Reader Amber Lupin writes in:

I love DCist. You guys know more about D.C. than I could possibly fathom and for that reason, I come to you. Every day I drive up and then down Route 1 in Virginia from about Old Town to the Memorial Bridge. A few weeks ago, multiple airplanes and jets appeared on the side of the road. They are in varying styles, ranging from old-school designs (near the entrance towards 395 in Crystal City) to jet planes with solar-powered engine trails (by the Harris Teeter). I know that these have been in the works for some time because the solar power for the jet engine tails has been there for at least a year – I always wondered what it was. Only now my confusion has grown considerably!

Please, if you know, tell me what the deal is with the airplanes on Route 1 in “Arlandria.”

Thanks for your question, Amber, and for the love! The airplane statues you saw (pictured above) were commissioned and placed last month by the Crystal City Business Improvement District as part of a campaign to encourage people to visit Crystal City and keep the city’s historical connection to flight in the minds of locals. Much like the pandas placed around Washington or the Terrapins placed around D.C. and College Park in 2005, the BID worked with individual Crystal City businesses to sponsor artists to decorate 50 different “Crystal Flight” airplane statues (25 fighter jets and 25 vintage planes) and is now displaying them through the summer. Crystal City links itself to the theme of flight thanks to its proximity to Washington National Airport and the local presence of the United States Air Force, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman. They even have a blog documenting the creation and unveiling of all the planes.

Photo courtesy the Crystal City Business Improvement District