SEATTLE, Aug. 30, 2017--On Sept. 9, the Museum presents a special screening of The Millionaires' Unit-U.S. Naval Aviators in the First World War, the story of a privileged group of college students from Yale who formed a private air militia in preparation for America's entry into World War One. The film was made veteran documentary filmmakers Ron King and Darroch Greer, who will attend the screening and field questions from the audience. Narrated by Bruce Dern, with filming on three continents, the documentary includes stunning new aerial footage recreating World War I aviation using actual aircraft. The Milllionaires' Unit screens at 2 p.m., and is free with Museum admission. See trailer online. Special guests at the screening include Seattle-local Chris Brown and his brother David Brown, Jr., who are grandsons of First Yale Unit aviator Robert Lovett. One of the film's producers, Ron King, is a grandson of First Yale Unit member John M. Vorys. The program will be introduced by Amy Heidrick, the Museum's Associate Director of Collections, who leads a project to digitize the Museum's rare World War I aviation photos and prints, making them available for viewing online for the first time. About the Film The military flying group formed by Ivy League college students during World War I was known as the First Yale Unit, and dubbed 'the millionaires' unit' by the New York press. It became the founding squadron of the U.S. Naval Air Reserve, and the first to fly for the United States in the Great War. The documentary uses the diaries and letters of these pioneer aviators to tell the story of young men coming of age as America was coming of age as a world power. Their service and sacrifice is the great untold story of American aviation in World War One. The documentary was inspired by the book The Millionaires' Unit by Marc Wortman. The film was in development and production for seven years, and shot on three continents, including New Zealand, where aerial footage was shot with some of the world's most accurate replicas of World War I aircraft. Documentary filmmakers Darroch Greer and Ron King (grandson of First Yale Unit member John M. Vorys) aimed to create a personal, character-driven story that sheds light on a formative, if neglected, part of American history and on the American character. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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About The Museum of Flight: Founded in 1965, the independent, nonprofit Museum of Flight is one of the largest air and space museums in the world, serving more than 560,000 visitors annually. The Museum's collection includes more than 160 historically significant airplanes and spacecraft, from the first fighter plane (1914) to today's 787 Dreamliner. Attractions at the 20-acre, 5-building Seattle campus include the original Boeing Company factory, and the only full-scale NASA Space Shuttle Trainer, and the only display of engines that launched Apollo astronauts to the Moon. With a foundation of aviation history, the Museum is also a hub of news and dialogue with leaders in the emerging field of private spaceflight ventures. The Museum's aviation and space library and archives are the largest on the West Coast. More than 150,000 individuals are served annually by the Museum's onsite and outreach educational programs. The Museum of Flight is accredited by the American Association of Museums, and is an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 E. Marginal Way S., Seattle, Exit 158 off Interstate 5 on Boeing Field halfway between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport. The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Museum admission for adults is $23.00 on-site and $21.00 online. Youth 5 through 17 are $14.00 on-site and $13 online, youth 4 and under are free. Seniors 65 and over $19 on-site and $18 online. Groups of ten or more: $21.00 per adult, $13.00 per youth, Thanks to Wells Fargo, on the first Thursday of every month, admission is free from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. And parking is always free. There is a full lunch menu café in the Museum and a limited menu café in the Aviation Pavilion, both operated by McCormick & Schmick's. For general Museum information, please call 206-764-5720 or visit www.museumofflight.org |
