Boeing: The airline brand that started off as a recreation 

If you have an interest in the aviation industry, then you are probably of Boeing, the biggest airline manufacturer in the world. From commercial aircrafts and fighter planes to spacecrafts, the company produces all kinds of aviation systems. In fact, recently, Air India has signed a multi-billion-dollar deal with Boeing that is expected to create massive employment opportunities for NRIs. 

While Boeing continues to rule the airline manufacturing industry, did you know that it has one of the most successful corporate backstories in the US history? Well, we are here with the story for you.  

Flying for fun 
An American timber executive called William E. Boeing was based in Seattle and was basking in the glory of his successful business. In fact, in a matter of a few years, he had dominated the lumber industry across northwest USA. Meanwhile, in 1909, he came upon the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle wherein he saw a model aircraft and got fascinated with it. A year down the line, Boeing ended up buying a wooden boat-building plant along the Duwamish River in Washington, US, and decided to transform it into an aircraft manufacturing site. He wanted to make planes for his own recreation. There was no business goal. But by then, he was bitten by the flying bug, which is why Boeing also started pilot training from a Los Angeles-based aviation school. By 1915, he was making small aircrafts and flying them himself, thus sharpening his skills as a pilot.  

Boeing gets serious about aircraft manufacturing 
One fine day while training in LA, Boeing’s eyes caught an aircraft lying around in his aviation school and he ended up purchasing it. It was a seaplane sample called Flying Birdcage which wasn’t well-built, only held together by wood and wires. Long story short, Boeing decided to improve upon it and fly it for fun. With that in mind, he shipped it to his Seattle site.  

It didn’t take long for Boeing and his team to figure that the seaplane was of poor quality, full of manufacturing flaws. This became further apparent when Boeing had a test flight and it crashed minutes after launch. Luckily, it was uncrewed and nobody got hurt. But Boeing being Boeing, he decided he had to fix the plane. When he sent for replacement parts, he was informed that they would take months to arrive from Europe and Asia.  

Now there lied a problem. Boeing didn’t want to waste any time and wanted to fly it as soon as possible. Guess what he did? He decided to do the job of repairing himself and developed superior parts by working day in and day out for two months. Following this success, Boeing realised that making airplanes can be more than just a hobby and that he was ready to launch his own airline making company. Thus, in 1916, he set up the Aero Products Company. But Mrs. Boeing didn’t like the name as she thought it was too common. This is when the couple together came with the name Boeing Airline Company in 1917. The rest, as they say, is history.  

First breakthrough 
Boeing’s first major achievement was when the US Air Force trusted him with developing various military aircrafts, including the patrol bombers. By 1930, Boeing was leading the aviation industry and has lived up to its name ever since.  

Experts believe that the secret behind Boeing’s success was that he welcomes all inputs, ideas and insights from all his employees and put them into use.  

From World War II fighter planes such as B-47 Stratojet and B-29 Superfortress, to B-747 and B-737 airbuses in the commercial industry, Boeing spread its wings far and wide. NASA’s 1960 Lunar Rover Vehicle made for the Apollo Missions was also the doing of Boeing. Looks like Boeing was born to make the world fly!