The William E. Boeing Story: A Gift of Flight (America Through Time)

Chronicles the life of Boeing, from early aviation to iconic aircraft development, through exclusive family archives. The William E. Boeing Story: A Gift of Flight is the first ever full-length biography of William E. Boeing, the father of commercial aviation. Boeing's story is an exciting one, complete with bootleggers, kidnappers and disastrous run-ins with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and future Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black. Boeing's story covers every aspect of early aviation, starting with his first ride in a balloon in 1896 to the christening of the revolutionary jet-powered Dash-80/707 in 1955. Along the way Boeing developed some of the world's most iconic airplanes including the P-26 Peashooter, the Boeing 247, the B-17 Flying Fortress and the mighty B-29 Superfortress. The Boeing family have given author David D. Williams unprecedented access to the Boeing family archives which contain thousands of never- before-seen photos, diaries and personal letters. This treasure trove of primary sources has allowed Williams to create an extraordinarily vivid and accurate portrait of this influential yet private man.