Ohio convention centre to add restaurant built in old plane

CLEVELAND – A convention centre in Cleveland says it’s turning a Cold War-era aircraft into a stationary restaurant in a bid to attract more visitors with a distinctive dining experience.

The Plain Dealer reports the Boeing KC-97G Stratofreighter used for mid-flight refuelling had been mothballed in Arizona for several decades before the International Exposition Center bought it last year and relocated it near the exhibition hall. The I-X Center hopes to renovate the interior of the air tanker into a 50-seat restaurant by 2020.

The industrial artist leading that task, Mike Ensminger of Elyria (eh-LEER’-ee-uh), says he would like to leave the aircraft as historically accurate as possible.

The I-X Center has put $600,000 into the project so far, and officials anticipate spending another $500,000.

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Information from: The Plain Dealer, http://www.cleveland.com