Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 30, 1995 TAG: 9507290006
SECTION: TRAVEL PAGE: G-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: EDWARD GUNTS THE BALTIMORE SUN
DATELINE: BALTIMORE LENGTH: Long
In the wrong hands, it could have been a disaster by reminding passengers of an air disaster - just as they were about to board their flights.
But as executed by the Maryland Aviation Administration, the $6.3 million observation gallery at Baltimore/Washington International Airport is the hit of the summer: an engaging blend of education and entertainment that can be experienced without an air-sickness bag.
Instead of playing on passengers' worst fears, this one-of-a-kind exhibit helps dispel them by demonstrating the precision with which today's airliners are built. Supplementing the salvaged plane parts are interactive exhibits that capture the sights and sounds of commercial aviation, from blinking runway lights to live conversations from the control tower.
The observation gallery - open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and free of charge - recalls the early days when BWI was known as Friendship Airport, when people crowded onto its outdoor observation deck to watch airplanes take off and land for the sheer novelty of it. What makes the new attraction such a success is that, like the old viewing deck, it takes the seemingly mundane act of waiting for a plane and turns it into an event.
Located between Piers B and C, the two-level observation gallery is the largest single component of a $30 million overhaul of BWI's main terminal, the fastest-growing large airport in the United States during 1994.
It's also part of an international trend in which airports are adding amenities that enhance the experience for travelers, who typically spend an hour inside an airport every time they fly.
Over the years, many local travelers have asked when the airport was going to bring back the popular observation deck, which opened with the airport in 1950 and was shut down by the Federal Aviation Administration in the mid-1970s in an effort to prevent hijackings.
In 1979, the airport unveiled two lounges that offered views of the airfield behind tinted glass windows. But those low-ceilinged rooms, though memorable for their snakelike sofas in a variety of colors, could never capture the sensation of standing on the open-air platform as planes came within 100 feet.
As part of a cosmetic upgrade for the airport that was initiated by then-Gov. William Donald Schaefer, the state aviation administration set out to create a lounge that would give travelers a more pleasant place to wait for flights without having to join an exclusive airline club.
Even though the FAA still prohibits open-air viewing platforms as a security precaution, administrators also wanted to create a space that would capture some of the same excitement and immediacy, through high-tech exhibits that give a sense of the activities on the airfield.
``We wanted to create a setting reminiscent of the old observation deck,'' said Ted Mathison, executive director of the Maryland Aviation Administration. ``As in the old days, people will come to watch airplanes take off and land, but their experience will be enriched by the educational elements, computerized interactive displays, a Smithsonian museum shop and more. We believe BWI's observation gallery is unlike any other in the world.''
The job of designing the observation gallery was given to Greiner Inc. of Timonium, Md., and Cambridge Seven Associates of Cambridge, Mass. They came up with the idea of building a multitiered lounge with a curving glass ``skywindow'' that offers sweeping views of three of the airfield's four runways. It's main level was set one floor above the terminal's upper concourse for the best possible views.
To make the gallery educational as well as entertaining, they proposed that the 16,477-square-foot space double as an interactive aviation museum. That's when they hit on the idea of displaying airplane parts like pieces of sculpture - a nose and cockpit, a 47-foot-long wing, the tail fin, and a 7-foot-deep section of the fuselage. They even found an ``organ donor'' with a strong connection to Baltimore - a Boeing 737 leased by the Baltimore Orioles during the 1991 season.
The idea won the enthusiastic backing of Maryland's governor and its transportation secretary at the time, and the project was soon under way.
For most travelers, the first sign of the gallery comes when they glimpse one of the dismantled airplane parts.
The nose of the plane looms ominously over the public corridor, its tires just a few feet above people's heads. From a distance, it looks as if a plane is about to touch down inside the terminal. Simulated runway striping and actual landing lights add to the illusion.
Some travelers will walk right past this protrusion, seemingly oblivious to it or in too much of a hurry to stop. Others do a double take. Have they somehow wandered out on the runway? Is the plane about to crash?
Moving closer, they can see that the nose has been severed from the rest of the plane and made into a marquee of sorts for the gallery above. The initial sense of surprise and ambiguity is one of the most effective parts of the exhibit and a key to making people want to see more.
If their curiosity has been piqued, travelers can take stairs or a glass-enclosed elevator up one flight to the main observation level. At the top, they'll find the skywindow and the rest of the 737 artifacts, reassembled in roughly the same configuration they were in before the plane was dissected. There is also landing gear from a Boeing 707.
Off to one side are the interactive exhibits, including a flight simulator and touch-screen video monitors that show travelers the flight paths they'll take and the weather conditions where they're going.
A snack bar and gift shop are on the opposite side, while the center contains seats and benches facing the airfield. One level below the main observation gallery, the airport has created a toddlers' play area, with kid-size versions of a plane, an aircraft ``tug,'' a luggage cart and a fuel truck, and a colorful mural by illustrator Peter Sis.
by CNB