Seattle’s Museum of Flight Gets Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Dreamliner ZA003 at DFW on tour

Boeing donated a 787 Dreamliner to the Museum of Flight in Seattle on Saturday.

The aircraft is one of the original Dreamliner flight test airplanes, known as ZA003.  The aircraft was first used for the 787 flight test and certification program and then for the Dream Tour, which in 2011 and 2012 introduced the plane to aviation enthusiasts and frequent travelers in 23 countries across the globe.

At a ceremony at the museum, several Boeing employees who were part of the Dreamliner project presented an artifact to the museum, including early renderings of the 7E7, as the aircraft was originally known.

The aircraft maker selected the museum to give its employees and their families an opportunity to see the plane in person.  “By placing this airplane in the Puget Sound area, members of the Boeing team and their families will see it displayed locally, and it will hopefully inspire a new generation of aviation enthusiasts here in Washington state,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Ray Conner.

The Museum of Flight has numerous historic Boeing planes including a 1932 Boeing 247, the first all-metal, modern airliner, and a 1969 prototype of the 747, the first jumbo jet.

Boeing said it plans to “share” its two other test 787-8 Dreamliners with museums across the world, although it declined to provide details at this time.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)