Boeing

A scale model of Boeing's newest commercial jet, the 787 Dreamliner, joins a unique collection of aviation history now open to the public in the Boeing [NYSE: BA] James S. McDonnell Prologue Room in Berkeley, Mo.

The exhibit, housed in the company's Integrated Defense Systems headquarters building, chronicles a century of aviation milestones. The magic of flight, from biplanes to monoplanes and piston engines to jets, is brought to life through hundreds of scale models, photographs, paintings and artifacts.

Displays document the development of military aviation and include large-scale models of the F-15 Eagle, the F/A-18 Super Hornet, the AH-64 Apache helicopter and Air Force One. A separate display features the model of the 787 -- currently in development by a Boeing-led team of international aerospace companies -- along with models of all Boeing commercial jetliners and a full-size airliner cockpit.

Full-size models of the Mercury and Gemini space capsules that carried the first Americans into space dramatize the vital role St. Louis played in the early days of the country's space program. Models of Skylab, America's first orbiting laboratory, the Space Shuttle Orbiter and a detailed scale model of the International Space Station also are on display.

The Prologue Room is located in Building 100 at the corner of McDonnell Boulevard and Airport Road, adjacent to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. The exhibit is open to the public free of charge from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, through Sept. 2. It is closed on Sundays and July 4. The facility is wheelchair accessible, and parking is free.

Guided tours for organized groups are available by calling (314) 232-6896. A special children's tour, geared to 6-12 year olds, includes a brief video about how airplanes fly, a guided tour that highlights the elements of flight both in air and outer space, and a copy of "The Mystery of Flight" booklet for all tour-goers.

For more information, including a map, directions and a photo of the museum, go to: /companyoffices/aboutus/tours/prologueroom/.