The Boeing Model 1, also known as the B & W Seaplane, was a United States single-engine

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

seaplane aircraft. It was the first Boeing product and carried the initials of its designers, William Boeing and Lt. Conrad Westervelt USN.

Design

The first B & W was completed in June 1916 at Boeing's boathouse hangar on

Lake Union Lake Union is a freshwater lake located entirely within the city limits of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is a major part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, which carries fresh water from the much larger Lake Washington on the east to ...

in Seattle, Washington. It was made of wood, with wire bracing, and was linen-covered. It was similar to the Martin trainer aircraft that Boeing owned, but the B & W had better pontoons and a more powerful engine. The first B & W was named ''Bluebill'', and the second was named ''Mallard''. They first flew on 15 June 1916, and in November.

Operational history

The two B & Ws were offered to the United States Navy. When the Navy did not buy them, they were sold to the

New Zealand Flying School The New Zealand Flying School was formed in 1915, by the Walsh Brothers, Leo and Vivian, to train pilots for the Royal Flying Corps. The school flew a fleet of home-built and imported flying boats from Mission Bay on Auckland's Waitemata Harbo ...

and became the company's first international sale. On June 25, 1919, the B&W set a New Zealand altitude record of 6,500 feet. The B & Ws were later used for express and airmail deliveries, making New Zealand's first official airmail flight on December 16, 1919.

Former Operators

; *

Specifications (B & W Seaplane)

References

* Bowers, Peter M. ''Boeing aircraft since 1916''. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1989. .

External links

Photo of Boeing Model 1 in Raglan Harbour in 1920
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