Hangar 915 is completing the professional path toward public opening. Follow the transformation.
The Vision
More Than a Plane. A Place to Learn, Celebrate, Imagine, and Connect.
So what exactly are we building? That question has evolved considerably since the day we first stood inside a gutted Boeing 727 at the El Paso airport. Today, our vision is becoming much clearer.
We want Hangar 915 to become one of those places people remember
A child might remember it as the first airplane they ever stepped inside. A couple might remember it as the place where they got married. A student might remember sitting in the cockpit and deciding they wanted to become a pilot. A family might remember celebrating a birthday beside a Boeing 727. A teacher might remember watching a student suddenly become fascinated with engineering. A company might remember hosting an event unlike anything they had done before. Different people may come here for very different reasons. That is exactly what makes the possibilities so exciting.
A Place Where Learning Feels Real
As educators, education will always be an important part of our vision. We do not want students simply reading about aviation, engineering, and technology.
We want them standing inside it.
Our long term educational vision includes experiences such as:
Cockpit Experiences
Students can step inside a real Boeing 727 cockpit and explore an environment most children have never experienced.
Flight Simulation
We envision immersive flight simulator experiences that allow students to experience some of the excitement and decision making involved in aviation.
STEAM Experiences
Science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics can come alive through activities connected to an actual aircraft.
Career Exploration
We want children to discover careers they may never have considered, including aviation, engineering, aerospace, robotics, technology, mechanics, design, and many others.
And for a child who has never been on an airplane, simply walking through the door could be an experience they never forget.
Sometimes you have to see a possibility before you can imagine yourself becoming part of it.
A Place Where People Celebrate
Hangar 915 is also being designed as something else: A truly unusual place to make memories. We envision the Boeing 727 and surrounding property becoming available for experiences such as:
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Weddings and receptions
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Birthdays and celebrations
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Corporate gatherings
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Photography and video shoots
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Private events
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Community gatherings
Imagine exchanging vows with a Boeing 727 behind you. Imagine a first dance beneath the wings. Imagine graduation photographs inside a real aircraft cockpit. Imagine celebrating a milestone somewhere your guests will still be talking about years later.
We want people to leave Hangar 915 with a story to tell.
A Place That Feels Like El Paso
This airplane may have traveled around the world during its previous life. But its next chapter belongs here.
We envision the surrounding space becoming a destination that reflects the creativity, culture, and personality of El Paso.
That could eventually include local art, murals, outdoor gathering areas, food trucks, landscaping, distinctive photo locations, aviation displays, and spaces where families can simply spend time together.
We do not want to erase the history of the aircraft.
We want to combine that history with something new and unmistakably El Paso.
And Especially, A Place Where Kids Can Dream Bigger
There is one experience we keep coming back to. A child walking up to this enormous airplane for the first time. Maybe they have never flown. Maybe nobody in their family works in aviation
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Maybe becoming a pilot, engineer, scientist, or aerospace professional has never crossed their mind. Then they climb aboard. They sit in the cockpit. They touch the controls. They start asking questions. And something changes.
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Maybe nothing happens beyond an unforgettable afternoon. Or maybe a seed gets planted. Maybe years later that child is sitting in a UTEP classroom studying engineering. Maybe they are training to become a pilot.
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Maybe they become a teacher who brings another generation of children back to this very airplane. We may never know what one experience ultimately becomes. That is why creating the opportunity matters.
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One Plane. Many Possibilities.
We have never wanted Hangar 915 to fit neatly into one box. It can be educational. It can be fun. It can be a business. It can be a gathering place. It can preserve a piece of aviation history. It can host some of the happiest moments of people’s lives. And it can introduce a child to something they have never experienced before.
Those things do not have to compete with one another.
They can help sustain one another. The weddings, celebrations, photography, corporate events, and other experiences held here can help us maintain and continue improving this extraordinary aircraft. And the aircraft can continue creating experiences and opportunities for El Paso for years to come.