The lavishly detailed NASM Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center was dedicated Thursday in front of an enthusiastic crowd of politicos and aviation devotees. The headliner, VP Dick Cheney, spoke effusively of the new facility and the history (and promise) it represents.  The new Smithsonian facility was built to house and display an immense collection of historic aviation and space artifacts. Named the "Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center," in honor of the guy who pretty much paid the bills for this amazing facility, the new museum is located at Washington Dulles International Airport, south of the main terminal at Dulles Airport in northern Virginia, near the intersection of Routes 28 and 50. The 760,057-square-foot building is situated on 176.5 acres and includes a large aviation exhibit han

The California Science Center has invited the public to commemorate the first 100 years of powered flight by adopting one of its 10 on-site planes. The Science Center's new adopt-a-plane program, which officially begins the week of the Centennial of Flight, December 15, is open to both individuals and organizations. The donations will go toward providing essential ongoing care and preservation of the Science Center's 10 outdoor and indoor planes, including a recently installed replica of a Wright Glider, an A-12 Blackbird and a DC-8 passenger jet. Prices range from $500 for one of the smaller planes to just over $1,000 for a larger plane, and covers one of several cleanings needed per year.