it would take several multi-hour visits to thoroughly explore and experience the entire museum. I always expect air & space museums to be gigantic, but this may be the biggest I've ever visited. Pictured is a map of one of the floor layouts:

Visitors walk into the museum through a huge exterior colonnade, into the grand opening glass doors of the museum that let so much natural light in. Visitors then pass through several metal detectors and under the scrutiny of at least 5 different security personnel (on this given day at least). Beyond this point you have free access to the museum, and there are donation stands and an information center right at the front.

I liked that the first hallway has exhibits on Uzdar-Hazy, how he began the museum and his own motives (childhood obsessions with flight) that led the museum to exist today. The context of origin was neat as we got to inspect little model planes that U-H had made as a boy out of matchsticks, pencils, gum and nail polish (I forgot to take a picture)

The museum has special exhibits on planes from WW2 - with large dedicated panels of information to the Allies airforce in WW2, the beginning of flight in the US (with many early planes), and German planes from the Luftwaffe (Germany's WW2 airforce), and examples of Japanese planes as well. More recent planes that have been "retired" are shown in the museum, many being the only remaining plane existing of that particular model.

All aircraft have plaques identifying the make & model, specs and paragraph-long bits of history/interest about that particular make.

Here are some examples of planes I saw:

The Jenny is one of my favorites - to me it symbolizes a time in aviation when the point of flight was frivolous and playful. Humans were taking to the air to see what they were capable of, hosting air shows and rides, with no purpose but to astound and inspire.

In contrast the Blackbird was developed as a stealth plane, for recon during a time when the tensions of the Cold War were at their peak - after a long history of aircraft being used for war & power. Still though, Louie (who brings a background enthusiasm for aircraft) told me a story of the Blackbird operators and how they would tease other, significantly slower aircraft.

These were larger panels of information highlighting certain sections of the museum. I asked a docent if there were options for translations of info at the front desk, but he said that since the pandemic they haven't figured out a way to offer language alternatives (He described them using a headset prior to the pandemic). In this way the information presented definitely seemed to assume the demographic of its audience. Notably as well the 3 volunteer docents that we interacted with were all white men past retirement.

This FA 330 was used as a "kite" by German submarines to locate targets. Other craft built more simply like this were used for research purposes, but I failed to get photos of those.

KittyHawk

Craft from early aviation

The Enola Gay gave me goosebumps, thinking about that time in history when it felt appropriate to some to destroy a nation, the consequences of which it still recovers from today. Is there any ideal worth fighting for to that level of destruction?

The underbelly of a Corsair

I was curious about the use of a Sioux figurehead on the French WW1 escadrille. What was the intended symbolism here, and what are the unintended consequences of a legacy of naming war planes after our indigenous tribes while simultaneously hunting them, jailing them, demonizing them, and taking their children from them?

I just thought this wheel design was fascinating & brilliant!

In the museum there are also cases and cases of artifact displays. i didn't get photos of much but they highlights supplies, entertainment, weapons, and uniforms.

There were also aircraft there that were yet more frivolous - this SKyBaby being one of the smallest aircraft to ever be built!

Next in the museum was the Space exhibit, but we zoomed through that as we were running out of time and I wanted to see the observation tower. Here are a couple things I saw, but didn't look into:

I wish I'd caught the name of this spacecraft, it was stunning and reminds me of a boss you'd have to fight in a video game.

Finding the right route to the observation tower was a bit tricky, the floors are huge and there are only a few floor plans sprinkled about. We walked past a special exhibit of hot air balloons and their influence on culture, art and society. We also stopped to observe planes being restored/built in the engineering warehouse - visitors had a birds-eye view of what projects were taking place on the floor (no direct access though), it was a really profound way to see and appreciate the restorative work that occurs here at the museum. Felt behind-the-scenes without being intrusive or needing a guide.

There is a shake-shack restaurant inside the museum so we all stopped for a shake, the museum store right next to it (we've circled back close to the entrance/exit again). The Shake Shack guy says he doesn't know if food is allowed in the store, but he has seen folks try to take food into the museum and the security guards have forced people to throw out their food "they don't tell you to turn around - they tell you to get rid of it." I thought that was interesting and possible dramatic, but who knows? There were plenty of signs though, and one at the museum shop entrance saying that no food or drink was allowed inside the store. No problem! The area inside the restaurant had plenty of seating, wonderful warehouse-length windows with natural light to view the sky.

The store itself had a huge variety of items to interest its visitors - the demographics targeted would be interested in science-based games, activities for all ages, clothing, books (in english) for all ages, branded souvenirs (like keychains, mugs & shot glasses, magnets, etc...), toys, and big-ticket display memorabilia. The shop was very neat and the items were displayed together according to theme or type.

We then finally made it to the observation tower elevator, where a friendly docent instructed us to take the elevator to the top level, enjoy the view and to look for planes landing at the Dulles airport. We were admonished not distract the pilots by waving at them, and to report back if we were lucky enough to see any land. :)

There were two docents in the tower when we went - seeming to change guard. Neither of them interacted with us - I felt a bit more "watched" than approachable. In hindsight I should have interacted to see what information they did have and how they would interpret the otherwise incredibly bare observation tower. We saw several planes land at the Dulles air strip nearby to the North. The only signage in the tower was this directional "South" panel. It insinuates that there is a display to the right of the panel with stone tool artifacts and more that were discovered on the museum site prior prior to construction. There is no display, and the panel does not mention which Native tribes are associated with the Chantilly area. That is a huge loss and I wish I'd asked more about that while at the museum. A search tells me that around 1600 CE, the area was once part of the Powhatan Chiefdoms - a large nation of 30 united tribes with a governing head that actively lived across the territory at that time. From this information I imagine the archaeological findings from this site would be significant.

The observation tower left a lot to be desired in terms of interactive displays and information, so we left after 5-10 minutes and passed by the old docent, "We saw three planes land!... Well, one of them didn't make it... we waved." He laughed and we left to see the show "To Fly" which was described to be a survey of flight from the beginning to the modern day. I didn't realize until afterward it was filmed 1970. It certainly felt dated - none of us could name any substantial information we'd gained from the experience - we mostly just talked about how dizzying the visuals were - it was meant more to be an esthetic experience than educational.

As we left we were thanked and bid goodbye by the security at the entrance and walked back to the car to take Charlie to the airport. And that was our trip!

Museum Rating

Accessibility: This museum is further out in the boonies of Virginia - one would need reliable transportation to get to-and-from the museum. There is an under $10 parking fee, but payment options are limited, so while the museum is free, you have to pay money to access it. The signage is extensive, but there were no linguistic options, braille, or tangible things to experience. This museum was almost solely visual & literate experience. There are ramps and elevators everywhere, but few sitting spaces or reflection areas in the museum corridors themselves. The store definitely felt targeted toward english-speaking visitors. The museum is open daily from 10am-5:30, which is semi-accessible, but I would truly love to see museums open later to allow a different demographic access to its exhibits.

Service: Friendly staff and volunteers, though I didn't necessarily want to interact with every single person there. Easily over 40 volunteers and staff present, so they were easily accessible.

Depth: I think this museum's highlight is its breadth - panels for each plane were limited to a paragraph or two of information, I could have used more information/stories/connections

Breadth: Yes! While the museum's most visible narrative is the military aspect of flight, it is a huge collection of significant aircraft through time, and one can consider this museum as a survey of the human pursuit of flight. The fact that the engineering warehouse has also been incorporated into the museum's exhibits is exciting and adds a layer of "collection stewardship" to the otherwise "show and tell" exhibits. In addition it broadly tells the overviews of WW1 & WW2, of commercial flight, and of space exploration.

Narrative/Flow: The floors are easy to navigate, with maps accessible near transition points (stairs, ramps, and elevators), and you could begin on the left with early aviation and follow the narrative through a chronological retelling of aviation history, with emphasis on the militaristic uses of aircraft through time.

Interactivity: No points. While it looked like there were activity workshops, and simulation machines, they all needed docents to be run and had set schedules, so without an interpreter or guide those activities are inaccessible. The rest of the museum relies solely on docents, signage, and visual impact.

Relatability: Without the interactive aspect of the museum I related to it only through my original interest in air & space museums. This museum, while interesting, was not relatable. One area of missed opportunity was the observation tower - there could have been more information on the skyline and surrounding area - with identification and even historic overlay - what would the area have looked like in 1600? in 1800? etc... Another missed opportunity was highlighting the history of the land itself - an exhibit with information on the specific original inhabitants and what was found on this museum's site would have been a fascinating way to tie multiple histories together with the visitor. Another missed opportunity is a conversation about the Hiroshima bombing - With the Enola Gay looming I think it would be easy to add into the signage thought-provoking questions about human rights, advanced military warfare, civilian casualties and the responsibility of power.

Website: Easily navigable! The aircraft descriptions are all stored online too :)

Wonder & Awe: In spades. This is an astounding museum - it's humble to stand next to these wondrous pieces of machinery, considering how so many were made before the computer, before the calculator. It's a humbling experience to stand under the Enola Gay, it's weighty legend heavier than the plane itself. This balanced with the light-heartedness of the history of the barnstorming era, when flight was fancy-free and explorative, not necessarily directed and purposeful.

Wild Card Points: None. Overall this museum was impressive, but traditional.

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