Boeing 727
What would become the world’s largest passenger aircraft company began in 1916 with the partnership of William Boeing, a Seattle shipyard owner, and George Westervelt, a US Navy engineer. Boeing and Westervelt had bought a Curtiss flying boat from Glenn Curtiss himself, but after Boeing crashed the seaplane on Lake Washington, Curtiss informed Boeing that the repairs would take several months. Boeing remarked that he could build a new aircraft in a shorter time than that, and so, in July 1916, the Pacific Aero Products Company was formed; it would be renamed the Boeing Airplane Company in May 1917. Its first customer was the US Navy, who ordered 50 Boeing Model C seaplanes after successfully testing two built with Boeing’s own money—beginning Boeing’s long association with military contracts.
Boeing, like many small aircraft companies, was barely able to make ends meet after the end of World War I and any associated contracts. It turned to selling furniture and light boats, though it continued to market aircraft. The company had some minor successes with mailplanes and fighters for the US Army Air Corps and Navy, but it was not until the Boeing 247 came out in 1933 that the company began to thrive. The 247 was in many ways the first modern airliner, of all-metal construction, speed, and the ability to fly on one engine; it also introduced the ease of flying that became a Boeing characteristic. Though it would be overshadowed by the even-more advanced Douglas DC-3, the Boeing 247 was a revolutionary aircraft. It interested Pan American Airways to award Boeing a contract to build the Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat, which was four times the size of the 247 and one of the largest aircraft of its day, carrying 40-80 passengers in luxury approaching that of an ocean liner.
Boeing intended to follow the success of the Clipper with the Boeing 307 Stratoliner, a pressurized long-distance airliner based on Boeing’s B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, but the United States’ entry into World War II in December 1941 prevented the 307 from ever achieving any kind of success. World War II, however, would firmly establish Boeing as one of the biggest aircraft manufacturers of the world: its B-17 would be the workhorse bomber for the US Army Air Force, while the B-29 Superfortress revolutionized long-range bomber technology. So important was the B-29 and so trusted was Boeing that the USAAF placed an order worth $4 billion (in 1942 money) before the aircraft was even designed. Boeing underwent massive expansion, building a new plant in Wichita, Kansas just for the B-29.
The end of World War II also meant the end of Boeing’s military contracts, and the company was hit hard by the loss of 70,000 jobs. The Boeing 377 Stratocruiser (continuing the “Seven” series of Boeing airliners) was based on the B-29 and meant to combine the range of the Superfortress with the luxury of the Clipper, but was generally a commercial failure, due to its expense and engine problems. Boeing stayed afloat by military contracts: it was able to build a medium-range all-jet bomber, the B-47 Stratojet, and use the knowledge learned to revamp their B-52 Stratofortress bomber from a swept-wing turboprop to an all-jet, long-range bomber.
Encouraged by the success of the B-47/B-52 series, and with the knowledge that the British, the French and the Russians were all working on jet airliner designs (the deHavilland Comet, Sud-Aviation Caravelle, and Tupolev Tu-104), Boeing launched a private venture, the Boeing 367-80 “Dash 80” technology demonstrator. Boeing’s biggest rival, Douglas, had been far more successful with its DC-4/DC-6 series, and Boeing wanted to beat Douglas to a jet airliner. In case the airlines showed lukewarm interest, the Dash 80 was also billed as an inflight refuelling platform to the USAF, which needed a jet replacement for its propeller-driven fleet of tankers. As it turned out, the Dash 80 was successful in both ventures: the USAF bought it as the KC-135 Stratotanker, while an upscaled, modified version became the Boeing 707.
The 707 propelled Boeing to the front of airliner manufacturers: though the Comet, Caravelle and Tu-104 all beat it into service, the 707’s range, reliability, passenger comfort, and ease of flying would make it the standard to beat for all others. In a response to a call from American airline companies for a smaller 707 that could operate at smaller airports, Boeing designed the trijet Boeing 727 in 1962, which was a new design but used a fuselage closely related to the 707. When a still-smaller jet airliner was needed, the Boeing 737 was built in 1967: in its various marks, the 737 would become the most successful airliner ever built.
Though it was enjoying huge success in the civilian market, Boeing still retained its near-supremacy in large aircraft designs for the USAF as well. In response to a USAF requirement for a very heavy transport, Boeing submitted a design for a double-decked aircraft. It lost to Lockheed’s design (which would become the C-5 Galaxy), but even before the bid was lost, Boeing considered a civilian version, especially as Pan American was already pressuring Boeing for an upscaled, longer-ranged 707. Boeing combined the double-decked design with the 707’s low wing and podded engines; as air cargo was expected to triple in the decades to come, the cockpit was mounted high in a “hump” above the wide fuselage, so cargo could be loaded through the nose. The rear of the hump became a lounge, and the Boeing 747 was born. The 747 was the first of the “wide-body” aircraft to enter service in 1969, and revolutionized air travel even more than the 707—for the first time, mass air travel was a reality.
Boeing was in trouble by the time its new design entered revenue service in 1971. Production of the KC-135 and B-52 had ended with no further military contracts in sight, the 747 was delayed due to engine problems, and efforts to build a supersonic transport (the Boeing 2707) failed. There was a real fear that the company would go out of business, but the success of the 737 and 747 kept it afloat. To address the obsolescence of the 707, the aging of the 727 design, and the challenge of the European Airbus consortium, Boeing introduced the 757 and 767 designs in the early 1980s.
Like the 707/727/737 series, the 757/767 shared a similar design philosophy and fuselage, and proved just as successful. The late-model 737-300 series also began production in the mid-1980s, keeping that design viable, and to bridge the gap between the 767 and 747, Boeing introduced the 777 in 1994. The 777 used “fly-by-wire” microprocessors introduced in 1980s American fighter designs and already adopted by Airbus, and became the first two-engined airliner to be allowed to fly trans-Pacific routes.
Boeing continued to expand, acquiring Rockwell Aviation in 1996 and then its largest rival, McDonnell Douglas, in 1997; the company incorporated McDonnell Douglas’ logo as its own and continued production of the DC-9/MD-80 series as the Boeing 717 for a time, though the later development of the DC-10, the MD-11, ended production. Boeing also took over production of the C-17 Globemaster III military transport and the F-15 Eagle and F/A-18 Hornet fighters.
Since 1997, Boeing has continued to lead the world in aircraft manufacturing and design, and today is the United States’ leading exporter. This has not come without problems, however: Boeing’s new-generation replacement for the 757/767 design, the 787 Dreamliner, was delayed over two years in development, while the newest version of the 747, the 747-800, has not been as successful as the company would like in competition with the gargantuan Airbus A380. Attempts to land a contract to build the KC-135’s replacement ran into a decade-long controversy and corruption charges (though Boeing did eventually win the contract with the KC-767), and the company has faced the same downturn in commercial aviation that Airbus has. Nonetheless, Boeing continues to be one of the most successful aviation companies in the world, and plans to continue being such in the future.
This is the Boeing 727 prototype, in 1960s era Boeing Company colors. This aircraft still exists, and is on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington in United Airlines colors.
Boeing 727
What would become the world’s largest passenger aircraft company began in 1916 with the partnership of William Boeing, a Seattle shipyard owner, and George Westervelt, a US Navy engineer. Boeing and Westervelt had bought a Curtiss flying boat from Glenn Curtiss himself, but after Boeing crashed the seaplane on Lake Washington, Curtiss informed Boeing that the repairs would take several months. Boeing remarked that he could build a new aircraft in a shorter time than that, and so, in July 1916, the Pacific Aero Products Company was formed; it would be renamed the Boeing Airplane Company in May 1917. Its first customer was the US Navy, who ordered 50 Boeing Model C seaplanes after successfully testing two built with Boeing’s own money—beginning Boeing’s long association with military contracts.
Boeing, like many small aircraft companies, was barely able to make ends meet after the end of World War I and any associated contracts. It turned to selling furniture and light boats, though it continued to market aircraft. The company had some minor successes with mailplanes and fighters for the US Army Air Corps and Navy, but it was not until the Boeing 247 came out in 1933 that the company began to thrive. The 247 was in many ways the first modern airliner, of all-metal construction, speed, and the ability to fly on one engine; it also introduced the ease of flying that became a Boeing characteristic. Though it would be overshadowed by the even-more advanced Douglas DC-3, the Boeing 247 was a revolutionary aircraft. It interested Pan American Airways to award Boeing a contract to build the Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat, which was four times the size of the 247 and one of the largest aircraft of its day, carrying 40-80 passengers in luxury approaching that of an ocean liner.
Boeing intended to follow the success of the Clipper with the Boeing 307 Stratoliner, a pressurized long-distance airliner based on Boeing’s B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, but the United States’ entry into World War II in December 1941 prevented the 307 from ever achieving any kind of success. World War II, however, would firmly establish Boeing as one of the biggest aircraft manufacturers of the world: its B-17 would be the workhorse bomber for the US Army Air Force, while the B-29 Superfortress revolutionized long-range bomber technology. So important was the B-29 and so trusted was Boeing that the USAAF placed an order worth $4 billion (in 1942 money) before the aircraft was even designed. Boeing underwent massive expansion, building a new plant in Wichita, Kansas just for the B-29.
The end of World War II also meant the end of Boeing’s military contracts, and the company was hit hard by the loss of 70,000 jobs. The Boeing 377 Stratocruiser (continuing the “Seven” series of Boeing airliners) was based on the B-29 and meant to combine the range of the Superfortress with the luxury of the Clipper, but was generally a commercial failure, due to its expense and engine problems. Boeing stayed afloat by military contracts: it was able to build a medium-range all-jet bomber, the B-47 Stratojet, and use the knowledge learned to revamp their B-52 Stratofortress bomber from a swept-wing turboprop to an all-jet, long-range bomber.
Encouraged by the success of the B-47/B-52 series, and with the knowledge that the British, the French and the Russians were all working on jet airliner designs (the deHavilland Comet, Sud-Aviation Caravelle, and Tupolev Tu-104), Boeing launched a private venture, the Boeing 367-80 “Dash 80” technology demonstrator. Boeing’s biggest rival, Douglas, had been far more successful with its DC-4/DC-6 series, and Boeing wanted to beat Douglas to a jet airliner. In case the airlines showed lukewarm interest, the Dash 80 was also billed as an inflight refuelling platform to the USAF, which needed a jet replacement for its propeller-driven fleet of tankers. As it turned out, the Dash 80 was successful in both ventures: the USAF bought it as the KC-135 Stratotanker, while an upscaled, modified version became the Boeing 707.
The 707 propelled Boeing to the front of airliner manufacturers: though the Comet, Caravelle and Tu-104 all beat it into service, the 707’s range, reliability, passenger comfort, and ease of flying would make it the standard to beat for all others. In a response to a call from American airline companies for a smaller 707 that could operate at smaller airports, Boeing designed the trijet Boeing 727 in 1962, which was a new design but used a fuselage closely related to the 707. When a still-smaller jet airliner was needed, the Boeing 737 was built in 1967: in its various marks, the 737 would become the most successful airliner ever built.
Though it was enjoying huge success in the civilian market, Boeing still retained its near-supremacy in large aircraft designs for the USAF as well. In response to a USAF requirement for a very heavy transport, Boeing submitted a design for a double-decked aircraft. It lost to Lockheed’s design (which would become the C-5 Galaxy), but even before the bid was lost, Boeing considered a civilian version, especially as Pan American was already pressuring Boeing for an upscaled, longer-ranged 707. Boeing combined the double-decked design with the 707’s low wing and podded engines; as air cargo was expected to triple in the decades to come, the cockpit was mounted high in a “hump” above the wide fuselage, so cargo could be loaded through the nose. The rear of the hump became a lounge, and the Boeing 747 was born. The 747 was the first of the “wide-body” aircraft to enter service in 1969, and revolutionized air travel even more than the 707—for the first time, mass air travel was a reality.
Boeing was in trouble by the time its new design entered revenue service in 1971. Production of the KC-135 and B-52 had ended with no further military contracts in sight, the 747 was delayed due to engine problems, and efforts to build a supersonic transport (the Boeing 2707) failed. There was a real fear that the company would go out of business, but the success of the 737 and 747 kept it afloat. To address the obsolescence of the 707, the aging of the 727 design, and the challenge of the European Airbus consortium, Boeing introduced the 757 and 767 designs in the early 1980s.
Like the 707/727/737 series, the 757/767 shared a similar design philosophy and fuselage, and proved just as successful. The late-model 737-300 series also began production in the mid-1980s, keeping that design viable, and to bridge the gap between the 767 and 747, Boeing introduced the 777 in 1994. The 777 used “fly-by-wire” microprocessors introduced in 1980s American fighter designs and already adopted by Airbus, and became the first two-engined airliner to be allowed to fly trans-Pacific routes.
Boeing continued to expand, acquiring Rockwell Aviation in 1996 and then its largest rival, McDonnell Douglas, in 1997; the company incorporated McDonnell Douglas’ logo as its own and continued production of the DC-9/MD-80 series as the Boeing 717 for a time, though the later development of the DC-10, the MD-11, ended production. Boeing also took over production of the C-17 Globemaster III military transport and the F-15 Eagle and F/A-18 Hornet fighters.
Since 1997, Boeing has continued to lead the world in aircraft manufacturing and design, and today is the United States’ leading exporter. This has not come without problems, however: Boeing’s new-generation replacement for the 757/767 design, the 787 Dreamliner, was delayed over two years in development, while the newest version of the 747, the 747-800, has not been as successful as the company would like in competition with the gargantuan Airbus A380. Attempts to land a contract to build the KC-135’s replacement ran into a decade-long controversy and corruption charges (though Boeing did eventually win the contract with the KC-767), and the company has faced the same downturn in commercial aviation that Airbus has. Nonetheless, Boeing continues to be one of the most successful aviation companies in the world, and plans to continue being such in the future.
This is the Boeing 727 prototype, in 1960s era Boeing Company colors. This aircraft still exists, and is on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington in United Airlines colors.