ST. LOUIS, May 31, 2005 -- A unique collection of aviation history opens to the public today in the Boeing [NYSE: BA] James S. McDonnell Prologue Room located in Berkeley, Mo.
The exhibit, housed in the company's Integrated Defense Systems headquarters building, chronicles a century of aviation milestones and showcases the aircraft and spacecraft that changed the way we live. The magic of flight, from biplanes to monoplanes and piston engines to jets, is brought to life through hundreds of scale models, photographs, paintings and artifacts.
Separate displays document the development of commercial and military aviation, and include large-scale models of the F-15 Eagle, the F/A-18 Super Hornet, AH-64 Apache helicopter and Air Force One. Models of Boeing's fleet of commercial jetliners also are displayed alongside a full-size airliner cockpit.
Full-size mockups of the Mercury and Gemini space capsules that carried the first Americans into space dramatize the vital role St. Louis played in the early days of America's space program. Models of Skylab, America's first orbiting laboratory, the Space Shuttle Orbiter and a detailed scale model of the International Space Station also are on display.
More than 70 large-format photographs from the Boeing archives and the Missouri Historical Society depict the legacy of St. Louis in aviation history. Also on display is a collection of fine art, including one of the largest collections of paintings by famed aviation artist R.G. Smith. His work, bold and dramatic, captures significant achievements in flight, space travel and world history.
The Prologue Room is located in Building 100 at the corner of McDonnell Boulevard and Airport Road, adjacent to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. The exhibit is open to the public free of charge from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, through Sept. 3. It is closed on Sundays and on July 4. Reservations are required. Groups of 10 or more may request a guided tour by calling 314-232-6896 at least two weeks in advance. The facility is wheelchair accessible.
For more information, including a map, directions and a photo of the museum, go to: www.boeing.com/prologueroom.