Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour

Boeing Future of Flight
	The museum's Gallery in 2006
	Wikimedia \| © OpenStreetMap
Former names	Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour (2005–2018); National Flight Interpretive Center (planning);
Established	December 16, 2005; 15 years ago
Location	8415 Paine Field Boulevard ; Mukilteo, Washington
Coordinates	47°55′16″N 122°17′25″W / 47.9212°N 122.2902°WCoordinates: 47°55′16″N 122°17′25″W / 47.9212°N 122.2902°W
Type	Aviation museum
Visitors	~500,000 (2017)
Curator	Boeing
Architects	Freiheit and Ho; Krei Architecture;
Owner	Snohomish County
Employees	30+ (2017)
Website	boeingfutureofflight.com

The Future of Flight Aviation Center, officially known as Boeing Future of Flight, is an aviation museum and education center located at the northwest corner of Paine Field in Mukilteo, Washington. It is the starting point for the Boeing Tour, a guided tour of a portion of the nearby Boeing Everett Factory in Everett, Washington. The 73,000-square-foot (6,800 m²) facility, owned by Snohomish County via Paine Field and operated by Boeing, opened in 2005 at a cost of $24 million; it is funded by a sales and use tax from the county via its public facilities district.^[1]^[2] The museum includes a 28,000-square-foot (2,600 m²) gallery containing static and interactive exhibits and displays as well as a 240-seat theater, café and shops.^[2]^[3]

History[]

The facility was originally conceived in 2001 by Snohomish County in conjunction with Boeing, the Museum of Flight, and Paine Field as the National Flight Interpretive Center.^[4] While the facility was projected to open by the end of 2002 with the Museum of Flight managing it, lack of approval by the latter's board directors over funding delayed construction, which did not start until November 2004 under the supervision of Howard S. Wright Companies; a 102-room Hilton Garden Inn hotel was built alongside the facility.^[4]^[3] The initial name was intended for temporary use during the campaign for supporting and funding the museum; a lengthy naming process culminated in the county council's unanimous approval to rename the facility as the Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour on December 9, 2004.^[3] The facility ultimately opened on December 16, 2005.^[2]

Boeing took over operation of the facility on October 12, 2018, after Snohomish County's contract with the previous operator, the Institute of Flight, expired the previous day. The Institute of Flight, formerly known as the Future of Flight Foundation, was a nonprofit organization that owned the museum's collection and engaged in worldwide education outreach; its collection was removed from the facility with Boeing's takeover. The county had previously started negotiations on June 12, 2017, with the Museum of Flight to have the latter take over the facility upon the expiration of the Institute of Flight contract, but negotiations ended in January 2018 without a deal.^[1]^[5]^[6]

Future of Flight Aviation Center[]

Plane Engine Size Compare to Human Size at Boeing

World Flags

During the Institute of Flight's oversight of the Future of Flight Aviation Center, exhibits at the facility included:

A comparison between the Boeing 707 fuselage and the Boeing 787 fuselage.
Videos, presentations, and mock-ups illustrating the history of the passenger experience in Boeing aircraft from the 707 to the 787.
A genuine Boeing 727 cockpit in which visitors can sit and operate switches and controls.
Working full-size model GE90 777 engine and Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 787 engine.
Various full-size airplanes suspended from the exhibit area ceiling.
Displays of jet aircraft components, including engines, landing gear, and sections of tail and fuselage from several manufacturers.
Innovator - a virtual ride to far-away places and experiences like Egypt, the Battle for Iwo Jima and an adrenalin-charged Grand Prix race (additional charge).
A learning area covering the inner workings of aircraft.
Videos and information about flight decks in a variety of Boeing aircraft.
Displays and videos on the history of jet airplanes and the airlines that have used them.
An area for visitors to design and print their own airplane image.
The How Planes are Made Family Zone.
A rooftop observation deck, with views of the Boeing factory, Paine Field, and parked aircraft outside.

The gallery's aircraft and mock-up space module were loaned from the Museum of Flight.^[5] All exhibits were removed when Boeing took over the facility; Boeing subsequently dedicated a large portion of the gallery with exhibits on autonomous aircraft. Boeing also started charging for visits to the observation deck, which was previously free to visitors under the Institute of Flight.^[7]

Boeing Tour[]

Interior of the Boeing Everett Factory, with a Jetstar Boeing 787 being built.

The Boeing Tour covers the Boeing Everett Factory, where guests can observe airplanes in all stages of construction. The factory produces the Boeing 747, 767, 777, 777X, and 787. The tour also includes the main assembly building, which Guinness World Records proclaimed the largest building in the world by volume. The tour lasts 90 minutes, but the planned consolidation of 787 production in South Carolina in 2021 along with the end of 747 production the following year is expected to significantly shorten the length of the tour.^[7]

The former Boeing Tour Center was located next to the factory and now is abandoned, after closing in December 2005 when the Future of Flight Aviation Center opened.^{[citation needed]}

Retail outlets[]

The Boeing Store is located at the front of the tour. It is a store that features items that relate to the Boeing Company. There is a separate Future of Flight store next to it, selling many more traditional Pacific Northwest gift shop items, including foodstuffs. The center also includes a small cafeteria across the lobby.^{[citation needed]}

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Gates, Dominic (February 22, 2018). "Boeing, Snohomish County hold key to Future of Flight as aviation center faces turbulent times". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Riddle, Margaret (September 22, 2007). "The Future of Flight Aviation Center opens at Paine Field (Mukilteo) on December 16, 2005". HistoryLink. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Fetters, Eric (December 10, 2004). "Aviation museum will look to future". The Everett Herald. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Sanders, Joshunda (November 22, 2001). "Flight center at Paine Field could be tourist draw". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Haglund, Noah (June 13, 2017). "Institute of Flight and Seattle museum explore a closer tie". The Everett Herald. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
^ Podsada, Janice (July 19, 2018). "Boeing will take the controls at the Future of Flight museum". The Everett Herald. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Podsada, Janice (October 9, 2020). "Boeing Future of Flight at Paine Field reopens — without tours". The Everett Herald. Retrieved February 27, 2021.

External links[]

Official home web page of Future of Flight

[FOF-Times-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Gates, Dominic (February 22, 2018). "Boeing, Snohomish County hold key to Future of Flight as aviation center faces turbulent times". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 26, 2021.

[FoF-HL-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Riddle, Margaret (September 22, 2007). "The Future of Flight Aviation Center opens at Paine Field (Mukilteo) on December 16, 2005". HistoryLink. Retrieved March 4, 2021.

[Renaming-Herald-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Fetters, Eric (December 10, 2004). "Aviation museum will look to future". The Everett Herald. Retrieved March 3, 2021.

[Idea-PI-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b Sanders, Joshunda (November 22, 2001). "Flight center at Paine Field could be tourist draw". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved March 4, 2021.

[MoF_partnership-Herald-5] Jump up to: ^a ^b Haglund, Noah (June 13, 2017). "Institute of Flight and Seattle museum explore a closer tie". The Everett Herald. Retrieved March 4, 2021.

[FOF-Herald-6] Podsada, Janice (July 19, 2018). "Boeing will take the controls at the Future of Flight museum". The Everett Herald. Retrieved February 26, 2021.

[Reopen-Herald-7] Jump up to: ^a ^b Podsada, Janice (October 9, 2020). "Boeing Future of Flight at Paine Field reopens — without tours". The Everett Herald. Retrieved February 27, 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

show v t Museums in the Puget Sound region
Art	911 Media Arts Center Bellevue Arts Museum Cascadia Art Museum Frye Art Museum Henry Art Gallery Monarch Contemporary Art Center and Sculpture Park Museum of Glass Museum of Northwest Art Olympic Sculpture Park Seattle Art Museum Seattle Asian Art Museum Tacoma Art Museum Whatcom Museum of History and Art
Aviation	Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour Heritage Flight Museum McChord Air Museum Museum of Flight Olympic Flight Museum Port Townsend Aero Museum
Children's	Children's Museum of Tacoma Hands On Children's Museum Imagine Children's Museum KidsQuest Children's Museum Seattle Children's Museum
Culture	Museum of Pop Culture Nordic Museum Northwest African American Museum Suquamish Museum Quinault Museum Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience
History	DuPont Museum Eastside Heritage Center Edmonds Historical Museum Harbor History Museum History House of Greater Seattle Issaquah Historical Museums Karshner Museum Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Mukilteo Light Museum of History and Industry Renton History Museum Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum Seattle Underground Washington State History Museum
Maritime	Browns Point Light Center for Wooden Boats Coast Guard Museum Northwest Northwest Seaport Snagboat Heritage Center Working Waterfront Maritime Museum
Military	Coast Guard Museum Northwest Lewis Army Museum McChord Air Museum Naval Undersea Museum Puget Sound Coast Artillery Museum Puget Sound Navy Museum Washington National Guard Museum
Natural sciences	Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture Museum and Arts Center, Sequim, Washington
Science and technology	America's Car Museum Bellingham Railway Museum Georgetown Steam Plant Living Computers: Museum + Labs Museum of Communications Pacific Science Center SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention Vintage Motorcycle Museum
See also: List of museums in Washington and Museums and galleries of Seattle

show v t Boeing
People	William E. Boeing (founder) James Albaugh William M. Allen James A. Bell John H. Biggs Robert A. Bradway John Bryson Dave Calhoun Leanne Caret Arthur D. Collins Jr. Philip M. Condit Raymond Conner William M. Daley Kenneth Duberstein Edmund Giambastiani Lynn Good Edgar Gott Philip G. Johnson Larry Kellner Caroline Kennedy Ed Liddy Kevin G. McAllister John McDonnell James McNerney Dennis Muilenburg Alan Mulally Brendan Nelson Susan Schwab Patrick M. Shanahan Frank Shrontz Harry Stonecipher Malcolm T. Stamper Ron Williams Thornton Wilson Mike S. Zafirovski
Subsidiaries	Argon ST Aurora Flight Sciences Boeing Aircraft Holding Company Boeing Australia Boeing Canada Boeing Capital Boeing Commercial Airplanes Boeing Defense, Space & Security Boeing Phantom Works Boeing Rotorcraft Systems Boeing UK HRL Laboratories Jeppesen McDonnell Douglas Narus Spectrolab United Launch Alliance
Projects	BCT Modernization Boeing Black Boeing hydrofoils Boeing Jetfoils Connexion by Boeing Future Combat Systems
Facilities	Boeing Everett Factory Boeing International Headquarters Boeing Plant 1 Boeing Plant 2 Boeing Renton Factory Boeing South Carolina Boeing Store Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour Michoud Assembly Facility Plant 42
Other	History of Boeing 1948 Boeing strike Boeing Technical Fellowship Boeing-Embraer joint venture Boeing 737 MAX groundings Boeing 737 rudder issues Boeing 787 Dreamliner battery problems Competition between Airbus and Boeing List of accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 737 Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System