MOF is putting their big birds under cover...

[Warbirdnerd]

Do they have a B-24? Typo or future plans?

The Museum of Flight is planning to build a huge roof over some of its largest aircraft, including the first Boeing 747 and the museum's new 787 Dreamliner.

Plans submitted to the city of Tukwila Nov. 13 describe a 135,000-square-foot open structure with steel supports, standing 88 feet high at its highest point.

The structure is to be 460 feet long by 315 feet wide, said Minnie Dhaliwal, a planning supervisor for the city of Tukwila.

The building, to be called the "Covered Air Park," is intended to protect some of the museum's most distinctive aircraft.

These include several Boeing commercial aircraft: the first 747; the first Air Force One, a Lockheed Constellation, a supersonic Concorde, and the museum's just-received 787, which it just received in September.

On the military side, the building will house a B-17 and a B-24 bomber, both of them of World War II vintage.

"We've been tasked with protecting the aviation history of the last century, and we want to be sure we're doing it correctly. This building will help us do so." said Mike Bush, director of marketing and PR for the Museum of Flight.

The museum is the largest aviation museum on the West Coast.

The new building is to be along the western edge of East Marginal Way, across the street from the main Museum of Flight complex. It is to fill up most of the space north of the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery, which houses the Space Shuttle trainer, and south of the recently opened Raisbeck Aviation High School.

While the permit application says construction of the building will start in March, with completion scheduled for summer 2016, Bush said that hasn't been decided yet.

While the museum's board of trustees has not yet approved the concept, the board will meet in the first quarter of 2015 to discuss the plan.

"It's nothing set in stone yet...We absolutely plan on covering the airplanes over there," Bush said. "We're still kind of working through details on what the building will look like, the size of it, when we will break ground on it, when it will be finished. Everything is pretty much up in the air now."

He also declined to say anything about the cost of the structure.

The need for the structure is pressing because harsh Northwest winters rapidly degrade aircraft finishes.

Volunteers just finished refurbishing the first 747 inside and out, and "It's bright and shiny and beautiful, and reflects how it looked on first flight," Bush said.

But on the north side of the museum, a B-29 is wrapped in plastic for protection against the elements, while the B-17 is being stored in a hangar for the winter.

"It's like anything that sits out the Seattle weather: The paint will fade, and [there will be] normal wear and tear of being in the weather," Bush said

Found it here:
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news ... l?page=all

[Jerry O'Neill]

Good news! Even better news that they have a B-24! When did the find one of those OR is it just the usual incorrect news reporting?!!!!

[sandiego89]

I can only assume that they meant to type B-29, not B-24- referring to B-29, T square 54, which has been moved about, wrapped in plastic etc. for years.

Glad to see some cover going over these airframes. Maybe they can eventually close in the sides of this covering.

Strange to think of the 787 as a museum piece- #1 sounded like a real frankenhulk, with the PR driven roll out of an empty hulk years ahead of first flight...look at our shinny new airplane- but don't look too close....

[Warbirdnerd]

It looks more like a B-24 than a Connie in the artist's rendering, and what is the Space Shuttle looking thing?

[Pat Carry]

Good news for sure! Hopefully the 727 and the 737 will fit in there as well.

[Brad]

That is the Space Shuttle trainer in the drawing. It has been there for a few years now. The new buildings are in the lot next to the shuttle building, where most of the static airliners are now sitting. Also, there is no B-24 planned, they meant B-29. It was a typo.

[p51]

I wonder how old the rendering actually is because I heard of this plan long before the MoF got locked out of getting a flown orbiter from NASA (which still sticks in my craw when you see how the test orbiter 'Enterprise' got treated in NYC and the MoF had a building made specifically for an orbiter just sitting there before the decision had been made to keep them all on the East coast and one to LA)
I hope the anchor the heck out of the thing, as the Seattle area is seriously prone to windstorms throughout the winter. They could have almost hurricane-force winds come up underneath an enclosure like that at least a couple of times each generation.

[Speedy]

They are anchoring the frames for this something like 120 feet down to support the weight and stress of this. It's not something that is going to blow away in a stiff breeze. It's being constructed in a way that they can put glass "walls" around it down the road. And it is big enough to fit all the 'big' planes in the collection....except for the B-52, which they can't move.

[Pat Carry]

They are anchoring the frames for this something like 120 feet down to support the weight and stress of this. It's not something that is going to blow away in a stiff breeze. It's being constructed in a way that they can put glass "walls" around it down the road. And it is big enough to fit all the 'big' planes in the collection....except for the B-52, which they can't move.

sounds awesome. I just might have to send them a donation.

[p51]

BTW, I was there for their space event recently and noticed the B-17 was gone from the front door. Anyone have a clue where it is now?
Hopefully it's under cover somewhere...

[Speedy]

I'm not positive...but in the past winters they have stored the B-17 and the DC-2 in the Clay Lacy Aviation hangar across the field....given that Clay Lacy is on the Board of Directors of the museum.

[sandiego89]

..except for the B-52, which they can't move.

That's too bad, a B-52 really belongs at the main museum, from these shots the interior of the B52G at Everett looks good, but the outside looks like the elements are taking their toll. http://rbogash.com/b52photo.htm

And from my look at google maps, it looks like she is sitting in the grass now? I realize ramp space at Everett is at a premium, but that's no way to treat a lady.

Imagine it would be quite a job and big $$$ for a dissassemble and an over the road move.

Maybe they will get an H in the future- but that still may be years away...

[TAdan]

Speedy: They are anchoring the frames for this something like 120 feet down to support the weight and stress of this. It's not something that is going to blow away in a stiff breeze. It's being constructed in a way that they can put glass "walls" around it down the road. And it is big enough to fit all the 'big' planes in the collection....except for the B-52, which they can't move.

The canopy is good news, the possibility to enclose the structure is even better news!

[Speedy]

..except for the B-52, which they can't move.

That's too bad, a B-52 really belongs at the main museum, from these shots the interior of the B52G at Everett looks good, but the outside looks like the elements are taking their toll. http://rbogash.com/b52photo.htm

And from my look at google maps, it looks like she is sitting in the grass now? I realize ramp space at Everett is at a premium, but that's no way to treat a lady.

Imagine it would be quite a job and big $$$ for a dissassemble and an over the road move.

Maybe they will get an H in the future- but that still may be years away...

As I recall it has to do with some nonsense about treaty ratification with the Soviets. It flew in there, but it can't fly out, and the only way they could get it down to Boeing Field is to (as you point out) disassemble it and move it down by truck. So for the forseable future it's going to sit in the grass at Paine Field.

[StangStung]

..except for the B-52, which they can't move.

That's too bad, a B-52 really belongs at the main museum, from these shots the interior of the B52G at Everett looks good, but the outside looks like the elements are taking their toll. http://rbogash.com/b52photo.htm

And from my look at google maps, it looks like she is sitting in the grass now? I realize ramp space at Everett is at a premium, but that's no way to treat a lady.

Imagine it would be quite a job and big $$$ for a dissassemble and an over the road move.

Maybe they will get an H in the future- but that still may be years away...

As I recall it has to do with some nonsense about treaty ratification with the Soviets. It flew in there, but it can't fly out, and the only way they could get it down to Boeing Field is to (as you point out) disassemble it and move it down by truck. So for the forseable future it's going to sit in the grass at Paine Field.

They could disassemble it and shuttle it over with the Dreamlifter. But I suppose it would still be flying out then.