Hangar 915 is completing the professional path toward public opening. Follow the transformation.
A Nearly 60-Year-Old Boeing 727 Is Beginning Another Life.
It carried passengers. It later served as a U.S. Marshals aircraft. Then, for nearly twenty years, it remained quiet at the edge of El Paso International Airport.
AIRCRAFT FACTS
Aircraft
Boeing 727
Age
Nearly 60 years
Former passenger capacity
129
Airport storage
Nearly 20 years
Former service
U.S. Marshals aircraft
Current location
El Paso, Texas
Current condition
Reassembled on a permanent foundation with a renovated, air-conditioned interior
THE AUCTION
The Final Number Appeared on the Screen: $9,360.
In December 2024, the Boeing appeared on GovDeals with an opening bid of $1,000. The brothers studied the aircraft, imagined its future, and entered the auction.
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For roughly three weeks, the number kept rising. One bid became ten. Ten became dozens. After 56 bids, the auction closed in January 2025 at $9,360 - $10,132 after taxes and fees.
"The screen said, 'You won.' The deadline asked, 'Can you actually move it?'"
The celebration lasted exactly one phone call. The aircraft had to leave the airport on its schedule. It could not fly, could not roll out intact, and could not fit on one truck.
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The brothers did not yet have every specialist, every answer, or the complete cost. They did have a retired U.S. Marshals aircraft, a vision large enough to see across the hangar, and a decision: walk away or begin solving the first impossible problem. They chose to begin.
THE QUESTION BEHIND THE PURCHASE
Could an Airplane That Would Never Fly Again Still Help Imaginations Take Flight?
Buying the aircraft answered only the smallest question. The larger question had to be answered one visible step at a time: Could it be studied, separated, lifted, transported, and rebuilt without losing the parts that made it extraordinary? Could it become safe and ready for the public?
A DISTINCTLY EL PASO FUTURE
Preserve the History. Add a New Local Identity.
The aircraft's next life can belong unmistakably to El Paso - shaped by the city's creativity, culture, landscape, food, art, and personality.
Local murals and art
Aviation and history exhibits
Outdoor gathering spaces
Landscaping and distinctive photo locations
Food trucks and local vendors
Partnerships with schools, universities, businesses, artists, and aviation professionals
