Above & Beyond: Boeing’s Centennial Traveling Exhibit

By Larry E. NazimekBoeing, whose headquarters is in Chicago, is celebrating its centennial, and their travelling exhibit, “Above & Beyond,” is making its rounds. We visited the exhibit as it opened in Chicago’s Museum of Science & Industry.Marcellus Rolle, of Boeing’s Centennial Anniversary Communications Office, explained, “Boeing does business worldwide, so there are actually three of these exhibits: one for the U. S., one for Europe, and one for Asia, in the appropriate languages. This one is in English, with Spanish subtitles.”The first thing one sees as he enters the exhibit, is a ¼-scale model of the B & W Seaplane, named after its designers, William Boeing and U. S. Navy Lt. Conrad Westervelt. Made of wood, metal, and fabric, it was the first Boeing product. Its first flight was on June 15, 1916, and its maximum speed was 75 mph.The exhibit is not, however, a history of Boeing’s many accomplishments and developments of the past 100 years, but is more of a look into the future. As John Blazey, Boeing’s VP of Global Corporate Citizenship put it, “We’re celebrating our centennial, but we’re also celebrating the future of aerospace.” They want to appeal to young people who may be considering a future in aerospace.Many of the exhibits are interactive, such as “Spread Your Wings,” where motion-sensing technology transforms participants into virtual birds who flap their wings and bank in order to fly in a V formation off the lead bird.In “Full Throttle,” participants design a fighter, choosing the type of fuselage, wings, and tail section, and then get to test fly it on a simulator, where they are scored.Guests get to see how different airfoils and nose cones perform in a simulated supersonic wind tunnel. Wind tunnel models of a space shuttle and supersonic bizjet are displayed next to it. While the technology for a supersonic bizjet has been around for a long time, the prohibition against supersonic flight over land has not made such planes practical. This model, however, is part of the studies to fly supersonic without causing sonic booms.<There have been serious studies of a “space elevator,” but it will take many years, if ever, before it becomes reality. Participants get to take a simulated ride to space in the elevator.Composites have made many advancements in the design and manufacture of aircraft possible. An exhibit allows guests to drop a weight to compare the strength of fuselage sections made of metal and a composite that is 10 times stronger than steel.You may have heard about the theory of propelling objects by focusing laser light on them. It’s more than a theory, however, as aerospace engineer, Leik Myrabo, has tested a hand-sized model, where a laser’s energy is focused to a high intensity on a parabolic shaped object in order to create a plasma, which expands to create thrust. As the exhibit shows, this has been tested at the White Sands Missile Range, and a model is ondisplay.At the exhibit’s exit is a mosaic mural encompassing Boeing’s past and future, incorporated among Chicago’s skyline. It was made by teens in Chicago’s After School Matters Glass Mosaic Summer Program.Other exhibits show various aircraft and spacecraft of the present and future. Be sure to see it when it’s in your city.For additional information: http://aboveandbeyondexhibition.com/