Why the Boeing 707 Made Flying Less Romantic and Almost Wasn't a Jet
In 1952, Boeing's board approved a jet transport prototype that no airline had agreed to buy, spending sixteen million dollars, close to a quarter of the company's net worth, with no government contract behind it. Four years later that aircraft, the Boeing 707, opened the commercial jet age, and the decisions Douglas, Vickers, Bristol, Lockheed, and Convair made in that same window would define whether their companies survived the transition at all. This video traces how Boeing's William Allen chose to gamble on a pure jet while Vickers rode the Viscount's turboprop success too long, Bristol's Britannia arrived just as jets took over, Lockheed's Electra was grounded by a wing flutter problem called whirl mode, and Convair's 880 and 990 bet on speed after the market had already been decided. It's for anyone interested in aviation history, corporate risk-taking, and how a single boardroom decision in April 1952 shaped which manufacturer would lead commercial aviation for the rest of the century. #Boeing707 #JetAge #AviationHistory #BoeingHistory
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