Here are some pictures that I took (again – with my iPhone – so not the greatest with the lighting). While I very much disagree with those who see this display as an affront or as distasteful – I was somewhat overwhelmed thinking about the history before my eyes. When I saw the plane – I have to admit – I just froze in place and my eyes filled with tears as I saw for myself the airplane that delivered such devastation. Over the course of the next 6 months, approximately 160,000 people died. On Augthe Enola Gay dropped “Little Boy” over the Japanese city of Hiroshema. The Enola Gay dropped the first atomic weapon used against people… What I didn’t know about – and didn’t expect – was the Enola Gay… imo – probably one of the most important airplanes in history.
When you walk into the main entrance, the first thing you see is an SR-71 Blackbird… and behind it – the shuttle – a pretty impressive view… and I’ll post pictures of that another day.
I knew the shuttle Discovery was there – and I assumed a lot of military aircraft – I really didn’t do any research before I headed over. Udvar-Hazy Center (the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM)’s annex at Washington Dulles International Airport) – an excursion I had long wanted to take and anticipated very much. I had an extra day in Washington DC – so I headed over to the Steven F. I had the privilege of seeing up close a number of amazing historical aircraft this week.