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Early Birds of Aviation (Organization). Search this
Extent:
2.329 Gigabytes
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Cd-roms
Digital images
Date:
2007-03-26
Summary:
Photographs taken by National Air and Space Museum photographer Eric F. Long of the Airbus A380 during a commercial route proving flight over Washington, DC on March 26, 2007.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of 57 digital, color images relating to the Airbus A380 during a commercial route proving flight on March 26, 2007. Captured by National Air and Space Museum (NASM) photographer Eric Long, images depict the aircraft taxiing, taking off, flying over Washington DC and the NASM Udvar-Hazy Center, and landing at Dulles International Airport (IAD). There are also images of the interior of the aircraft and a preflight planning meeting with crew of the aircraft, Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Security Administration, helicopter pilot Tom Pumpelly, and videographer Leo Shefer.
Arrangement:
Arranged by aircraft's flight movements.
Biographical / Historical:
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body airliner measuring 238 feet in length, 79 feet in height, and featuring a wingspan of 261 feet. It was the result of an international project between France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom to build the largest high-capacity aircraft in aviation history. As the world's first fully double-deck passenger aircraft, the A380 has the capacity to carry approximately 550 passengers. It made its inaugural commercial flight flew on April 27, 2007. To demonstrate the practicality, reliability, and effectiveness of the aircraft's systems, a series of commercial route proving flights were made from the Lufthansa base in Frankfurt, Germany in 2007. As part of one of these exercises, A380 development aircraft MSN7 visited Hong Kong on March 25 before journeying to Washington, DC the following day and returning to Germany on March 27th.
Photographs in this collection were made by National Air and Space Museum photographer Eric F. Long. Initially hired with Smithsonian's Photo Services Division in 1983, he completed assignments for many of the Smithsonian museums. When Photo Services disbanded in 2006, Long was permanently assigned to the National Air and Space Museum where he photographed artifacts while continuing his work with other museums. Retiring in 2023, Long dedicated over 40 years serving the mission of the Smithsonian Institution.
Provenance:
Eric Long, Gift, 2007, NASM.2007.0033
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
0.28 Cubic feet (1 folder, Document, 15 x 12 inches (38 x 30 cm))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
April 16, 1989
Summary:
This decorative certificate was designed to commemorate the occasion on April 16, 1989, when Air France signed a letter of agreement with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM) to donate Air France Concorde "Fox Alpha" (r/n F-BVFA) to NASM at the end of the aircraft's operational service.
Scope and Contents:
This decorative certificate (15 x 12 inches, 38 x 30 cm) with hand-lettered calligraphy and gold foil embellishments was designed to commemorate the occasion when Air France signed a letter of agreement with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM) to donate Air France Concorde "Fox Alpha" (r/n F-BVFA) to NASM at the end of the aircraft's operational service. Dated April 16, 1989, the certificate was signed at Dulles International Airport, Chantilly, Virginia, by Dr. Martin Harwitt, National Air and Space Museum Director, and an Air France representative. Note that this is not an official donation certificate but a decorative commemoration of a statement of intent to donate.
Arrangement:
None.
Biographical / Historical:
The first supersonic airliner to enter service, Concorde flew thousands of passengers across the Atlantic at twice the speed of sound for over 25 years. Designed and built by Aérospatiale of France and the British Aviation Corporation (BAC), the graceful Concorde was a stunning technological achievement that could not overcome serious economic problems. In 1976 Air France and British Airways jointly inaugurated Concorde service to destinations around the globe. Carrying up to 100 passengers in great comfort, Concorde catered to first class passengers for whom speed was critical. It could cross the Atlantic in fewer than four hours—half the time of a conventional jet airliner—but its high operating costs resulted in very high fares that limited the number of passengers who could afford to fly on it. These problems and a shrinking market eventually forced the reduction of service until all Concordes were retired in 2003.
In 1989, two 18th-century copies of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (Déclaration des droits de l'Homme et du citoyen de 1789) and the French Constitution of 1791 were loaned to the Smithsonian by the French National Archives to be exhibited in celebration of the French bicentennial. The documents arrived April 16, 1989, at Dulles International Airport (Chantilly, Virginia) aboard Air France Concorde "Fox Alpha" (r/n F-BVFA). On that day, Air France signed a letter of agreement stating their intention to donate Concorde F-BVFA to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum upon the aircraft's retirement. A historically significant aircraft, Concorde F-BVFA had, in 1976, been the first Air France Concorde to open service to Rio de Janeiro, Washington, DC, and New York. On June 12, 2003, Air France honored that agreement, donating Concorde F-BVFA to the Museum upon the completion of its last flight.
Related Materials:
Air France Concorde "Fox Alpha" (r/n F-BVFA) can be found in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum collection: Concorde, Fox Alpha, Air France, A20030139000.
Provenance:
Transferred from National Air and Space Museum Registrar, gift, 1989, NASM.1989.0106
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.