While this story is slightly outside of our usual coverage, we feel that it offers potentially vital solutions for the longterm preservation of truly large aircraft such as four-engined airliners or military cargo planes. While such aircraft are relatively plentiful today, it will be nearly impossible to save many examples far into the future without bringing them undercover. But a traditional museum building of the scale needed to house such a beast is well beyond the means of all but a handful of facilities worldwide, and even then, it is hard for them to justify the massive expenditures involved in such an endeavor. However, following the Museum of Flight’s lead with the construction of their Aviation Pavilion in Seattle, Washington a few years ago, the Qantas Founders Museum at Longreach in Queensland, Australia has pursued a similar path with their elegant Airpark Roof Project. This newly-completed structure now offers protection to their Boeing 747 and 707 airliners, amongst others. While this effort will not completely protect these large aircraft from the environment, it will at least keep the most brutal effects of exposure to rain, wind, sand and the sun at manageable levels, and do so in a cost-effective way. As the images also show, this effort can also be undertaken in an aesthetically pleasing manner that offers benefits to a museum’s function beyond simple artifact preservation. The following press release from the Qantas Founders Museum describes this effort in more detail, and we hope it provides useful ideas for other institutions around the world facing a similar dilemma with the preservation of their own over-sized airframes…
Major Stage of Airpark Roof Covered
- The Airpark Roof covers an area of 8072m2, half as big as the Sydney Cricket Ground;
- The Roof height reaches 26 meters
- This stage of project has taken 5 months to complete
- Approximately 13km of roof sheeting or 24 tonnes was lifted into position to form the roof
- Some pieces of Aramax sheeting are up to 54 metres long and all have been rolled on-site from flat aluminium sheet
- Up to 17 people installed the roof using six boom lifts and working around and over the Boeing 747 and 707
- Each piece of sheeting took an average of two hours to install
- In February 2020, two teams were employed to install the sheeting with the first shift working from 6am – 4pm and the second crew from 4pm – 2am
- Teams have been working in trying conditions including higher summer temperatures, unseasonable winds, flies and bugs
- During this stage the construction of the 9m viewing platform and service reticulation also commenced
- The 9m platform providing stunning views over the aircraft and the surrounding town and country.
- The laying of concrete pathways for the tour groups;
- Installation of the inground services for the light and sound show and night functions
- Laying of tie-down footings and relocation of the Super Constellation into position
- Construction of a rainwater catchment sculpture and drainage to direct rain water from the roof
- Painting of the viewing platform and lift shaft, footings, construction of seating, fencing and landscaping
- Installation and testing of the light and sound show
- Installation of the lift to the viewing platform.
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