Conserving Artifacts for the Future

As part of the Museum’s ongoing renovation and transformation of all 23 exhibits and public spaces, half of the museum has closed, and nearly 2,000 artifacts have been removed from the Museum’s location on the National Mall in Washington, DC, and taken to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center for conservation and storage in the nearby Dulles Collections Center. Conservators and restoration specialists at the Udvar-Hazy Center were hard at work in 2020 on preserving, conserving, and restoring these artifacts. Although they lost several months of work due to being unable to access the building at the beginning of the pandemic, collections staff were able to execute a staggered return to their workspaces in summer 2020, under strict social distancing, masking, and safety protocols. 

One conservation project underway in 2020 was the Wright Military Flyer. One of three Wright-built aircraft in the Museum’s collection, the Wright Military Flyer will be displayed in the reimagined Early Flight gallery, which celebrates the first decade of powered flight. 

The Military Flyer has retained a large percentage of its original material, despite being over 100 years old and comprised primarily of wood and muslin fabric. The Wright Military Flyer being removed from display as a result of our renovation provided a great opportunity for the Museum’s conservators to assess its status and perform conservation treatments to ensure it is preserved in its original state for years to come. 

The Museum’s knowledge of the latest conservation techniques is unmatched, and some of the aircraft’s treatment involves using this knowledge to improve upon past conservation efforts. 

Treatment on the 1909 Wright Flyer includes:

• Cleaning the entire aircraft using formulated detergents and chelating agents, reducing decades of iron staining and extracting degradation products from the fabric (as a result, the aircraft’s fabric now appears lighter while still retaining its antique glow)
• Repairing damages to the aircraft’s wooden structure, including replacing older temporary repairs with sturdier hidden solutions, an opportunity to use the Museum’s continually growing knowledge of the latest conservation methods
• Disassembling the engine and propulsion system to replace degraded oils with new corrosion-inhibiting lubricants
• Reducing the metal oxidation on the engine while maintaining the coloration of the aircraft’s last flight
• Carefully removing old disfigured fabric patches affixed with inappropriate adhesives and replacing with fine stitched repairs
• Mending existing tears in the fabric with archival reinforcing materials and invisible stitches