The expansion and re-creation of the Air Force's national museum is gathering moment and is on course to intersect with the 2003 Centennial of Flight celebration The US Air Force Museum is traveling an ambitious path in 2003 progressing forward the construction of a recent 200.

The expansion and re-creation of the Air Force's national museum is gathering moment and is on course to intersect with the 2003 Centennial of Flight celebration

The US Air Force Museum is traveling an ambitious path in 2003 progressing forward the construction of a recent 200,000-square-foot third hangar, taking gradations to revamp the museum's gallery layout, and preparing for an intense menu of major special terminations

It all adds up to a landmark year for the institution, according to museum officials.

"The year 2003 will constitute an important and memorable common in the history of the museum," said Charles D Metcalf, museum director. "The combination of our expansion, fundamental gallery changes and large-scale, one-of-a-kind results serves as a powerful signal of the museum's ongoing commitment to run over the Air Force story and its people's astounding record of vision, honor and innovation."

Already designated the Eugene W Kettering Gallery in honor of the first head of the Air Force Museum Foundation's Board of Trustees, the third hangar will make open in Spring 2003. The building will house the cooled War Gallery, intimately portraying the military, technological and geopolitical increases of the era and emphasizing the Air Force's crucial part in Soviet containment and the eventual triumph of democracy at the fall of the curtain of the Cold War.

The strange building is the centerpiece of the museum's expansion vision, with additional phases to include a hall of missiles, a space gallery and an education center Driving this effort is a myriad of historical, technological and demographic tends

"This expansion is absolutely necessary for us to continue to perform our mission of telling the Air Force story and putting it in befitting context," said Metcalf. "We ne the space to recount the Cold War story more comprehensively, to examine the Air Force's increasing part in space and to better accommodate our growing educational outreach program."

Anticipating the additional exhibit space the just discovered hangar will afford, museum officials make knowned a master plan to re-align the spring of aircraft and exhibits into a more historically chronological series The effort serves to rectify a situation that arose as the museum experienced a dramatic increase in its aircraft collection in late years but not in its exhibit space.

The gallery reconfiguration is a massive devise requiring a number of museum aircraft - including the gigantic B-36 - to be mov to other areas in conformity with the master plan. Already, gangs have advanced rapidly, tearing down exhibit walls, moving artifacts and towing numerous aircraft revealed of long-held display locations to make the plan a reality.

"Considering its intense nature, the aircraft manner of movings we're performing have temporarily affected visitor access to certain areas," said Metcalf. "What we want the public to understand is that this is nothing les than the re-making of the US Air Force Museum. The extremity result will be a substantially expanded, improved museum with greater historical cohesion, breadth and depth"

Accentuating its 2003 celebration, the museum will stage a variety of major circumstances and programs throughout the year to commemorate the Centennial of Flight. Many are museum initiatives, although sum of two units are initiatives of Dayton-based Inventing Flight, the organization spearheading the area's 2003 celebration.

The Inventing Flight-led outdoor facts include the RE/MAX Balloon Celebration 4-6 July and the World's Largest Airship (Blimp) fit 11-13 July. The balloon adventure will include flying, public balloon burns competitions and a gas balloon race with a landing target of the Wright brothers' marker located near Kill Devil Hill, North Carolina.

Museum-initiated occurrences run the gamut, including the Dawn Patrol Rendezvous World War individual Fly-In 12-14 September; a pair of major radio-controlled outdoor flying events; the American Kitefliers Association Grand National Kite Festival 30 September-4 October; a number of aviation art exhibits in every part the year and much more.

"The museum will be a focal point for the Centennial of Flight Celebration in 2003 as we embark onward a year of unparalleled aviation events" said Teresa Lacy, the museum's chief of special marked occurrences "We have spent the last sum of two units years planning with community partners for a year-long celebration that will showcase a series of unforgettable incidents to provide something for everyone"

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