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Artifact Rigging

Engineering the impossible. installing the irreplaceable.

Within our Special Projects division, IWEISS delivers world-class artifact rigging, relocation, and installation services for museums, institutions, and private collections. From early flight to modern space exploration, we engineer and execute complex installations with absolute precision—protecting both the artifact and its legacy.

With experience supporting the relocation and installation of nearly 200 artifacts, our team integrates engineering, submittals, transport, rigging, and on-site execution into a seamless, turnkey solution.

End to End project delivery

We don’t just rig artifacts—we take full responsibility for the entire process:

Structural engineering analysis and calculations
Rigging design and custom connection detailing
Comprehensive submittals and engineering documentation
Specialized transport and logistics coordination
On-site installation, hanging, and rigging execution
Ongoing support and preservation considerations

Every project is engineered from the ground up to ensure safety, accuracy, and long-term stability.

proven across air, space, and beyond

Our portfolio spans some of the most complex and historically significant artifacts ever displayed, ranging from delicate scientific instruments to full-scale aircraft, rockets, and spaceflight hardware.

Featured Work:

Blue Origin New Shepard Rocket Booster
Minuteman III Missile
V-2 Rocket and Launch Stand
WAC Corporal Rocket
Skylab IV Command Module
Apollo Command Modules & Lunar Hardware
Hubble Space Telescope Components
International Space Station Model
1941 Junkers Ju-87 Stuka
P-51 Mustang
F/A-18 Hornet
Lockheed U-2C
Bell UH-1H “Huey” Helicopter

depth of experience

Our work covers a wide spectrum of artifact types:

Aviation – Historic and modern aircraft, from Wright-era flights to jet and supersonic platforms.
Space & Rocketry – Launch vehicles, missiles, satellites, deep space probes, and crewed spaceflight hardware.
Unmanned & Experimental Systems – UAVs, drones, hypersonic vehicles, and research platforms.
Scientific & Technical Artifacts – Telescopes, wind tunnel models, propulsion systems, and engineering hardware.
Early Flight & Ballooning – Balloon baskets, gondolas, and pioneering aeronautical artifacts.

iweiss + century aviation

Since 2013, IWEISS has partnered with Century Aviation to deliver a fully integrated approach to artifact projects. Together, we provide a single-source solution that combines engineering expertise, logistics coordination, and field execution.

Our combined capabilities include:

Artifact assembly and disassembly
Secure transport and relocation
Custom rigging and connection design
Structural engineering review and analysis
Custom fabrication and specialty support systems
On-site preservation services and consulting

Built for Complex Installations

Our team and infrastructure are designed to handle the most demanding projects:

Artifact handling specialists and certified riggers
Experience supporting nearly 200 artifact installations and relocations
Structural engineers licensed in all 50 states
Certified equipment and personnel lift operators
Advanced drafting, engineering documentation, and submittals
Custom fabrication of rigging hardware and artifact support systems

From skeletons to spacecraft, we bring engineering discipline and hands-on expertise together to ensure every artifact is installed safely, accurately, and beautifully.

Artifact Handling Special Projects

Hickory Aviation Museum

The Hickory Aviation Museum in Hickory, North Carolina officially opened its doors on May 16, 2026, celebrating the completion of a remarkable new space dedicated to preserving aviation history. In early 2025, IWEISS partnered with the museum team to complete a full site survey, engineer the rigging point solution, and prepare the featured Marine HMLA-269 Cobra helicopter for permanent suspension.

Artifact Handling Museums Special Projects

National Museum of the Marine Corps

In the heart of the Leatherneck Gallery in the National Museum of the Marine Corps, visitors can now look up and see the newly installed AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter, expertly rigged by the IWEISS team.

Artifact Handling Museums Special Events and Exhibits Special Projects

Blue Angels A4 Skyhawk

Welcome to an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the latest IWEISS project! In this video, we will take you through the process of transporting, unwrapping, rebuilding, motorizing, and hanging a Blue Angels jet into its new home.

Artifact Handling Museums Special Projects

Sullenberger Aviation Museum

Sullenberger Aviation museum

Artifact Handling Special Events and Exhibits Special Projects

9/11 Flag

IWESS is honored to recently be involved with the rigging of a flag that endured the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

Artifact Handling Museums Special Projects

SPYSCAPE Museum – Custom Fabrication

Spyscape Museum in NYC came to IWEISS for the engineering, custom steel fabrication, and installation to suspend a 2012 Lamborghini Aventador and an Aston Martin DB5.

Artifact Handling Museums Special Projects

MQ-1 Predator

Artifact Rigging MQ-1 Predator

Artifact Handling Museums Special Events and Exhibits Special Projects

Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

IWEISS has been contracted to design and execute all rigging required for de-installation and moving large artifacts out of the building to accommodate the renovation and then back into the newly designed exhibits once the renovation is complete.

Artifact Handling Special Events and Exhibits Special Projects

Landing a Stuka

We were hired by Century Aviation to lower a German Stuka bomber to the floor at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

Artifact Handling Museums Special Projects

Museum of the Earth

IWEISS engineers were challenged to hang the 44' long skeleton of one of the last Right Whales at the Museum of the Earth in Ithaca, NY.

Artifact Handling Museums Special Projects

F-18 – The National Museum of the Marine Corps

Back in 2013, The National Museum of the Marine Corps contracted Century Aviation of Wenatchee, WA to restore an F-18 Hornet that was stationed at Andrews Air Force Base.

For more information on our history with artifact rigging, click here to visit our Portfolio Page