Tucson, AZ — Tucson’s Pima Air & Space Museum, an affiliate of the Titan II Missile Museum in Sahuarita, has a new addition to its airplane collection — a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner commercial jet.
The donation from Boeing arrives today at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and will be towed to the nearby museum grounds, said Will Harri, museum Finance and Operations Director.
The acquisition is a major coup, “allowing us to bracket aviation history at this point, with a facsimile of the Wright flyer (circa 1903) with tomorrow’s donation,” Harri said Wednesday after hearing details about the Dreamliner earlier this week. “We’re hoping it will encourage even those who’ve been here in the relatively recent past to come and see that plane.”
This particular 787, called ZA002, is the second Boeing 787-8 to be produced. It flew for the first time on Dec. 22, 2009, joining what would become a six-airplane flight test and certification program. The primary focus of ZA002 was testing systems performance, according to the museum.
The 787-8 is planned to go on public display by about mid-April, following decommissioning in the museum’s workshop, which involves removing the engines, electronics and any liquids aboard for safety, Harri said.
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