> > SEATTLE -- The Boeing [NYSE: BA] 307 Stratoliner, the first pressurized luxury > > commercial transport, today took off from Boeing Field in Seattle for its permanent home at > the > > Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C. > > > > The cross-country trip will take approximately 10 days, including stops in Great Falls, Mont., > > St. Cloud, Minn., and Oshkosh, Wis. The airplane will be on display in Oshkosh at the > > Experimental Aviation Association AirVenture Airshow from July 29 through Aug. 4. Upon arrival > > in Washington, D.C., it will be enshrined in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, a companion > > facility to the National Air and Space Museum located at Dulles International Airport. > > > > The Stratoliner was the world's first fully pressurized four-engine airliner put into > scheduled > > domestic service in 1940. Pressurization enabled it to cruise at 14,000 feet or higher, an > > altitude described at the time as "above the weather." > > > > Boeing built 10 Stratoliners before ceasing production to focus on military airplanes during > > World War II. Air carriers such as Pan American Airways and Trans World Airlines used the > > airplanes on routes to Latin America and from New York to Los Angeles. This last existing > > Stratoliner was dubbed the Clipper Flying Cloud by Pan American Airways upon delivery in March > > 1940. > > > > The Smithsonian acquired the Clipper Flying Cloud in 1972 from its previous owner. Later, the > > Smithsonian and Boeing entered into an agreement to restore the plane to its original > condition. > > > > The restoration began in June 1994 by a team of volunteers and Boeing employees, who > fabricated > > parts, reinstalled interiors and completely restored the airplane to like-new condition. > Nearly > > seven years later the restoration was complete, and the airplane rolled out in 2001 to begin > > testing and certification. The effort experienced a setback in June 2002 when the pilots had > to > > ditch the airplane into Elliott Bay in Seattle during a test flight. > > > > The volunteers and employees went back to work to repair what they had restored. This second > > effort took a year to complete. > > > > "This restoration project is unrivaled by any other historical effort we've undertaken," said > > Ken Higgins, vice president of Flight Operations and Validation at Boeing Commercial > Airplanes. > > "There will never be anything again like the Clipper Flying Cloud. We're very proud to have > been > > given this opportunity to restore such a treasured artifact and return it to the prestigious > > home where millions of people can admire this part of our aviation history." > > > > The Stratoliner is the first of two historic Boeing airplanes that will be delivered to the > > National Air & Space Museum this year. The second, the prototype for the Boeing 707, model > > 367-80 (Dash 80), will leave Seattle for the Smithsonian later this year. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com