Boeing: 100 years of flight, in peace and war

AFP,NEW YORK:  A pioneer in commercial air travel and a major player in building military aircraft, Boeing’s 100-year history coincides with many of the defining moments in US and global history.
1916: William Boeing starts the Pacific Aero Products Co., which was renamed after its founder a year later. Boeing’s first planes, the Model C wooden seaplanes, were sold to the US Navy for World War I, establishing a key alliance with the US military.
1927: Boeing creates its own airline, Boeing Air Transport, for transporting mail with its Model 40 biplanes. The model would become the first Boeing airplane to carry passengers. 1934: Boeing, accused of monopolistic practices, is forced to break up into three entities: United Technologies, United Airlines and Boeing. Founder William Boeing divests his holdings in the company.
1937: Boeing delivers the first B-17s to the US Army Air Corps, the giant “Flying Fortress” bomber that played a central role in the Allied victory in World War II.
1941: The British Royal Air Force takes delivery of B-17s, giving them their first taste of combat.
1954: The massive jet-powered B-52 Stratofortress becomes the US military’s symbol of power in the Cold War, to hold a key place in the US Air Force up through today.
1958: Pan Am, the leading US airline, unveils the Boeing 707, which soon became the first commercially successful jet airliner. Television ads showed well-heeled passengers sipping red wine and enjoying vibration-free travel, a sign of the post-war US economic boom.
1962: Boeing introduces the CH-47 Chinook helicopter, used in troop movement and battlefield resupply prominently in the Vietnam War.
1969: The Boeing-built Saturn V rocket propels astronaut Neil Armstrong to the moon.
1970: The 400 passenger 747 Jumbo Jet, more than twice as large as the 707, is launched to dominate international air travel and cargo over the next decades.
1970: Boeing archrival Airbus is created originally as a joint effort of the German and French governments.
1977: Two 747s collide on the runway of the Canary Islands, killing 583 passengers in the deadliest plane crash in history. The accident sparked sweeping upgrades to international safety regulations.
1987: Boeing is added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the prestigious index of blue chip companies.
1997: Boeing acquires American archrival McDonnell Douglas for $13.3 billion, slimming the field of major commercial aircraft makers to just two, Boeing and Airbus, and beefing up its capacity as an international weapons maker.
2001: Boeing picks Chicago as its new corporate headquarters after the midwestern city offers up some $60 million in tax incentives to move from Seattle, the company’s production base.
2011: After numerous delays, Boeing’s newest passenger jet, the widebody Dreamliner, completes its first commercial flight from Narita, Japan to Hong Kong.

Boeing: 100 years of flight, in peace and war

AFP,NEW YORK: A pioneer in commercial air travel and a major player in building military aircraft, Boeings 100-year history coincides with many of the defining moments in US and global history. 1916: William Boeing starts the Pacific Aero Products Co., which was renamed after its founder a year later. Boeings first planes, the Model C wooden seaplanes, were sold to the US Navy for World War I, establishing a key alliance with the US military. 1927: Boeing creates its own airline, Boeing Air Transport, for transporting mail with its Model 40 biplanes. The model would become the first Boeing airplane to carry passengers. 1934: Boeing, accused of monopolistic practices, is forced to break up into three entities: United Technologies, United Airlines and Boeing. Founder William Boeing divests his holdings in the company. 1937: Boeing delivers the first B-17s to the US Army Air Corps, the giant Flying Fortress bomber that played a central role in the Allied victory in World War II. 1941: The British Royal Air Force takes delivery of B-17s, giving them their first taste of combat. 1954: The massive jet-powered B-52 Stratofortress becomes the US militarys symbol of power in the Cold War, to hold a key place in the US Air Force up through today. 1958: Pan Am, the leading US airline, unveils the Boeing 707, which soon became the first commercially successful jet airliner. Television ads showed well-heeled passengers sipping red wine and enjoying vibration-free travel, a sign of the post-war US economic boom. 1962: Boeing introduces the CH-47 Chinook helicopter, used in troop movement and battlefield resupply prominently in the Vietnam War. 1969: The Boeing-built Saturn V rocket propels astronaut Neil Armstrong to the moon. 1970: The 400 passenger 747 Jumbo Jet, more than twice as large as the 707, is launched to dominate international air travel and cargo over the next decades. 1970: Boeing archrival Airbus is created originally as a joint effort of the German and French governments. 1977: Two 747s collide on the runway of the Canary Islands, killing 583 passengers in the deadliest plane crash in history. The accident sparked sweeping upgrades to international safety regulations. 1987: Boeing is added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the prestigious index of blue chip companies. 1997: Boeing acquires American archrival McDonnell Douglas for $13.3 billion, slimming the field of major commercial aircraft makers to just two, Boeing and Airbus, and beefing up its capacity as an international weapons maker. 2001: Boeing picks Chicago as its new corporate headquarters after the midwestern city offers up some $60 million in tax incentives to move from Seattle, the companys production base. 2011: After numerous delays, Boeings newest passenger jet, the widebody Dreamliner, completes its first commercial flight from Narita, Japan to Hong Kong.