The Boeing Model 1, also known as the B & W Seaplane, was a

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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 ...

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aircraft. It was the first

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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

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hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

on Lake Union in

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, Washington. It was made of

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

, with wire bracing, and was linen-covered. It was similar to the

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trainer aircraft A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristic ...

that Boeing owned, but the B & W had better pontoons and a more powerful

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ge ...

. The first B & W was named ''Bluebill'', and the second was named ''Mallard''. They first flew on June 15, 1916, and in November, respectively.

Operational history

The two B & Ws were offered to the

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. When the Navy did not buy them, they were sold to the New Zealand Flying School 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

; * New Zealand Flying School

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
{{Boeing model numbers Single-engined tractor aircraft 1910s United States military utility aircraft Floatplanes 001, Boeing Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1916