First-Ever Boeing Cockpit Simulator House In Dedicated Pavilion

A Boeing-built 707 simulator was unveiled this week at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA, where it will be on permanent display in the Air Force One Pavilion.

As Aero-News reported, a group of volunteers in Wichita, KS spent approximately three years restoring the simulator to resemble Air Force One. Boeing funded the simulator's final journey from Kansas to California.

"We're pleased we could play a part in helping the simulator complete its journey to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library," said Ray Bachman, Boeing Wichita Special Air Mission Business Development manager. "The volunteers did a fantastic job restoring the simulator, and it's fitting that it now resides in the Air Force One Pavilion."

The simulator -- Boeing's first-ever cockpit simulator -- will be the centerpiece of the library's new Air Force One Discovery Center, which is scheduled to open later this year.

"This will be a great addition to the Discovery Center," said Duke Blackwood, executive director of the Reagan Library and Foundation. "Without the work of the volunteers and the help of Boeing, we would not have been able to make the simulator a part of this incredible interactive hands-on learning experience."

FMI: www.reaganfoundation.org