Take Flight

For this major exhibition renovation, we stripped the original content to its bones and modernized the gallery in every respect: making it more accessible, engaging, and visually unified.

Inside the body of an actual 727, three connected cabins host a series of experiences. The front showcases what the interior of the plane looked like during its first flights in 1964. The middle includes a series of story stations that explain things passengers may experience when they fly such as jet lag, turbulence, and the dryness of plane air. In the rear cabin, walls peel away to reveal the inner structure, while transparent sections of floor allow visitors to look through to the luggage in the cargo hold and watch working landing gear.

Facing the plane, a 100 foot-long mural unites multiple layers of storytelling into one cohesive narrative: Building a Plane, The Airport, and Take Off. The exhibit educates and inspires visitors of all ages and experience by revealing how modern planes are designed, assembled, and delivered, and the fascinating inner mechanics of flight and airport operations—most of which the flying public never sees.