Aircraft Carrier Model - Visit us in Washington, DC and Chantilly, VA to explore hundreds of the world's most important objects of aviation and space history.

The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum has the world's largest collection of aviation and space artifacts. Less well known is that the museum also has an impressive collection of aerospace models. One of the most popular museum models, however, is not an airship or a spaceship, but a ship.

Aircraft Carrier Model

Aircraft Carrier Model

(CVA(N)-65, later CVN-65) was the United States' first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, and at 1,123 feet was the longest naval vessel ever built.

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During the Cold War it became an iconic symbol of US air power projection into Vietnam and other hot spots in the Pacific in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. In September 1974,

In 1982, the Museum acquired an 11-foot model of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. It was built and donated by Stephen Henninger, who spent around 1,000 hours a year building the 1:100 scale vessel for 12 years. This image features airplanes, flights and islands.

In 1982, the Museum acquired an 11-foot model of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. It was built and donated by Stephen Henninger, who spent around 1,000 hours a year building the 1:100 scale vessel for 12 years. This image highlights the aircraft's catapults, the flight deck and the island.

In 1982, the Museum acquired an 11-foot model of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. It was built and donated by Stephen Henninger, who spent around 1,000 hours a year building the 1:100 scale vessel for 12 years. This image features airplanes, airplane catapults, flights, and islands.

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In 1982, the Museum acquired an 11-foot model of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. It was built and donated by Stephen Henninger, who spent around 1,000 hours a year building the 1:100 scale vessel for 12 years. In this picture, the stabilizer of the plane in the hangar is highlighted.

In 1982, the Museum acquired an 11-foot model of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. It was built and donated by Stephen Henninger, who spent around 1,000 hours a year building the 1:100 scale vessel for 12 years. A model airplane and a hangar stand out in this picture.

In 1982, the Museum acquired an 11-foot model of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. It was built and donated by Stephen Henninger, who spent around 1,000 hours a year building the 1:100 scale vessel for 12 years. The elevators and the flight stand out in this picture.

Aircraft Carrier Model

It was bought in 1982. Model builder Stephen Henninger spent around 1,000 hours a year building the ship from scratch for 12 years. The inspiration behind this ambitious project? The courage of a colleague to build something more ambitious than the model he built. Employed by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Henninger worked on the model as his work took him around the world: researching in Virginia, making plans in Arequipa, Peru, and building helmets in Johannesburg, South Africa. Henninger also made two trips to the actual during the life of the project

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To collect the documentation needed to create a very detailed model. He worked on the project from 1971 to 1982—shipping items between countries while traveling, sometimes scrapping everything to start over until the model was built to his liking.

This is the first part of the model built by Steve Henninger. He left his parents' home when he was taken to work in South Africa. As the stay in South Africa extended, it was easier to establish a new direction than to pass on that work. It remains in his possession today as a reminder of his dedication to this ship. Credit: Stephen Henninger

The hull is made of particle board moldings attached to hardwood keels and covered with birch plywood. Hangars and flight decks are also made of plywood. The details are made of aluminum and polystyrene sheets, copper and aluminum pipes, balsa and soft wires in various sizes. The boat has a complete airframe - circa 1975 - that Steve built from scratch and specified by himself from a commercial kit. The entire airfoil of the 83 aircraft took 4,000 hours to build, while the four vacuum-built E-2Cs took 200 hours each. This model is over 11 meters long, 2.5 meters tall and weighs over 250 kilos.

Although the model was donated to the Museum, Steve has maintained a connection with his creation. He and model shipbuilder Paul Moore were invited several times to refine the model's finer features or rearrange the aircraft into different configurations.

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In 2011, curator Chris Moore (left) watched as Steve Henninger (center), assisted by Paul Moore, released the E-2C for landing after 20 years frozen on the deck. Credit: National Air and Space Museum

In 2017, Henninger organized a periodic cleaning of his own. This time, however, he proposed a special fix: the model was equipped with fluorescent lights on the deck so that the aircraft stored there could be easily seen. For many years the museum decided to turn off these lights for fear of damaging the model. Steve suggested replacing the individual fluorescent lights with LED light strips to relight the hangar deck. While we don't usually modify our artifacts, this fix seems consistent with the original design of the model, which also provides a security measure that the original system didn't have. Steve designed a non-invasive light strip and built a mock model to transport in his home shop to ensure the lights could be installed without damaging the actual model. After a day of cleaning and putting up lights in the fall of 2016, the party

The model's builder, Stephen Henninger, spent around 1,000 hours a year over 12 years building the boat from scratch.

Aircraft Carrier Model

Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia was decommissioned in a ceremony attended by Steve Henninger. From the day he visited the ship to collect research materials to build the model, he has maintained close ties with the ship's active duty crew and veterans.

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The model, however, remains a popular attraction at the Museum's Washington DC location. It will become a key artefact in the upcoming Cold War aviation gallery as part of the Museum's transformation, and will continue to depict the proud ship in its glory and tell the story of naval aviation for years to come.

Steve Henninger moves the rear right elevator for better access to the hangar deck when installing LED lights in 2016. Credit: National Air and Space Museum

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