Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington Mall

The NASM has two locations, the Mall in the city of Washington, DC, and the Udvar-Hazy Centre, about 25 miles away at Washington Dulles Airport. I have a separate page for the Udvar-Hazy Centre. There was a separate storage/restoration centre, not open to the public, which was in the process of moving to Udvar-Hazy.

Three planes listed here are in the National Postal Museum, which is about a mile away from the Mall museum, next to Union Station.

In 2016 I revisited the Museum and there are a few extra aircraft and further views of the aircraft shown here. Click here for the new photos.

Aircraft Reg'n Thumbs Notes
Albatros D.Va 7161-17 German Air Force
Beech C17L Staggerwing NC15840 (N15840)  
Bell 206 LongRanger N3911Z 'Spirit of Texas' made the first round-the-world flight by helicopter, 30/9/1982
Bell X-1 46-0062 'Glamorous Glennis' 1st supersonic flight, 14/10/47
Bell XP-59A Airacomet 42-108784 1st American jet aircraft
Bleriot XI   In April 1915, John Domenjoz performed 40 loops in 28 minutes
Boeing 247D N11 United Air Lines markings. The other side is painted in its MacRobertson Race livery. Ex NC13369 (N13369) NR257Y (N257Y).
Cameron Balloons Breitling Orbiter capsule   Gondola of the first balloon to circle the globe 1/3/1999 - 21/3/1999
Curtiss D-III Headless Pusher 'replica'   This was built by Glenn Curtiss in 1919 using components of the original 1912 plane
Curtiss R3C-1 A6979 3 Jimmy Doolittle won 1925 Schneider Cup race in this
Curtiss Robin J-1 Deluxe NR526N (N526N) 'Ole Miss' gained endurance record of 27 days in 1935. Food and fuel were delivered through a roof hatch - the walkway was for servicing the engine.
De Havilland DH-4 replica N249B In the National Postal Museum
De Havilland DH-4 21959 The prototype of US produced DH-4's
Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket NACA-144 37974 Rocket-powered 2nd aircraft, world's 1st Mach 2 flight (just once, slightly downhill: pilot Scott Crossfield).
Douglas DC-3 NC18124 (N18124) Spent its whole career, from 1937 to 1953, with Eastern Air Lines before coming to the Smithsonian.
Douglas World Cruiser DWC-2 23-1230 US Navy 'Chicago'. 1st global circumnavigation, 1924
Ecker Flying Boat   Built around 1912
Extra 260 N618PW Patty Wagstaff won the US Aerobatics Championship twice in this.
Fairchild FC-2 NC6853 (N6853) Pan American-Grace Airways (Panagra) livery
Fokker D.VII 4635-18 U10 20 German Air Force - landed in Verdun, France at the end of WW1.
Fokker F.IV (T-2) AS64233 1st transcontinental US non-stop flight, in just under 27 hours, in 1923. Fokker hoped this would lead to sales of the 12-seater, but it was too big for the airlines, so only two were built, both for the US Army.
Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor NC9683 (N9683) Operated by American Airways from 1929 to 1935, and restored by American Airlines for PR tours in 1962. Ex XH-TAK, AN-AAP, XA-FUE
Hughes H-1 Racer NR258Y (N258Y) World speed record in 1935
Lockheed 5B Vega NC7952 (N7952) In 1932 Amelia Earhart was the 1st woman, and 2nd person, to fly the Atlantic solo non-stop (Newfoundland to Northern Ireland).
Lockheed 8 Sirius NR211 (N211) 'Tingmissartoq' Charles & Anne Lindbergh toured the world in the early 1930's
Lockheed U-2C 56-6680 The 7th U-2, operated by the CIA and the USAF. Often based in the UK and the Middle East, said to be the first U-2 to overfly Russia.
Lockheed XP-80 Shooting Star 44-83020 'Lulu-Belle' The first prototype.
Lockheed YF-104A Starfighter N818NA NASA818 Ex 55-2961. 7th prototype, used by NASA from 1956-1975.
Lunar Module   Fully flight-worthy backup of the one that did land on the Moon
Macchi MC.202 Folgore 'MM 9476' Folgore = Lightning. Original Italian Air Force identity unknown. One of only two survivors. Ex FE-300, FE498, T2-498.
MacCready Gossamer Condor   1st successful human-powered aircraft - pedalled by Bryan Allen to win the Kremer prize in 1977.
McDonnell FH-1 Phantom 111759 US Navy
Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 2 German Air Force. Ex KT+LL, FE-496, T2-468.
Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a Schwalbe 7 Schwalbe = Swallow. German Air Force. Ex 500491, FE-111, T2-111.
Mitsubishi A6M5 Reisen Zero Model 52 "Zeke" 61-131 Japanese Air Force. Captured on Saipan in 1944.
Museum entrances   NASM North and South entrances
North American P-51D Mustang 44-74939 Never saw combat. Marked as 'Willit Run? YJ-E"'
North American X-15A-1 56-6670 USAF - the first one to fly of the three built, the other survivor is at the USAF Museum.
Northrop 2B Gamma NR12269 (N12269) "Polar Star" - Lincoln Ellsworth used this for Antarctic operations from 1934 to 1936.
Northrop 4A Alpha NC11Y (N11Y) TWA operated this, the third Alpha built, for a while, retiring it in 1934, and sponsored its restoration.
Northrop M2-F3 NASA803 N803NA First of the heavyweight lifting body research aircraft. Made 27 flights from 1970 to 1972.
Pfalz D.XII '2486/18' Actually 7517/18. Its WW1 history is unknown, but it featured in many Hollywood films and is marked as it appeared in Dawn Patrol.
Pitcairn PA-5 Mailwing NC2895 (N2895) 21 The prototype. After a successful racing career, Eastern Air Transport used it for a while, and they restored it.
Pitts S-1S Special N11DR Plans-built by J Dawson Ransome, aerobatic pilot and president of Ransome Airlines, first flew in 1969.
RAF FE8 replica N17501 Built by Cole Palen and on loan from the Old Rhinebeck Museum.
Rutan Voyager N269VA Dick Rutan & Jeana Yeager's 1st nonstop global circumnavigation, 1986.
Ryan NYP (New York - Paris) NX211 (N211) The real 'Spirit of St. Louis', Charles Lindbergh's 1st non-stop Atlantic crossing, 1927
Scaled Composites 316 SpaceShipOne N328KF Burt Rutan's first private manned spacecraft - 2004
Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe 'E8082' Ex E8105, N8737R. An original, for many years it flew at Old Rhinebeck, and was bequeathed to the NASM by Cole Palen.
SPAD XIII S7689, PU-145, 20 "Smith IV". Donated by the US Air Service in 1919.
Stinson SR-10F Reliant NC2311 (N2311) All-American Aviation. In the National Postal Museum. Note the package-grabbing hook.
Supermarine Spitfire HF.VII EN474 Shipped in 1943 directly from the factory to the US for evaluation and donated to the NASM in 1949.
Voisin VIII 4640 The World's oldest purpose-designed bomber (1916). Delivered to the NASM in 1918 after evaluation in the US. French Air Force livery.
Wiseman-Cooke biplane None Made the first offical US air mail flight in February 1911. In the National Postal Museum.
Wittman Buster N14855 20 Ex 'Chief Oshkosh', very successful and long-lived midget racer - 1931 to 1954
Wright 1900 Glider replica None  
Wright 1902 Glider replica None  
Wright 1903 Flyer None The real thing - the world's first successful aeroplane
Wright 1909 Military Flyer None The world's first military aeroplane
Wright EX 'Vin Fiz' None Cal Rogers' 1st US coast-to-coast crossing - many days, very many stages & replacement parts - 1911