RIVERSIDE — A new exhibit inspired by a galaxy far, far away has landed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
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“Iconic Starfighters: Rivals of the Silver Screen” opened today in Riverside. News Center 7 spoke with the two men behind the new exhibit inspired by “Star Wars.”
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Tim O’Sullivan has been a “Star Wars” fan for a long time. After being wounded in combat, the military veteran had to find some ways to pass his time.
“Staying busy is the best thing that I could do,” O’Sullivan said.
He got into animatronics and special effects artistry. That’s how he met Joey DeFranco, CEO of Dayton-based Firewatch Design.
“We got asked by our partners at COSI to co-develop these ships together, and so we built them and installed them in about a six-month time window,” DeFranco said.
Together, creating the space craft inspired by the iconic “Star Wars” films. The exhibit includes one based on Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing Fighter and another based on Darth Vader’s Tie Fighter from the 1977 classic.
After COSI’s exhibit was done, O’Sullivan and DeFranco wanted to find a new place to show them off. That’s where the National Museum of the United States Air Force stepped in.
“They need a place to park. We were super excited to take them up on the offer,” Bill Horner, Director of Visitor Services of the Air Force Museum Foundation, said.
Horner added that they fit perfectly into the museum.
“(They’re) using specific references from real aircraft in their designs themselves, but I mean, they look identical to everything else,” Horner said.
O’Sullivan told News Center 7’s Xavier Hershovitz about what it means to have the exhibit in Riverside.
“I’ve always wanted to be a part of the universe, and this is about as close to the story as I can get, and actually having it here in the Air Force Museum is even more powerful,” O’Sullivan said.
It’s helped bring two pieces of his life together: his military service and love of “Star Wars.”
He added that he hopes to inspire the next generation of engineers.
“The things that we’re working on today, this is it,” O’Sullivan said. “This is what the future could or will be, and not too far away.”
The exhibit runs through the end of the year. More information can be found here.
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