Once wowing the crowds of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World, fans can get up close with a unique piece of flight history at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
What’s Happening:
- The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has welcomed a Boeing CV2 Cargo Air Vehicle (CAV) to the collection.
- This CAV was the first remotely piloted large eVTOL (electrical vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft to be flown in support of a commercial operation in the United States.
- For this flight, Boeing partnered with Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development to mount X-wing “body shells” on two CAVs for the opening events of attractions in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
- The themed CAV is a gift from Boeing and Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development and will go on display at the museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.
- In 2017, Boeing began development of all-electric uncrewed CAVs designed to carry 225 kilograms (500 pounds) of cargo. The company used them as testbeds to understand the opportunities and challenges of applying advances in batteries, electric propulsion and autonomous flight. In December 2019, when Boeing partnered with The Walt Disney Co., a crowd of spectators watched as two X-wing-outfitted CAVs flew over the Walt Disney World event. Ultraviolet spotlights illuminated the drones so that only the X-wing frame was visible.
- The X-wing CAV has a wingspan of 20.2 feet and 128-kilowatt direct-drive electrical motors. It will be displayed with the vertical flight collection at the museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center, starting today, May 3.
- The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, part of the National Air & Space Museum, is located in Chantilly, Virginia, near Washington Dulles International Airport. It is open daily from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free, but there is a $15 fee for parking.
What They’re Saying:
- Roger Connor, vertical flight curator: “While lightweight delivery drones are being tested at a number of locations around the nation, the development of heavier vertical takeoff and landing cargo drones for military and commercial use is one of the most promising areas of autonomous aircraft development. The Boeing Cargo Air Vehicle was the first of these allowed to perform a commercial flight in the United States—in this instance, carrying a Star Wars X-wing shell that was used at Walt Disney World.”
- Scott Trowbridge, senior creative executive, Walt Disney Imagineering: “As Disney Imagineers, we leverage new and emerging technology in service of the story-driven experiences we create. Our work to bring a ‘real’ X-wing to the skies above Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge for the opening of a new attraction was not only spectacular, but a moment representative of the immersive Star Wars experience coming to life.”
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