The Boeing B-1 (company designation Model 6) is a small biplane flying boat designed by
William Boeing shortly after World War I.
Design and development
The Model 6 was the first commercial design for
Boeing
The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...
(as opposed to military or experimental designs), hence the B-1 designation. Its layout was conventional for its day, with a
Hall-Scott
Hall-Scott Motor Car Company was an American manufacturing company based in Berkeley, California. It was among the most significant builders of water-cooled aircraft engines before World War I.
History
1910–21
The company was founded in 1910 ...
engine driving a pusher propeller mounted amongst the
cabane strut
In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of struts, which act in ...
s. The pilot sat in an open cockpit at the bow, and up to two passengers could be carried in a second open cockpit behind the first. The design was reminiscent of the
Curtiss HS-2L that Boeing had been building under license during the war.
Operational history
Only a single aircraft was built, as Boeing had trouble selling it in a market flooded with war-surplus aircraft. In 1920, it was purchased by Edward Hubbard, who used it to carry air mail between
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
,
Washington and
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...
. Air mail service began on 27 December 1919, and continued for eight years.
The plane flew until 1930 before being preserved and put on display at Seattle's
Museum of History and Industry in 1954.
Specifications
Boeing B-1D
Between May 1928 and April 1929, Boeing built two B-1Ds. Apart from the shape of the rudder, all other structural details were different to the original biplane
Specifications
Boeing B-1E
The six planes built from March 1928 were identical to the first B-1D except for heavier construction, the engine, and a redesigned rudder.
Specifications
References
* Bowers, Peter M. ''Boeing aircraft since 1916''. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1989. .
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External links
Boeing history - B-1
{{Boeing model numbers
1910s United States civil utility aircraft
Flying boats
006, Boeing
Single-engined pusher aircraft
Biplanes
Aircraft first flown in 1919