PIMA AIR & SPACE MUSEUM TO RECEIVE 787 DREAMLINER FROM THE BOEING COMPANY

Plane Scheduled to Arrive in Tucson on Thursday, March 26

Tucson, March 25, 2015 –The Pima Air & Space Museum announced today it will join the ranks of the very few with the donation of an original flight test 787 Dreamliner from The Boeing Company into its expanding world renowned collection.

The 787 Dreamliner, known as ZA002, will arrive today at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and then be towed to nearby Pima Air & Space Museum. A formal induction ceremony and opening of public static display will be announced at a later date. News media should contact the museum on status of plane’s arrival.

“This is an extremely exciting and monumental time for the museum, the Tucson community and Arizona in general,” said Scott Marchand, Executive Director of the Pima Air & Space Museum. “We are honored to be selected by The Boeing Company to be the custodian of such a significant historic next generation aircraft and to be able to display it to the public from the USA and from around the world.”

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an all-new family of midsize airplanes that deliver new efficiencies, exceptional environmental performance and passenger pleasing features. Advances in engines, aerodynamics, airplane systems and materials, including airframe made mostly of carbon-fiber composites, make the 787 family 20 to 30 percent more fuel efficient than the airplanes it replaces, with an equivalent reduction in emissions.

“Boeing is proud of our long-standing relationship with the Pima Air & Space Museum, and donating the second 787 Dreamliner begins another chapter in our partnership,” said Boeing Vice President of Attack Helicopter Programs and Senior Mesa Site Executive, Kim Smith. “We’re thrilled to share this 787 with students, aviation enthusiasts and visitors from Arizona and around the world.”

Dreamliner Number 2

This particular 787, ZA002, is the second Boeing 787-8 to be produced. The airplane flew for the first time on December 22, 2009, joining what would become a six-airplane flight test and certification program for the 787- 8. The primary focus of ZA002 was testing systems performance.

The Pima Air & Space Museum

The Pima Air & Space Museum is one of the largest aviation museums in the world, and the largest nongovernment funded aviation museum in the United States. The museum maintains a collection of more than 300 aircraft and spacecraft from around the globe—including many rare and one-of-a-kind—and more than 125,000 artifacts. Exhibits at the museum include some of the world’s greatest aviation heritage, including military, commercial and civil aviation. Among them are the SR-71 Blackbird—the world’s fastest plane, a B-29 Superfortress—the highest flying and fastest WWII bomber, and a rare World War II German V-1 "buzz bomb." The museum has five large hangars totaling more than 177,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space. Pima Air & Space maintains its own aircraft restoration center, and also offers exclusive tours of the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG), also known as the "Bone Yard" (across from the museum at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base).

The Pima Air & Space Museum is located at 6000 E. Valencia Road, Tucson, Exit 267 off Interstate 10. The museum is open daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with last admission at 4 p.m. Admission is $15.50 ($12.25 for Pima County Residents) for adults, $12.75 for seniors 62 and older and active military, $9.00 for youth 7-12, and free for children under 6. For general museum information, please call 520- 574-0462 or visit www.pimaair.org.