Virginia Air and Space Science Center
Hampton, Virginia
October 2025
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The Virginia Air and Space Science Center (VASSC) is a museum and educational venue with an IMAX cinema. It also serves as the official visitor centre for NASA's Langley Research Center and Langley Air Force Base, and is one of 15 official NASA visitor centres in the United States.
The museum's aircraft are displayed in a three-story glass atrium, accessible from two main floors with an additional catwalk level that allows visitors to view the suspended aircraft from above. While the stacked aircraft initially seem challenging for photography, the network of catwalks offers unique vantage points. Only the highest aircraft on display, the F-106, poses a significant challenge to photograph. |
| Left to right: McDonnell Douglas F-18A Hornet (160780, N840NA) ex USN and ex NASA. |
| Left to right: Hawker Kestrel FGA.1 (NASA521, 64-18263, XS689) first flew May 28, 1964. It is an experimental V/STOL (Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing) aircraft. The aircraft was originally built as a Hawker Siddeley Kestrel FGA.1 for the Tripartite Evaluation Squadron (TES), a joint UK–US–West Germany program to evaluate the feasibility of V/STOL technology. |
| Republic F-84F Thunderstreak (51-1786 'FS-786') ex USAF. |
Left to right: Republic F-84F Thunderstreak (51-1786 'FS-786') ex USAF.
General Dynamics YF-16A Fighting Falcon (72-1567) ex USAF.
Lockheed F-104C Starfighter (57-0916 'FG-916') ex USAF. |
| Left to right: McDonnell Douglas Phantom F-4E (67-0392 'JJ') ex USAF. |
Left to right: Bell P-39Q Airacobra (42-20007 painted '220027') ex USAAF.
Bell UH-1M Iroquois (66-0648) ex USAR.
Grumman Yankee AA-1B (N501NA '501') ex NASA. |
| Left to right: Convair Delta Dart NF-106B (57-2516 '816', N816NA) ex USAF and ex NASA. |
Left to right: Boeing N2S-3 Stearman Kaydet (07481 '401') ex USN.
Piper J3C-65 Cub (N6003H) from 1946. |