Boeing 737 Prototype to Aviation Pavilion
 Bob Bogash

by Bob Bogash

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NASA 515 - the Boeing 737 Prototype airplane - arrived at the Museum of Flight in September 1997.  However, there was "no room at the Inn" so to speak.  So, she went to Moses Lake for indefinite storage.  That story here.  The Museum's large airplanes were dispersed since there was no space for them on the Museum's main campus on Boeing Field.  Subsequently, the Museum received 11 acres of property, in two parcels, on the West side of East Marginal Way, across from the Museum, and used that land to create the so-called Air Park.

That allowed the 737 to be flown to Boeing Field in September 2003 to join her historic stablemates.  Story of last flight here.



  This was basically an outdoor 'storage yard' for many of our larger airplanes.  It solved one problem, while leaving another one, bigger one, unsolved.  Outdoor storage in the Pacific Northwest is extremely damaging to airplanes (and boats and everything else.)  The long term dream was a building to put these airplanes under cover, but the interim Air Park was still a great improvement.  The building would come "some day", when a lot of money had been raised.  Well, that someday actually arrived!  After much planning, fund raising, and effort, ground was broken in April 2015 for the new building - to be called the Aviation Pavilion.

  To allow construction, the existing six airplanes on the Air Park had to be relocated for up to 18 months.  That story here.  Four airplanes were moved to the east side of East Marginal Way onto airport property.  The 737 and 747 Prototypes were moved into a corner of the Raisbeck Aviation High School's parking lot.  Then, a year later, they were moved into the new building.  The picture story of these moves is the subject of this page.
  



Then she was moved into position next to RA001 - the 747 Prototype










Raisbeck Aviation High School in the background



The sun broke through shining on two of aviation's greatest Matriarchs.


Think of the aviation history that followed from these two airplanes....




From my airplane, the two great airplanes snugged next to each other - maybe for the first time ever.



You can see why the 737's nick name was Baby Boeing


Then - an immense concrete slab was poured.




As the months passed, the slab progressed and the building began rising.


Some of the airplanes were so large, the building had to be partially built, and then the airplanes were moved inside.
The remainder of the building was then literally built around them.


First airplane in was the 787





And then the magic day arrived, and she moved into the new building along with the 747.
Under cover and out of the rain at long last!


Her new stabemate was the 787 flight test airplane - another first.



  MOF
Now - her Final Home - at Last !
Copyright 2017 Robert Bogash.  All Rights Reserved
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