HISTORIC AIRPLANES: Boeing Aircraft

Having done good business manufacturing airplanes during the first World War, Boeing was almost out of the aircraft manufacturing business when the war, and their military contracts, ended. For a short while, William Boeing kept his company alive by selling furniture and boats. Boeing continued to work on his sea boat series. Without the hefty wartime military contracts, the company struggled until it found financial salvation in postal funds. The manufacturing segment of the company made money rebuilding some military de Havilland-4 airplanes while Boeing Air Transport snagged an important airmail contract. On March 3, 1919, Boeing and airmail pilot Eddie Hubbard made the first U.S.-international airmail flight, carrying mail from Vancouver, Canada to Seattle, Washington. Military contracts slowly returned, as Air Mail Service continued to fund the company's growth.

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Related Links:
>> Historic Aircraft
>> Rest of the Best - Hubbard
>> Contract Airmail Route Covers
>> Turning it Over