The Boeing Model 2, also referred to as the Boeing Model C, and its derivatives were

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

two-place

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tech ...

s, the first "all-Boeing" design and the company's first financial success.

Design and development

The

Boeing Airplane Company 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 ...

, previously known as Pacific Aero Products Co., built the Model C naval trainer as its first mass-produced airplane. Early design work was started by

George Conrad Westervelt George Conrad Westervelt (December 30, 1879 – March 15, 1956) was a U.S. Navy engineer who created the company "Pacific Aero Products Co." together with William Boeing. Westervelt left the company in 1916 and Boeing changed the name of the c ...

in late 1915, with the first wind tunnel tests being conducted at the

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's 4 ft wind tunnel in May 1916. Most of the design work during early-to-mid 1916 by James Foley, who had previously assisted Westervelt in designing the Boeing Model 1. Westervelt, who had been reassigned to the East Coast in December 1915, consulted heavily on the design. Wong Tsu, an MIT graduate who was hired by Boeing in May 1916, also contributed to the design, specifically lending his expertise in the analysis of wind tunnel data. A total of 56 C-type trainers were built; 55 used twin pontoons. The Model C-1F had a single main pontoon and small auxiliary floats under each wing and was powered by a Curtiss OX-5

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 ...

Operational history

The success of the Model C led to Boeing's first military contract in April 1917 and prompted both its reincorporation as the Boeing Airplane Company and relocation from

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, Washington to a former shipyard on the Duwamish River, also in Washington. The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

bought 51 of the Model C trainers, including the C-1F, and the

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bought two landplane versions with side-by-side seating, designated the EA. The final Model C was built for William Boeing and was called the C-700 (the last Navy plane had been Navy serial number 699). On March 3, 1919, Boeing and Eddie Hubbard flew the C-700 on the first international mail delivery, carrying 60 letters from

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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 Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

Variants

* Model 2 – original design (one built) ** Model C-1F''Model C-1F with single pontoon''. aerofiles.com (© The Boeing Comp, "one" any

/ref> – Model 2 remanufactured with single pontoon * Model 3 – version with revised cabane struts (three built) * Model 4 – a.k.a. EA landplane version for US Army (two built) * Model 5 – revised Model 3 for US Navy (50 built) ** Model C-700 – Model 5 outfitted as mailplane

Operators

; *

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...

Specifications (Model 3)

References

* * ''Pedigree of Champions: Boeing Since 1916, Third Edition''. Seattle, WA: The Boeing Company, 1969.

External links

historylink.org: The Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History
{{Boeing model numbers Single-engined tractor aircraft 1910s United States military trainer aircraft Floatplanes 002, Boeing Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1916