Hylton 1

Drake Hylton

Brook Lindamore

English 8D

13 November 2024

Boeings Impact on the Aerospace Industry, Washington’s Economy, and Technology

Boeing is major in the aerospace industry, contributing to the state’s economy, and the

technological advancements that Boeing has helped with. Boeing has created many diverse types

of aircraft in its past and has made great achievements in not just the aerospace industry but also

helped with Washington State’s economy and improved technology. According to the Britannica

Article by Amir and Weiss “Boeing Company, American aerospace company—the world’s

largest—that is the foremost manufacturer of commercial jet transports”. Boeing started as just

an airplane company but has now turned into a company that has created much more than that. It

has created spacecraft, trains, and much more. Boeing has been a spotlight in aviation and

American history.

Boeing is an aerospace company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It has been

creating airplanes since 1916. It was originally called Boeing Airplane Company but has

changed its name since then. It changed its name due to it starting to create spacecraft and other

products instead of just producing airplanes. Its first airplane was the B&W seaplane (Gustison

42). It then started to create airplanes for the United States Air Force and Navy as trainer

airplanes for pilots. It has made very many airplanes since 1916 and has been the biggest

airplane company in the United States.

Its main competitors are Airbus, a French airplane company that was founded much more

recently than Boeing but has overtaken them recently with their new Airbus A321neos and their

newest airplane, the Airbus A321XLR. “Boeing and Airbus – which produce nearly identical

aircraft in terms of technical specifications and operating performance and are equally efficient

in doing so” (Knorr 5). Boeing and Airbus have been neck-and-neck recently but when Boeing

started producing their Boeing 737 MAXs Boeing had a downfall (Fang 34). Their new plane

had multiple crashes and issues with the aircraft. Not to mention, the Airbus A320neos had been

produced for six years and was doing well. The Airbus A321neos had just come out and was also

doing well.

Boeing does not just create airplanes for commercial use, they also create aircraft for the

military. As previously stated, Boeing created airplanes for the United States Navy and Airforce

as planes for training pilots in the past. They still create military aircraft now but instead of it just

being for training, it is also for bombing and transport (Amir and Weiss). They created the

Boeing KC-135, a quad engine airplane based off the Boeing 707 and used for mid-air refueling

for other military aircraft. They also make many other military aircraft.

Boeing has not just created airplanes. They have also created spacecraft for travelling to

the International Space Station (Amir and Weiss). Recently, four astronauts travelled on

Boeing’s Starliner aircraft to the International Space Station. Since they noticed something

wrong with the Starliner. They could not send the astronauts back to earth with the Starliner.

They sent the Starliner back to earth with nobody on board and the Astronauts got stuck on the

International Space Station. Nasa is trying to bring a SpaceX spacecraft to the International

Space Station and bring them back. Their mission on the International Space Station has been

extended with them having to stay on the International Space Station for several months.
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Going back to the Boeing 737 MAX, the crashes were caused by a malfunction with an

auto-elevator feature. Since the Boeing 737 MAXs had used different engines to create a more

fuel-efficient aircraft. These engines changed the way the aircraft moved which changed the

trajectory of the aircraft's nose. This caused the aircraft to raise its nose and create an unsafe

climb when flying. Boeing decided to create a feature called MCAS that brings the aircraft nose

down to a normal level to create an easier experience for pilots. The crashes were caused by this

feature malfunctioning and difficulty with the plane being able to climb (Fang 34). It caused a

nosedive that was unrecoverable, and the airplanes crashed. The two crashes were Ethiopian

Airways Flight 302 and Lion Air flight 610.

In 1997, Boeing merged with its competitor McDonnel Douglas that completely

diversified their business and introduced them into a new management style with a strict focus

on finance (Muellerleile 664). McDonnel Douglas was a famous company for creating famous

planes including the MD-11 and the DC-10. They also had created other aircraft in their DC

series. The MD-11 and DC-10 were trijet airliners used for commercial and cargo service.

Recently, the two planes were put out of service by all airlines with the MD-11 being the only

one left with cargo flights. The DC-10 now is only used for firefighting,

Boeings Impact on the Aerospace Industry is amazing. They have created tons of

airplanes. From creating the first multi-story commercial airplane to becoming the biggest

aircraft manufacturer in the United States. Their impact also was on the spacecraft industry with

them creating the Boeing Starliner sent to the International Space Station. They have created

legendary aircraft and spacecraft in their history, but their past is remarkably interesting.

They started out small but were determined to be great. “It was not an easy or simple

transition from a small, undefined start-up venture to a major airplane manufacturer” (Spitzer
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84). Their first airplane was a navy trainer model called the Model C (Spitzer 87). Boeings first

name was Boeing Airplane Company but has now changed its name to just Boeing Company

because of its creation of spacecraft. Once it started creating spacecraft, it had to change its name

because it created other products and not just airplanes.

The Boeing 747 impacted the Aerospace Industry by creating a milestone in Aviation

history with it being the top choice for many airlines and even the United States Navy and

Military. The Boeing 747 was the United States choice for its new Presidential Aircraft and even

its doomsday plane which was a highly modified Boeing 747-200 used for protecting the

President and other important individuals during a nuclear war. It was the first multi-story

commercial aircraft ever made. It was first flown in 1969. It was Boeings second quad-engine

commercial airplane created, following the Boeing 707. 50,000 people worked on the Boeing

747, and they were called the Incredibles (“Select Products in Boeing History Space Defense

Commercial Airplanes Other Systems” 8).

Boeing grew its impact on the Aerospace Industry by the significant military needs of

World War II from the United States (Fang 34). This put pressure on Boeing and other American

flight manufacturers to produce more quickly and this ultimately caused them to grow a ton. The

army requested a bomber, and they created the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (Myers 183). So,

they kept continuing to make aircraft for the Military. Eventually they created the Boeing 707. A

revolutionary aircraft that would change aviation forever. The Boeing 707 was Boeings first

commercial jet and they “bet the company” on thinking that that was the future of commercial

aviation (“Select Products in Boeing History” 3).

Boeing has changed the economy of Washington State. They have been a great source of

profit for the state and have greatly helped with the history of Washington State. “In the
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comparatively brief span of 38 years Boeing Airplane Company has become one of the major

economic factors of the Pacific Northwest” (Gustison 41). Boeing has created the popularity of

the Pacific Northwest and helped the economy thrive by having one of the biggest aerospace

companies in the world. Seattle has become a big city because of Boeing.

In World War II, Boeing skyrocketed business in Seattle. “The company was increasingly

under pressure to produce more aircraft at lower cost, and with a less skilled workforce”

(Tompkins 189). The government was the main customer of the Boeing Airplane Company

which increased the popularity of not just Seattle, but also other cities around the Seattle area.

The war required tons of new airplanes to be built and sent to the military. Boeing was very busy

in World War II and needed more experienced workers to build newer and more improved

aircraft for the military.

Boeing has made many technical achievements and technological advancements in not

just the aerospace industry but also across the globe. "There are so many, many other

accomplishments not just from past generations, but also from today” (Deen 14). They have

made everything from planes to even wind turbines (“Select Products in Boeing History” 205).

They have revolutionized the way the world works. Boeing has made the first successful airliner

in aviation history.

The Boeing 707 was the first ever successful airliner in aviation history and created tons

of technological advancements in the aviation industry. The 707 was a quad jet airliner created

by Boeing for commercial and cargo use. It has later been inspiration for Boeing’s KC-135, a

military transport for troops and cargo (“Select Products in Boeing History” 3). The Boeing 707

changed Boeing, making it very successful. It was used for Air Force One at one point and

carried with technological advancements in the United States Military.

Boeing is major in the aerospace industry, contributing to the state’s economy, and the

technological advancements that Boeing has helped with. Boeing has changed the way aviation

is viewed and supported the aerospace industry greatly. One may not think of Boeing as having a

great impact on the aerospace industry but once one realizes how much they have impacted it

one will realize. Boeing changed the state economy by boosting Seattle’s economy and overall

boosting the state. Boeing has made many technological advancements and will continue to

make them in the future.

Works Cited

Amir, Amir, and Stanley Weiss. “Boeing Company.” [Link], 31 Mar. 2024,

[Link]/money/Boeing-Company.

Deen, Lango. “Boeing and the Future of Aviation.” Hispanic Engineer and Information

Technology, vol. 28, no. 2, 2013, pp. 13–15. JSTOR, [Link]

Accessed 6 Nov. 2024.

Fang, Yanxi. “THE 737 MAX and the FUTURE of COMMERICAL AVIATION.” Harvard

International Review, vol. 41, no. 2, 2020, pp. 33–39, THE 737 MAX AND THE FUTURE OF

COMMERICAL AVIATION on JSTOR. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Gustison, Sutton. “The Boeing Story.” The Pacific Northwest Quarterly, vol. 45, no. 2, 1954, pp.

41–46. JSTOR, [Link] Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Knorr, Andreas, et al. “Subsidies in Civil Aircraft Manufacturing: The World Trade

Organization (WTO) and the Boeing-Airbus Dispute.” European State Aid Law Quarterly, vol.

11, no. 3, 2012, pp. 585–600. JSTOR, [Link] Accessed 6 Nov.

2024.

Muellerleile, Christopher M. “Financialization Takes off at Boeing.” Journal of Economic

Geography, vol. 9, no. 5, 2009, pp. 663–77. JSTOR, [Link]

Accessed 6 Nov. 2024.

Myers, Polly Reed. “Boeing Aircraft Company’s Manpower Campaign during World War II.”

The Pacific Northwest Quarterly, vol. 98, no. 4, 2007, pp. 183–95. JSTOR,

[Link] Accessed 6 Nov. 2024.

Select Products in Boeing History Space Defense Commercial Airplanes Other Systems. 2024,

[Link]/content/dam/boeing/boeingdotcom/history/pdf/Boeing_Products.pdf.

Serling, Robert J. “Legend and Legacy: The Story of Boeing and Its People.” Accessed 6 Nov.

2024.

SPITZER, PAUL G. “Getting Technical: The Birth of Engineering at Boeing.” The Pacific

Northwest Quarterly, vol. 103, no. 2, 2012, pp. 84–96. JSTOR,

[Link] Accessed 6 Nov. 2024.

Tompkins, Moran. “BOEING AND THE HISTORY OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING.” Icon,

vol. 4, 1998, pp. 181–95. JSTOR, [Link] Accessed 6 Nov. 2024.