William Edward Boeing: Setting the Pathway of American Dominance in the Aviation Industry

He saw the need for new technologies to be able to fight in the World War II, so William Edward Boeing was able to capitalize on that need to become an icon in the history of American aviation.

Boeing started as a general businessman but he became a giant in the aviation business in the 1940s. Majority of his successes were the result of meeting the needs of the World War II, providing aircrafts of diverse capabilities to be able to fight in the War.

He studied in Yale University’s Sheffield Scientific School. Together with his friend Conrad Westervelt, Boeing created the Boeing Airplane Company in 1915. His dream was to build stronger planes than the ones made with wood used during those days.

Using a seaplane hangar located in Seattle, the Boeing Company started producing planes, with the European designs of planes used in the World War I as models. The US Navy got attracted with two of Boeing’s seaplanes. This encouraged Boeing to produce newer ones which can be used for pilot training.

The World War I caused Boeing Company’s rapid expansion, while the periods between wars were stagnant for Boeing. But the company held on to its reputation and was awarded with the Daniel Guggenheim Medal for its pioneering efforts in aircraft design and production.

Boeing Company even grew larger when the World War II was anticipated. Boeing became the big boss of 2,960 employees through the end of 1938. But during the attack of the Pearl Harbor in 1941, he was the employer of 28,840 workers.

Boeing was responsible for designing the three basic military planes used during the War: the B-17 Flying Fortress (1934), the B-29 Superfortress (1938), and the training plane Kaydet. B-17 and B-29 became the icons of American capacity during the war. In fact, the B-29 Superfortress dropped the first atomic bomb in Japan.

After the war, Boeing’s health started to fail. He severed his financial connections with the Boeing Company. In spite of this, Boeing continued to produce not only military planes but also commercial airliners. When Boeing died in 1956, his company was able to produce the largest jet bomber in the US, the B-52.