Boeing B-52G Fuselage Arrives at Museum of Flight

June 3, 2018 Richard Mallory Allnutt (Chief Editor) Aviation Museum News 0
The fuselage of Boeing B-52G Stratofortress 59-2584 'Midnight Express' moved to the Museum of Flight early on Sunday morning. The aircraft will be reassembled for display in the planned Vietnam Memorial Park which will open later this year. (image via Museum of Flight)
Aircorps Art Dec 2019


As we mentioned would be happening today in a recent article, the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington moved the fuselage of their Boeing B-52 Stratofortress from its long term storage site at Paine Field in nearby Everett. The massive airframe, 159′ 4″ from the tip of the nose to its tail, rolled out from Paine Field on a specialized low-loader trailer in the early hours of Sunday morning for the 28 mile journey to her new home. She exited Interstate 5 nearby Boeing Field just before dawn, with a fringe of red on the scattered clouds overhead. The fuselage then made its way down Marginal Way, which runs beside the museum. A crowd of people watched her progress and cheered her in as she arrived. The transport technicians then unloaded their unusual cargo, and slid the fuselage in beside the Museum of Flight’s Aviation Pavillion, where she will remain until builders construct the plinth for her final resting place in the Vietnam Memorial Park this summer. Then the museum will reassemble the strategic bomber ahead of the Memorial Park’s opening this fall. For those interested in contributing to the construction of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park, please click HERE.

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Fresh off the highway, the B-52G fuselage makes its way down the quiet city streets in the early hours of June 3rd, 2018. (image via Museum of Flight)

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The fuselage makes its way past a Museum of Flight billboard. (image via Museum of Flight)

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Nosing onto Marginal Way beside the museum. (image via Museum of Flight)

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A local amateur artist captures the scene as the BUFF makes her way home. (image via Museum of Flight)

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On the home stretch, Midnight Express’s fuselage is about to pass under the walkway linking the two sides of the Museum of Flight campus. (image via Museum of Flight)

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The Tukwila Fire Department hung a large American flag over East Marginal Way for the B-52 to pass under as she arrived at the museum. (image via Museum of Flight)

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The transportation company slide the B-52 fuselage off their rig sideways. (image via Museum of Flight)

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The museum held a small ‘welcome home’ ceremony for the B-52 under the eaves of their Aviation Pavilion shortly after her arrival. (image via Museum of Flight)

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Once the ceremony was over, visitors crowded around the B-52’s fuselage to get a better look. (image via Museum of Flight)

Congratulations to all at the Museum of Flight in reaching this milestone on this significant project. This B-52 has spent nearly a quarter century isolated in a remote corner of Paine Field. Now she will get the attention she deserves, and veterans of the Vietnam War (and their families), will have a place to visit for quiet introspection in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park.

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Richard Mallory Allnutt (Chief Editor)
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Richard Mallory Allnutt's aviation passion ignited at the 1974 Farnborough Airshow. Raised in 1970s Britain, he was immersed in WWII aviation lore. Moving to Washington DC, he frequented the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, meeting aviation legends.

After grad school, Richard worked for Lockheed-Martin but stayed devoted to aviation, volunteering at museums and honing his photography skills. In 2013, he became the founding editor of Warbirds News, now Vintage Aviation News. With around 800 articles written, he focuses on supporting grassroots aviation groups.

Richard values the connections made in the aviation community and is proud to help grow Vintage Aviation News.

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About Richard Mallory Allnutt (Chief Editor) 1060 Articles
Richard Mallory Allnutt's aviation passion ignited at the 1974 Farnborough Airshow. Raised in 1970s Britain, he was immersed in WWII aviation lore. Moving to Washington DC, he frequented the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, meeting aviation legends. After grad school, Richard worked for Lockheed-Martin but stayed devoted to aviation, volunteering at museums and honing his photography skills. In 2013, he became the founding editor of Warbirds News, now Vintage Aviation News. With around 800 articles written, he focuses on supporting grassroots aviation groups. Richard values the connections made in the aviation community and is proud to help grow Vintage Aviation News.
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