Helicopters Will Star at the Udvar-Hazy Center’s Super Science Saturday

It is not every day that people can get up close and personal with helicopters and the people who fly them. On Saturday, Aug. 10, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will present “Helicopters,” an educational family day at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Part of the museum’s Super Science Saturdays series, the free event will take place from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Weather permitting, several helicopters will fly in for the day, including several privately owned aircraft and:

• A Fairfax County Police Bell 429
• WBAL-TV’s A-Star AS 350B
• An R-44 Rescue from Virginia Airborne Search and Rescue

Indoor and outdoor programming will focus on helicopters and how they work and include a QR Code interactive hunt, helicopter-themed face painting and art activities. The museum’s vertical flight curator Roger Connor will conduct an Ask an Expert session and demonstrate remote-control helicopter flying, the team of University of Maryland students who set a world record with Gamera II, a human-powered helicopter, will staff a display and the Virginia Flyers will present remote-control demonstrations.

Super Science Saturdays focus on a different scientific concept each month. Through demonstrations and hands-on activities, they show young visitors how STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines relate to aviation and space exploration. Super Science Saturdays are made possible by the support of FBR.

The National Air and Space Museumbuilding on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is located at Sixth Street and Independence Avenue S.W. The museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Va., near Washington Dulles International Airport. Attendance at both buildings combined was 8 million in 2012, making it the most visited museum in America. The museum’s research, collections, exhibitions and programs focus on aeronautical history, space history and planetary studies. Both buildings are open from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. every day (closed Dec. 25).

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SI-326-2013