Boeing 367-80
Encyclopedia
The Boeing 367-80, or "Dash 80" as it was called within Boeing
, is an American prototype
jet transport built to demonstrate the advantages of jet aircraft
for passenger transport over piston-engine airliner
s.
The Dash 80 is considered to have been the prototype for the KC-135 Stratotanker tanker and the 707
airliner. It was built in less than two years from project launch in 1952 to rollout on May 14, 1954 for a cost of US$
16 million. This was at the time an enormous risk for the Boeing Company, since they had no committed customers for the project.
Only one example of the type was built. Currently, it resides in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
, an annex of the Smithsonian Institution
's National Air and Space Museum
located at Washington Dulles International Airport
in Virginia
.
in 1949 of the world’s first jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet
. With its 500 miles per hour (804.7 km/h) cruise speed, it promised to significantly reduce journey times compared with existing propeller-driven aircraft. Boeing President Bill Allen
led a company delegation to Britain
in summer 1950 where they saw the Comet fly at the Farnborough Airshow, and also visited the de Havilland
factory at Hatfield, Hertfordshire
where the Comets were being built. The second event was completion by 1947 of successful development of the B-47 Stratojet. Boeing felt that this program had enabled it to master the swept wing
and podded engine
s which it saw as key technologies that would enable it to improve on both the performance and the engine maintenance of the Comet.
In 1950, Boeing tentatively produced a specification for a jet airliner which it dubbed the Model 473-60C. However the airlines were unconvinced because they had no experience with jet transports, and were enjoying success with piston engined aircraft such as the Douglas DC-4
, DC-6
, Boeing 377 and Lockheed Constellation
.
There was also a broader problem: Boeing was experienced at selling to the military, but had not enjoyed the same success with civil airliners. This market was dominated by Douglas
who was adept at meeting the needs of airlines by refining and developing its range of propeller-driven aircraft, and in 1950 were actively marketing the forthcoming DC-7
. Boeing decided that the only way to overcome the airlines' suspicion of the jet – and of itself – was to show them a completed aircraft.
As the first of a new generation of passenger jets, Boeing wanted the aircraft's model number to emphasize the difference from its previous propeller-driven aircraft which bore 300-series numbers. The 400-, 500- and 600-series were already used by missiles and other products, so Boeing decided that the jets would bear 700-series numbers, and the first would be the 707. However, just after the program was approved, Boeing changed the designation as a disinformation
tactic intended to mislead its competitors. "367" was the Boeing model number of the KC-97 Stratotanker, a previous generation aircraft to which the Dash 80 owed nothing. although it did have the same 132 inches (3.35 m) fuselage diameter as the 367s and the 367s fuselage crease was smoothed out. Although the design was announced as the Model 707 the prototype was referred to simply as the "-80", or Dash 80.
The -80 fuselage
was wide enough for five-abreast seating; two on one side of the aisle and three on the other. However, by the time the Boeing company committed to production, the decision had been made to design the production model 707 as a six-abreast design, with a larger-diameter fuselage 148 inches (3.76 m), based on feedback from C.R. Smith
, CEO of American Airlines, who told Boeing he wouldn't buy the 707 unless it was an inch wider than the then-proposed Douglas DC-8 passenger jet. This decision did not unduly delay introduction of the production model since the -80 had been largely hand-built, and thus little production tooling had been created for its manufacture.
. As a proof of concept prototype
there was no certification and no production line and most of the parts were custom built. The aircraft's interior was not fitted with an airline cabin; rather it consisted of a basic plywood lining that was used to house the test instrumentation required for the flight test program.
The Dash 80 was rolled out of the factory on May 15, 1954, just two years after the project was approved, and 18 months after construction had started. The 367-80 then undertook a series of taxi trials and although the port landing gear collapsed on May 22 causing damage to the airframe which was quickly repaired, the maiden flight took place on July 15, 1954.
A series of test flights followed during which the most significant issue discovered was a marked propensity to "Dutch roll
" - an alternating yawing and rolling motion. Boeing already had considerable experience with this on the B-47
and B-52
, and had developed a yaw damper
system on the B-47 that could be adapted to later swept wing configurations like the Dash 80. Other problems were found with the engines and brakes, the latter failing completely during landing on one occasion causing the aircraft to overshoot the runway and suffer damage.
In addition to the flight testing program, Boeing also used the Dash 80 to provide demonstration flights to airline executives and other key industry figures. These focused attention on the question of what the cabin of a passenger jet should look like. In a significant departure from its usual practice, Boeing hired industrial design firm Walter Dorwin Teague
to create a cabin as radical as the aircraft itself.
(IATA) to the Seattle's 1955 Seafair and Gold Cup Hydroplane Races held on Lake Washington
on August 6, 1955. The Dash-80 was scheduled to perform a simple flyover, but Boeing test pilot Alvin "Tex" Johnston
instead performed a barrel roll
to show off the jet airliner.
The next day, Allen summoned Johnston to his office and told him not to perform such a maneuver again, notwithstanding Johnston's assertion that doing so was completely safe. The barrel roll story appears on a video called Frontiers of Flight – The Jet Airliner, produced by the National Air and Space Museum in association with the Smithsonian Institution in 1992.
Boeing Chief Test Pilot John Cashman stated that just before he piloted the maiden flight of the Boeing 777
on June 12, 1994, his last instructions from then-Boeing President Phil Condit were "No rolls."
. These tests required the fitting of a fifth engine on the rear fuselage as part of tests for the 727. Other tests included experiments with different airfoil shapes and a number of high lift devices such as blown flap
s in which compressed air bled from the engines is directed over the flaps to increase lift during takeoff and landing.
, which had designated it one of the 12 most significant aircraft of all time. For the next 18 years the aircraft was stored at a "desert boneyard"
in Arizona
before being retrieved by Boeing in 1990 for restoration. The Dash 80's final flight was to Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C.
on August 27, 2003. It was put on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
, an annex of the Smithsonian Institution
's National Air and Space Museum, located adjacent to Dulles Airport in Chantilly, Virginia.
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, is an American prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
jet transport built to demonstrate the advantages of jet aircraft
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
for passenger transport over piston-engine airliner
Airliner
An airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft for transporting passengers and cargo. Such aircraft are operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an aircraft intended for carrying multiple passengers in commercial...
s.
The Dash 80 is considered to have been the prototype for the KC-135 Stratotanker tanker and the 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
airliner. It was built in less than two years from project launch in 1952 to rollout on May 14, 1954 for a cost of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
16 million. This was at the time an enormous risk for the Boeing Company, since they had no committed customers for the project.
Only one example of the type was built. Currently, it resides in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum 's annex at Washington Dulles International Airport in the Chantilly area of Fairfax County, Virginia, United States....
, an annex of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
's National Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
located at Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport is a public airport in Dulles, Virginia, 26 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C. The airport serves the Baltimore-Washington-Northern Virginia metropolitan area centered on the District of Columbia. It is named after John Foster Dulles, Secretary of...
in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Design and development
By the late 1940s, two developments were encouraging Boeing to begin considering the possibility of building a passenger jet. The first was the maiden flightMaiden flight
The maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. This is similar to a ship's maiden voyage....
in 1949 of the world’s first jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet
De Havilland Comet
The de Havilland DH 106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland at the Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom headquarters, it first flew in 1949 and was a landmark in aeronautical design...
. With its 500 miles per hour (804.7 km/h) cruise speed, it promised to significantly reduce journey times compared with existing propeller-driven aircraft. Boeing President Bill Allen
William McPherson Allen
William McPherson "Bill" Allen was a U.S. aircraft businessman. Born in Lolo, Montana, he attended the University of Montana, where he became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity...
led a company delegation to Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in summer 1950 where they saw the Comet fly at the Farnborough Airshow, and also visited the de Havilland
De Havilland
The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane...
factory at Hatfield, Hertfordshire
Hatfield, Hertfordshire
Hatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It has a population of 29,616, and is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House, the home of the Marquess of Salisbury, is the nucleus of the old town...
where the Comets were being built. The second event was completion by 1947 of successful development of the B-47 Stratojet. Boeing felt that this program had enabled it to master the swept wing
Swept wing
A swept wing is a wing planform favored for high subsonic jet speeds first investigated by Germany during the Second World War. Since the introduction of the MiG-15 and North American F-86 which demonstrated a decisive superiority over the slower first generation of straight-wing jet fighters...
and podded engine
Podded engine
A podded engine is a jet engine in a pod, typically attached below the wing or to the tail of the aircraft. The pod itself is called a nacelle....
s which it saw as key technologies that would enable it to improve on both the performance and the engine maintenance of the Comet.
In 1950, Boeing tentatively produced a specification for a jet airliner which it dubbed the Model 473-60C. However the airlines were unconvinced because they had no experience with jet transports, and were enjoying success with piston engined aircraft such as the Douglas DC-4
Douglas DC-4
The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
, DC-6
Douglas DC-6
The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...
, Boeing 377 and Lockheed Constellation
Lockheed Constellation
The Lockheed Constellation was a propeller-driven airliner powered by four 18-cylinder radial Wright R-3350 engines. It was built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. A total of 856 aircraft were produced in numerous models, all distinguished by a...
.
There was also a broader problem: Boeing was experienced at selling to the military, but had not enjoyed the same success with civil airliners. This market was dominated by Douglas
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
who was adept at meeting the needs of airlines by refining and developing its range of propeller-driven aircraft, and in 1950 were actively marketing the forthcoming DC-7
Douglas DC-7
The Douglas DC-7 is an American transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1953 to 1958. It was the last major piston engine powered transport made by Douglas, coming just a few years before the advent of jet aircraft such as the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8.-Design and...
. Boeing decided that the only way to overcome the airlines' suspicion of the jet – and of itself – was to show them a completed aircraft.
As the first of a new generation of passenger jets, Boeing wanted the aircraft's model number to emphasize the difference from its previous propeller-driven aircraft which bore 300-series numbers. The 400-, 500- and 600-series were already used by missiles and other products, so Boeing decided that the jets would bear 700-series numbers, and the first would be the 707. However, just after the program was approved, Boeing changed the designation as a disinformation
Disinformation
Disinformation is intentionally false or inaccurate information that is spread deliberately. For this reason, it is synonymous with and sometimes called black propaganda. It is an act of deception and false statements to convince someone of untruth...
tactic intended to mislead its competitors. "367" was the Boeing model number of the KC-97 Stratotanker, a previous generation aircraft to which the Dash 80 owed nothing. although it did have the same 132 inches (3.35 m) fuselage diameter as the 367s and the 367s fuselage crease was smoothed out. Although the design was announced as the Model 707 the prototype was referred to simply as the "-80", or Dash 80.
The -80 fuselage
Fuselage
The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. In single-engine aircraft it will usually contain an engine, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a pylon attached to the fuselage which in turn is used as a floating hull...
was wide enough for five-abreast seating; two on one side of the aisle and three on the other. However, by the time the Boeing company committed to production, the decision had been made to design the production model 707 as a six-abreast design, with a larger-diameter fuselage 148 inches (3.76 m), based on feedback from C.R. Smith
C. R. Smith
Cyrus Rowlett Smith , known throughout his life as C. R. Smith, was the CEO of American Airlines from 1934 to 1968 and from 1973 to 1974. He was also United States Secretary of Commerce for a brief period under President Lyndon B...
, CEO of American Airlines, who told Boeing he wouldn't buy the 707 unless it was an inch wider than the then-proposed Douglas DC-8 passenger jet. This decision did not unduly delay introduction of the production model since the -80 had been largely hand-built, and thus little production tooling had been created for its manufacture.
Operational history
By early 1952, the designs were complete, and in April 1952, the Boeing board approved the program to build the jet. Construction of the Dash 80 started in November in a walled-off section of Boeing's Renton plantBoeing Renton Factory
The Boeing Company's Renton, Washington Factory is a facility where Next-Generation Boeing 737 airliners are built. Current production includes the 737-600, 737-700, 737-800, and 737-900 models.The factory lies adjacent to Renton Municipal Airport....
. As a proof of concept prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
there was no certification and no production line and most of the parts were custom built. The aircraft's interior was not fitted with an airline cabin; rather it consisted of a basic plywood lining that was used to house the test instrumentation required for the flight test program.
The Dash 80 was rolled out of the factory on May 15, 1954, just two years after the project was approved, and 18 months after construction had started. The 367-80 then undertook a series of taxi trials and although the port landing gear collapsed on May 22 causing damage to the airframe which was quickly repaired, the maiden flight took place on July 15, 1954.
A series of test flights followed during which the most significant issue discovered was a marked propensity to "Dutch roll
Dutch roll
Dutch roll is a type of aircraft motion, consisting of an out-of-phase combination of "tail-wagging" and rocking from side to side. This yaw-roll coupling is one of the basic flight dynamic modes...
" - an alternating yawing and rolling motion. Boeing already had considerable experience with this on the B-47
B-47 Stratojet
The Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...
and B-52
B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
, and had developed a yaw damper
Yaw damper
A yaw damper is a device used on many aircraft to damp the rolling and yawing oscillations due to Dutch roll mode. It involves yaw rate sensors and a processor that provides a signal to an actuator connected to the rudder...
system on the B-47 that could be adapted to later swept wing configurations like the Dash 80. Other problems were found with the engines and brakes, the latter failing completely during landing on one occasion causing the aircraft to overshoot the runway and suffer damage.
In addition to the flight testing program, Boeing also used the Dash 80 to provide demonstration flights to airline executives and other key industry figures. These focused attention on the question of what the cabin of a passenger jet should look like. In a significant departure from its usual practice, Boeing hired industrial design firm Walter Dorwin Teague
Walter Dorwin Teague
Walter Dorwin Teague was an American architect, designer and one of the most prolific American industrial designers in terms of volume of completed work. Teague's name and vision lives on through the legacy of his company....
to create a cabin as radical as the aircraft itself.
The barrel roll
As part of the Dash 80's demonstration program, Bill Allen invited representatives of the Aircraft Industries Association (AIA) and International Air Transport AssociationInternational Air Transport Association
The International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in SwitzerlandIATA's mission is to...
(IATA) to the Seattle's 1955 Seafair and Gold Cup Hydroplane Races held on Lake Washington
Lake Washington
Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It is bordered by the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south and...
on August 6, 1955. The Dash-80 was scheduled to perform a simple flyover, but Boeing test pilot Alvin "Tex" Johnston
Alvin M. Johnston
Alvin M. "Tex" Johnston was a American jet-age test pilot for Bell Aircraft and the Boeing Company.-Early years:...
instead performed a barrel roll
Barrel roll
A barrel roll is an aerial maneuver in which an airplane makes a complete rotation on its longitudinal axis while following a helical path, approximately maintaining its original direction. It is sometimes described as "a combination of a loop and a roll"...
to show off the jet airliner.
The next day, Allen summoned Johnston to his office and told him not to perform such a maneuver again, notwithstanding Johnston's assertion that doing so was completely safe. The barrel roll story appears on a video called Frontiers of Flight – The Jet Airliner, produced by the National Air and Space Museum in association with the Smithsonian Institution in 1992.
Boeing Chief Test Pilot John Cashman stated that just before he piloted the maiden flight of the Boeing 777
Boeing 777
The Boeing 777 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet and is commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven". The aircraft has seating for over 300 passengers and has a range from , depending on model...
on June 12, 1994, his last instructions from then-Boeing President Phil Condit were "No rolls."
Use as an experimental aircraft
After the arrival of the first production 707 in 1957, the Dash 80 was adapted into a general experimental aircraft and used by Boeing to test a variety of new technologies and systems. One of its most important tasks during the late 1950s was to test systems for the new Boeing 727Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
. These tests required the fitting of a fifth engine on the rear fuselage as part of tests for the 727. Other tests included experiments with different airfoil shapes and a number of high lift devices such as blown flap
Blown flap
Blown flaps are a powered aerodynamic high-lift device invented by the British and used on the wings of certain aircraft to improve low-speed lift during takeoff and landing. The process is sometimes called a boundary layer control system . They were a popular design feature in the 1960s, but fell...
s in which compressed air bled from the engines is directed over the flaps to increase lift during takeoff and landing.
Final flight
After 2,350 hours and 1,691 flights the aircraft was withdrawn from use in 1969 and placed in storage. On May 26, 1972 Boeing donated the 367-80 to the Smithsonian Air and Space MuseumNational Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
, which had designated it one of the 12 most significant aircraft of all time. For the next 18 years the aircraft was stored at a "desert boneyard"
Aircraft boneyard
Aircraft boneyard is a term for a storage area for aircraft that are retired from service. Most aircraft at boneyards are either kept for storage or turned into scrap metal...
in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
before being retrieved by Boeing in 1990 for restoration. The Dash 80's final flight was to Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
on August 27, 2003. It was put on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum 's annex at Washington Dulles International Airport in the Chantilly area of Fairfax County, Virginia, United States....
, an annex of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
's National Air and Space Museum, located adjacent to Dulles Airport in Chantilly, Virginia.