Boeing
B777
Photo: Robert Deering 2/3/2006
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas

The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation. Founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington, the company has expanded over the years, and merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing moved its corporate headquarters from Seattle to Chicago, Illinois, in 2001. Boeing is made up of multiple business units, which are Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA); Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS); Engineering, Operations & Technology; Boeing Capital; and Boeing Shared Services Group.

Boeing is among the largest global aircraft manufacturers, and the third largest aerospace and defense contractor in the world based on defense-related revenue. The company is the largest exporter by value in the US, and its stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

PHOTOS        
Commercial Aircraft        

B&W 1

B40

B80

B247

B307

B367-80

B707

B727    

B737
   

B747    

B757  

B767    

B777
   
Technology Demonstrators      

B360      

Bird of Prey 
     
Military Aircraft      

B-17
Flying Fortress
 

B-29
Superfortress

B-47
Stratojet 

B-52
Stratofortress

C-17
Globemaster III
 

CH-46
Sea Knight 

CH-47
Chinook

E-3
Sentinal
 

FB

F4B    

KB-50
Superfortress 

KC-97
Stratofreighter

KC-135
Stratotanker 

P-12

P-26
Peashooter 

RB-47
Stratojet
 

T-43 

VC-25 

VC-137 

WB-50
Superfortress

X-40
  

X-45
 
     

HISTORY

In March 1910, William E. Boeing bought Heath's shipyard in Seattle on the Duwamish River, which later became his first airplane factory. Boeing was incorporated in Seattle by William Boeing, on July 15, 1916, as "Pacific Aero Products Co.". Boeing, who studied at Yale University, worked initially in the timber industry, where he became wealthy and acquired knowledge about wooden structures. This knowledge would prove invaluable in his subsequent design and assembly of airplanes. The company stayed in Seattle to take advantage of the local supply of Spruce wood.

William Boeing founded his company a few months after the June 15 maiden flight of one of the two "B&W" seaplanes built with the assistance of George Conrad Westervelt, a U.S. Navy engineer. Boeing and Westervelt decided to build the B&W seaplane after having flown in a Curtiss aircraft. Boeing bought a Glenn Martin "Flying Birdcage" seaplane (so called because of all the guy-wires holding it together) and was taught to fly by Glenn Martin himself. Boeing soon crashed the Birdcage and when Martin informed Boeing that replacement parts would not become available for months, Boeing realized he could build his own plane in that amount of time. He and his friend Cdr. G.C. Westervelt agreed to build a better airplane and soon produced the B&W Seaplane.  This first Boeing airplane was assembled in a lakeside hangar located on the northeast shore of Seattle's Lake Union. Many of Boeing's early planes were seaplanes.

On May 9, 1917, the company became the "Boeing Airplane Company". In late 1917, the US entered World War I and Boeing knew that the US Navy needed seaplanes for training. So Boeing shipped two new Model Cs to Pensacola, Florida where the planes were flown for the Navy. The Navy liked the Model C so much that they ordered fifty more.  The company moved its operations to a larger former shipbuilding facility known as Boeing Plant 1, located on the lower Duwamish River.

When World War I ended in 1918, a large surplus of cheap, used military planes flooded the commercial airplane market, and this prevented aircraft companies like Boeing from selling any new airplanes. Because of this, many airplane companies went out of business, but other companies, including Boeing, started selling other products. Boeing built dressers, counters, and furniture, along with flat-bottom boats called Sea Sleds.

Boeing Milestones
 
  • In 1923, Boeing began a competition against Curtiss for a contract to develop a pursuit fighter for the U.S. Army Air Service. Although Curtiss finished its design first and was awarded the contract, Boeing continued to develop its PW-9 fighter. That plane, along with the Boeing P-12/ F4B fighter, made Boeing a leading manufacturer of fighters over the course of the next decade
  • In 1925, Boeing built its Model 40 mail plane for the US government to use on airmail routes. In 1927, an improved version of this plane was built, the Model 40A. The 40A won the U.S. Post Office's contract to deliver mail between San Francisco and Chicago. The 40A also had a passenger cabin that accommodated two passengers.
  • On July 27, 1929, the 12-passenger Boeing 80 biplane made its first flight. With three engines, it was Boeing's first plane built with the sole intention of being a passenger transport. An upgraded version, the 80A, carrying eighteen passengers, made its first flight in September 1929.
  • In 1930, the Monomail, a low-wing monoplane that carried mail, was built. Built entirely out of metal, it was very fast and aerodynamic, and it also had retractable landing gear. In fact, its design was so revolutionary that the engines and propellers of the time could not handle the plane. By the time controllable pitch propellers were developed, Boeing was building its Model 247 airliner. Two Monomails were built. The second one, the Model 221, had a 6-passenger cabin.
  • In 1933 the revolutionary Boeing 247 was introduced, the first truly modern airliner. The 247 was an all-metal low-wing monoplane that was much faster, safer, and easier to fly than other passenger aircraft. For example, it was the first twin engine passenger aircraft that could fly on one engine. In an era of unreliable engines, this vastly improved flight safety. Boeing built the first sixty aircraft exclusively for its own United Airlines subsidiary's operations. This badly hurt competing airlines, and was typical of the anti-competitive corporate behavior that the US government sought to prohibit at the time.
  • In 1938, Boeing completed work on its Model 307 Stratoliner. This was the world’s first pressurized-cabin transport aircraft, and it was capable of cruising at an altitude of 20,000 feet (6,100 m) – above most weather disturbances. It was based on the B-17, using the same wings, tail and engines.
  • During World War II, Boeing built a large number of B-17 and B-29 bombers. Many of the workers were women whose husbands had gone to war. In the beginning of March 1944, production had been scaled up in such a manner that over 350 planes were built each month. To prevent an attack from the air, the manufacturing plants had been covered with greenery and farmland items. During these years of war the leading aircraft companies of the US cooperated. The Boeing-designed B-17 bomber was assembled also by Lockheed Aircraft Corp. and Douglas Aircraft Co., while the B-29 was assembled also by Bell Aircraft Co. and by Glenn L. Martin Company.
  • Boeing developed military jets such as the B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress bombers in the late-1940s and into the 1950s. During the early 1950s, Boeing used company funds to develop the 367–80 jet airliner demonstrator that led to the KC-135 Stratotanker and Boeing 707 jetliner.
  • In 1958, Boeing began delivery of its 707, the United States' first commercial jet airliner, in response to the British De Havilland Comet, French Sud Aviation Caravelle and Soviet Tupolev Tu-104, which were the world’s first generation of commercial jet aircraft. With the 707, a four-engine, 156-passenger airliner, the US became a leader in commercial jet manufacture. A few years later, Boeing added a second version of this aircraft, the 720, which was slightly faster and had a shorter range.
  • Vertol Aircraft Corporation was acquired by Boeing in 1960, and was reorganized as Boeing's Vertol division. The twin-rotor CH-47 Chinook, produced by Vertol, took its first flight in 1961. This heavy-lift helicopter remains a work-horse vehicle up to the present day. In 1964, Vertol also began production of the CH-46 Sea Knight.
  • In December 1960, Boeing announced the model 727 jetliner, which went into commercial service about three years later. Different passenger, freight and convertible freighter variants were developed for the 727. The 727 was the first commercial jetliner to reach 1000 sales, and a few years later the 1500 mark was reached.
  • In 1967, Boeing introduced another short- and medium-range airliner, the twin-engine 737. It has become since then the best-selling commercial jet aircraft in aviation history. The 737 is still being produced, and continuous improvements are made. Several versions have been developed, mainly to increase seating capacity and range.
  • In January 1970, the first 747, a four-engine long-range airliner, flew its first commercial flight. This famous aircraft completely changed the way of flying, with its 450-passenger seating capacity and its upper deck. Boeing has delivered nearly 1,400 747s. The 747 has undergone continuous improvements to keep it technologically up-to-date. Larger versions have also been developed by stretching the upper deck. As of 2012, the 747 is still being produced, with its newest version being the 747-8.
  • In April 1994, Boeing introduced the most modern commercial jet aircraft at the time, the twin-engine 777, with a seating capacity of approximately 300 to 370 passengers in a typical three-class layout, in between the 767 and the 747. The longest range twin-engined aircraft in the world, the 777 was the first Boeing airliner to feature a "fly-by-wire" system and was conceived partly in response to the inroads being made by the European Airbus into Boeing’s traditional market. This aircraft reached an important milestone by being the first airliner to be designed entirely by using computer-aided design (CAD) techniques.  The 777 was also the first airplane to be certified for 180 minute ETOPS at entry into service by the FAA.
  • In August 1997, Boeing merged with McDonnell Douglas in a US$13 billion stock swap under the name The Boeing Company. However this name had actually been Boeing's official name previously adopted on May 21, 1961.   Following the merger, the McDonnell Douglas MD-95 was renamed the Boeing 717, and the production of the MD-11 was limited to the freighter version. Boeing introduced a new corporate identity with completion of the merger, incorporating the Boeing logo type and a stylized version of the McDonnell Douglas symbol, which was derived from the Douglas Aircraft logo from the 1970s.
  • In September 2001, Boeing moved its corporate headquarters from Seattle to Chicago. Chicago, Dallas and Denver – vying to become the new home of the world’s largest aerospace concern – all had offered packages of multimillion-dollar tax breaks.  Its offices are located in the Fulton River District, Chicago just outside the Loop, Chicago.
  • Boeing has achieved several consecutive launches, beginning with the formal launch of the 787 for initial delivery to All Nippon Airways. Rollout of the first 787 occurred on July 8, 2007, with the first flight taking place on December 15, 2009.

Source: Wikipedia  

AIRCRAFT
 
Commercial Aircraft
Model 1    
Model 6     
Model 6D    
Model 7    
Model 8    
Model 40 1925 Biplane built to carry mail and passengers.
Model 64    
Model 80 1928 Three-engine biplane airliner
Model 81    
Model 95    
Model 200 Monomail   Converted into the 8-passenger Model 221A
Model 203     
Model 204    
Model 221 Monomail   Converted into the 8-passenger Model 221A.  
Model 247 1933 Two-engine monoplane airliner.
Model 307 Stratoliner 1938 Four-engine, pressurized airliner.
Model 314 Clipper 1938 Four-engine, flying boat airliner.
Model 360   Advanced helicopter demonstrater
Model 377 Stratocruiser 1947 Four-engine airliner, development of the military C-97.
Model 707 1957 Mid-size, narrow-body four-engine jet airliner.
Model 717 1998 Development of the McDonnell Douglas MD-95
Model 720   Modified, short range variant of the 707.
Model 727  1963 Mid-size narrow-body three-engine jet airliner
Model 737 1967 Twin engine, short-to-medium range narrow-body airliner.
Model 747 1969  Four engine, partial double deck, widebody airliner.
Model 757 1982 Mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner
Model 767 1981 Twin-engine, medium to long-range widebody airliner.
Model 777 1994 Twin-engine, medium to long-range, widebody airliner.
 Model 787 2009 Twin-engine, twin-asile, long-range widebody airliner.
     
MILITARY AIRCRAFT    
A160 Hummingbird   UAV helicopter
AH-6    
B-17 Flying Fortress   Strategic bomber
B-29 Superfortress   Strategic bomber
B-47 Stratojet   Strategic bomber
B-50 Superfortress   Strategic bomber, upgarde variant of the B-29
B-52 Stratofortress   Strategic bomber
Bird of Prey   Stealth fighter UAV demonstrator
C-17 Globemaster III   Heavy cargo transport
C-22   Medieum-range transport variant of the Boeing 727-100.
C-32A   Extended range transport variant of the Boeing 757-200.
C-40 Clipper   Cargo and personnel transport variant of the Boeing 737-700. Replaced the C-9.
CH-46 Sea Knight   Vertol Aircraft Corp
CH-47 Chinook   Vertol Aircraft Corp
Condor   High Altitude Long Endurance concept drone
E-3 Sentry   AWACS surveillance aircraft
E-4B   Advanced Airborne Command Post
E-6 Mercury   Ground battle management
E-8 Joint STARS    
E-10 MC2A   With Northrop Grumman (project canceled)
E-767   AEW&C
EC-135    
FB    
F4B    
KB-50 Superfortress    
KC-46    
KC-97 Stratofreighter    
KC-135 Stratotanker    
OC-135 Open Skies   Open Skies observation aircraft
P-8 Poseidon   Anti-submarine warfare
P-12   Biwinged fighter
P-26 Peashooter   Biwinged fighter
Pelican ULTRA    
Phantom Eye   High Altitude Long Endurance, reconnaissance drone
Phantom Ray   Unmanned flying test bed for advanced air system technologies
Project Wedgetail   AEW&C
Quad TiltRotor   With Bell Helicopter
RB-47 Stratojet    
RC-135 Rivet Joint    
T-43   Navigator trainer
V-22 Osprey   Tiltrotor with Bell Helicopter
VC-25A   "Air Force One"
VC-137   Executive transport
WB-50 Superfortress   Weather reconissance variant of the B-50
WC-135   Constant Phoenix
XB-15    
X-32   Joint Strike Fighter
X-37   Advanced Technology Demonstrator
X-40   USAF Space Maneuver Vehicle (SMV) program
X-45   UCAV
X-48   Blended Wing Body demonstrator
X-51   Wave-rider: Hypersonic vehicle
X-53   Active Aeroelastic Wing
YAL-1   Airborne Laser
YC-14    
Y1B-9