Dates

Event

Constructed as a 1.
Prominent timber man William E. Boeing met a Navy engineer named Conrad Westervelt at Seattles University Club. He found that they had similar interests -- both bachelors liked boating and bridge, had studied engineering, and shared a fascination with the dawning field of aviation. On July 4, 1914, they arranged for their first flights in a seaplane. They were impressed, but both men agreed that they could build a better airplane. The result was the Bamp;amp;W, named after the initials of its creatorsThe Bamp;amp;W was the first airplane designed and built by Boeing. On June 15, 1916, Mr. Boeing himself took the Bamp;amp;W aloft for the first time. Later, Boeing showed the plane to the Navy in hopes of a contract but was turned down. Both the first Bamp;amp;W ever built, nicknamed the Bluebill, and the second, called the Mallard, which was built the following November, were eventually acquired by the government of New Zealand. The Museums Bamp;amp;W is a 1966 replica built for The Boeing Companys 50th anniversary. Though externally similar to the original Bamp;amp;W, it incorporates a number of design changes for safety and ease of construction such as revised tail surfaces, steel-tube fuselage, and a different engine. While the original Bamp;amp;W has one Hall-Scott A-5, 125-horsepower engine, the Museums replica has a Lycoming GO-435 170-horsepower engine.

To unknown owner with c/r N1916.

To Museum of Flight, Boeing Field, Seattle, WA.
View the Location Dossier

29 June 2012

Photographer: Terry Fletcher
Notes: 2012 photo in the Great Galley of the Museum of Flight, Seattle