Embraer Supports Smithsonian Expansion

Embraer has become the latest international aerospace giant to provide financial support for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center under construction at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C.

The significance of the Brazilian manufacturer's $500,000 donation is more than economic-it demonstrates that the new museum, while a repository of U.S. aviation achievements, will also recognize many of the significant aerospace contributions made by other countries.

In presenting the donation to museum director J.R. "Jack" Dailey, Embraer president and CEO Mauricio Botelho exclaimed, "We at Embraer are proud to become a sponsor of this international center that celebrates mankind's achievements in powered flight," adding, "With this contribution, we honor Brazil's storied and continuing contributions to aviation."

Dailey noted that the gift "is a testament to the international aspect of our effort and underscores the fact that the history of flight has been written by courageous, innovative people around the world."

"Brazilians, most notably Santos-Dumont, have played a key role in the history of flight," says the museum. "In the late 1800s, he contributed several advances in airship technology. In 1901, he flew his powered airship from the St. Cloud balloon field around the Eiffel Tower and returned in less than 30 minutes. In 1906, Santos-Dumont won the Aero Club de France prize for successful powered heavier-than-air level flight over 100 meters."

Three football fields long, 250 feet wide and 100 feet tall, the Udvar-Hazy Center will dwarf the size of the museum's 161,145-square-foot collection in downtown Washington, D.C. With a projected December 2003 opening, construction is continuing on the mammoth facility, which will ultimately house some 200 aircraft and 135 large space artifacts.

The new 760,000-square-foot facility will finally make some of the most significant holdings in the museum's collection accessible to the general public-only 20% of which is on display. Among the highlights planned for the Dulles center: Space Shuttle Enterprise, B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay and the Dash 80 prototype of the Boeing 707, SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance plane, B17 Flying Fortress and F-4 Phantom.

Since opening in 1976, the National Air and Space Museum has become one of Washington's most popular tourist destinations, attracting more than nine million visitors annually. Initial visitor estimates for the Udvar-Hazy Center are three to four million annually. Access to the museum is expected to include an on-site parking lot, as well as frequent shuttle buses from the main terminal at nearby Dulles, from the National Air and Space Museum location on Independence Avenue, and from the Metro station in Vienna, Va.

The NBAA, another major supporter of the Udvar-Hazy Center project, has again donated floor space to the museum, enabling officials to strengthen their ties with the business aviation community.

For further information about the museum's expansion and how your company can contribute to this effort, visit with representatives of the National Air and Space Museum on the convention floor in Booth 437.

By David Rimmer