Tag Archives: USA

The Iconic Main Terminal Building at IAD

First thing is to apologise for an issue with an image in here. How about that for a compelling way to start a post. However, it was impossible to avoid reflections in some of the shots I took here and, unfortunately, the reflection removal tool in Lightroom continues to underperform in my experience. I do think they did something to make it worse because my initial experience was good. Anyway, for some of these I was shooting through two panes of glass that had a few metres between them, which meant I couldn’t avoid reflections.

Our trip to the US for a family event took us through Dulles airport. The iconic terminal at Dulles now sits at the heart of a bunch of terminal buildings which are far less interesting architecturally. However, the swooping shape is still in use and that is where we checked in. Inside the roofline is equally impressive. When at our departure gate, we had a good view back across and this is where the reflections have been unavoidable. I first saw this airport in 1993, and it still catches my eye when I see it now.

Finding a Sprite in the Strangest Places

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The Austin Healey Sprite is an old British sports car which you don’t often see around. One place I was definitely not expecting to come across one was Warrenton in Virginia. Sure, Northern Virginia is near to the DC metro area so probably has a fair few people that might be interested in an old car like this and have the cash to restore one, but Warrenton is some way out. But there it was as we went to have some lunch. It looked in great condition.

Details on Tiles and Insulation Blankets

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The previous post I created about the Space Shuttle, Discovery, had a number of shots of the whole orbiter. However, as I walked around, I found the lighting showed off the texture of the vehicle’s surface in a really interesting way. Not long before I went to Udvar-Hazy, I had seen a video that showed how the tiles had been made for the shuttle. That included a bit about the integrity that was required after which a hole was drilled in each tole for a moisture protection system. This hole created a hot spot which shows on all of the tiles on Discovery.

The tiles were used in the hottest areas of the airframe during reentry. Initially, the whole shuttle was covered in tiles but, over time, they changed to using a blanket type of insulation in the areas that were less stressed. The texture of these blankets looks rather rough for something that flies at such speeds. I guess it did the job nicely, though.

I also liked some of the details around the reaction control system nozzle and on the corners of some of the control surfaces. They look both tough but also quite delicate. An odd contradiction in my perceptions. To think that this was originally designed in the 1970s and then constantly improved up to the point when it was retired is quite something looking at it in 2026.

Sikorsky X2

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A few manufacturers have been experimenting with high-speed rotor craft. Sikorsky put its efforts into a project called X2. This is a contra-rotating helicopter with a pusher propellor. The contra-rotation of the rotors offsets the retreating blade stall issues that high speeds on helicopters cause. The rear pusher propellor allows the higher speeds to be achieved.

When the programme was completed, the airframe was donated to the National Air a Space Museum which put it on display at the Udvar-Hazy Annex at Dulles. Seeing it in person made it quite clear just how small the vehicle is. Since it is a research airframe, there is no need for payloads to be carried. It is about proving the concepts. That means it can be smaller and smaller also can mean cheaper. Seeing it from the side was also matched by having a good view down on it from one of the stairways. It would have been cool to see it fly, I imagine.

The X-35B and Its Propulsion System

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The F-35 is in widespread service in considerable numbers with many more to come in due course. However, before the F-35, there was the X-35 – the Lockheed Martin contender in the JSF competitive fly off. Up against the Boeing X-32, two X-35s were built. One of them was initially used to demonstrate the proposed Air Force configuration before it was modified with the vertical lift system proposed for what became the F-35B in USMC service.

With the competition complete, the demonstrators were superfluous and the X-35B airframe made its way to the National Air and Space Museum. Here it sits on display. What is the most interesting part – at least to me – is that they have taken the propulsion system out of the jet and put it on display separately. You can see the main engine as well as the lift fan module, the shaft coupling the two, the nizzle that both have to direct the flow and the roll posts that are used to provide both additional lift and roll control in the hover.

It is a cool demonstration of the basic configuration that is now operational in the F-35B. it has certainly been developed since this design, but the basic principles remain the same. Unlike the Harrier that had the engine in the centre of gravity of the aircraft (not a very convenient location) and redirected all thrust through four nozzles, this configuration has a mighty engine at the rear which can be vectored down when required through a three bearing nozzle that is both simple and ingenious but then a shaft drive from the same engine to a fan module that sits behind the cockpit drawing air from above and directing it down with some ability to vector it too. This forward fan balances against the rear main nozzle. It provides a significantly higher amount of vertical thrust than the Harrier ever managed and allows a larger and more capable aircraft to land vertically at the end of missions. Quite a smart piece of design.

Discovery from Every Angle

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The last time I visited the Udvar-Hazy facility, it was the home of the Enterprise – the first of the Space Shuttles and the one that was used only for atmospheric testing but, despite original plans, never went to space. When the shuttle programme ended, the orbiters were distributed to museum locations and Discovery was allocated to NASM replacing Enterprise. Therefore, this time I went, it was a first time to see Discovery.

Of course, everyone visiting is interested in a shuttle so there were always people around the orbiter. I just had to embrace that and get whatever shots I could make work. There are some detail shots that I took which I will deal with separately. They have more of an abstract feel to them. Here I shall just focus on the wider view of the orbiter.

As something that was designed to travel at such high Mach numbers, it is actually quite a blunt airframe. The nose has a chunky look to it and the leading edges are very thick. The lines of the wings are interesting and the underside is simple. However, the way it is displayed has the undercarriage extended and the ports that fed fuel from the external tank into the three main engines are opened up.

There is a balcony that overlooks the space hall where Discovery sits. This allows you to get a more level view and one from a distance that takes everything in while not being blocked by people or exhibits in front. I did also take some panoramas from down on the ground level. Being that close to the airframe that big makes for a quite distorted view. I find that rather interesting.

I have now seen three of the flying shuttles. Discovery on this visit, Endeavour as it was being completed in the museum in Los Angeles and Atlantis when it flew to space. Columbia and Challenger are gone, of course. Enterprise completes the set.

The Dulles People Movers Are Still Around!

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When I first went to DC in 1993, I flew into Dulles International Airport and was quite taken aback by the way in which we left the aircraft to head to immigration. Instead of having jet bridges, you boarded these bus-like vehicles that rose up to the level of the plane, then descended before driving us across the ramp and docked to a building where we disembarked. I had never seen anything like this before and thought it very odd.

Jump forward to 2026 and they are still there. Dulles has gone through all sorts of extensions and development. However, these people movers are still part of operations although they aren’t anything like as ubiquitous as they used to be. There seem to be two types. One has the ability to raise and lower as indicated by the fairing on the roof covering part of the mechanism. They also seem to be labelled to reflect different states. Then there is a simpler version that just has a letter and seems to run between places that I couldn’t identify. I don’t know how long they have left but it was curious to seem them still at work after all these years.

Lufthansa Anniversary A380

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The conditions for these shots were not ideal, but sometimes you just have to take advantage of the opportunity when it presents itself. I don’t now live somewhere where I get to see the Lufthansa long haul fleets so the special liveries that they have been applying for their 100^th anniversary are not something I have seen until we were getting ready to depart Dulles. As we were on the gate in our seats, the Lufthansa A380 taxied in. I was only able to get an oblique shot through the window of our 777. We then taxied past it on our way out when it was on the gate at which point things were very dark. At least I have got one of them now.

Opportunistic Trip to Udvar-Hazy Center

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We had a quick trip that we made to Northern Virginia for a family wedding. We were only in the area for a few days before heading back to the UK. Since we had an overnight flight back, we needed to head to the airport in the late afternoon. Since we were checking out of the hotel and going to the airport, it provided a little spare time to swing by the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven Udvar-Hazy facility which is located on the south end of Dulles Airport.

I have been to Udvar-Hazy once before but that was a long time ago and I was looking forward to seeing some of the exhibits again and also seeing what had changed. There was still a lot of empty space when I had gone before but I was expecting things to have filled up a bit in the meantime. This was indeed the case.

There is so much to see at this place, one post is not even going to scratch the surface. There will be a string of individual posts about specific exhibits that will come in the weeks to come. This is more a quick overview of what we saw. The time we had there wasn’t enough to do everything that was available. Putting aside the IMax theatre which would only have been something to do if I had been there for a full day, there is the tower that they have which overlooks the airport. No time to get to that.

We didn’t have time to go to the café, and the shop was a quick pass but was also abandoned. The later parts of the exhibits were a really rapid run. I didn’t even get to fully explore the elevated walkways. We were there for a while, but it still wasn’t enough.

I have no idea when/if I will ever get back there so I was keen to get as much as I could and minimise how much Nancy was getting dragged around. I think we did as well as we could. I hadn’t seen the restoration space in my previous visit so having a look through the windows to see what was down there was good. Here are some shots that give an overview of the place. Now you know that there will be plenty more to come.

Happy Birthday USA

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Today is a nation’s birthday. As a Brit living in the US, I often get asked about how I feel about Independence Day. I point out that, if Brits got upset about the independence day of every nation that we once controlled, we would hardly ever get out of bed. I don’t mind things that happened over 200 years ago. I do like having a day off though! I plan on enjoying it and I hope you do too – wherever you may be!