Boeing 747 art project takes flight in Mojave

A team of artists, engineers, airline mechanics, welders, technologists, and visionaries are busy at the Mojave Air & Space Port converting a Boeing 747 into a moving art experience for Burning Man 2017. The plane is a 1985 Varig cargo conversion that once transported passengers in Brazil. The project's goal is to give the plane new wings by transforming it into a land-going vessel - an "art car" - for Burning Man's annual festival of art in Nevada's Black Rock Desert.

Since its inception in 2015, the project has become a true community effort. Its army of hundreds of volunteers include engineers from Boeing, NASA, and many of Mojave's aerospace and experimental aircraft companies. Sound and light designers have donated equipment, and many fans have donated financially to the project through the website and Indiegogo campaign.

Big Imagination Foundation is the 501(c)3 non-profit organization that surrounds the project. The organization is dedicated to incubating bold and visionary ideas that inspire the world to achieve the impossible. In line with Burning Man ethos, the 747 Project relies on collaboration and community support and provides opportunities for education and participation open to everyone.

The 747 Project is situated well in Mojave, a hotbed of flight testing, space industry development, and aircraft maintenance. The town is home to the Mojave Air & Space Port, the National Test Pilot School, and aerospace companies such as Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic. The 747 Project is inspired by the same spirit and propels these industries, and the same spirit that took the Wright brothers to the skies. When completed, Big Imagination's 747 will be the largest Burning Man moving art experience ever created.

The team welcomes local volunteers to join the project on weekdays and weekends from now until August. Work times are 9 to 6 p.m. in the spring months and 2 p.m. to late night in the summer. Metal-working, welding, A&P, and engineering skills are appreciated but not required. Come check it out!

Sign up to volunteer at bit.ly/volunteer747. Learn more about the project at http://www.bigimagination.org

Follow Big Imagination Foundation on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/bigimaginationfoundation/