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Museum of Flight Collection Adds CH-47 Chinook Army Helicopter to Collection

SEATTLE – The Museum will add a U.S. Army Boeing CH-47D Chinook helicopter to its collection in the fall, and this active duty helo will fly to the Museum Sept. 10 for a free public preview of the veteran whirleybird from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Boeing CH-47 during a visit to The Museum of Flight in 2012. Francis Zera/The Museum of Flight photo.
Boeing CH-47 during a visit to The Museum of Flight in 2012. Francis Zera/The Museum of Flight photo.
The aircraft crew will be on hand to give tours to the public. The big CH-47D-nicknamed My Old Lady-is the oldest flyable Chinook in the world-wide Army inventory. It was made in 1962, and on Jan. 9, 1963 it became the fifth Chinook accepted by the U.S. Army. The helicopter is currently based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma.

The aircraft (91-00261) has served with the Army and Army National Guard, including combat missions in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan. It has been with the Washington state Army National Guard since 2009, serving in support of several domestic emergencies, most recently the Okanogan Complex Wildfire in 2015. My Old Lady will be retired to The Museum of Flight this fall–Oct. or Nov.–and be placed on permanent display in the Aviation Pavilion.

Founded in 1965, the independent, non-profit Museum of Flight is one of the largest air and space museums in the world, serving more than 560,000 visitors annually. The Museum’s collection includes more than 160 historically significant airplanes and spacecraft, from the first fighter plane (1914) to today’s 787 Dreamliner. Attractions also include the original Boeing Company factory, and the world’s only full-scale NASA Space Shuttle Trainer. The Museum’s aviation and space library and archives are the largest on the West Coast. More than 150,000 individuals are served annually by the Museum’s on-site and outreach educational programs. The Museum of Flight is accredited by the American Association of Museums, and is an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

For Museum information, please call 206-764-5720 or visit www.museumofflight.org