Boeing and France have enjoyed a long and close relationship By Bill Seil The Los Angeles International Air Meet, held in 1910, featured some of the day’s pioneering aviators, including Glenn Curtiss of the United States and France’s Louis Paulhan. Among those attending the show was 29-year-old Bill Boeing. Impressed by Paulhan and his Farman biplane, Boeing tried to get a ride with the French aviator. That didn’t happen, but Boeing left the show with a newfound passion—airplanes. Six years later, he founded the company that bears his name. Today, The Boeing Company enjoys a special relationship with France, one that at first glance might seem odd given that Boeing’s main competitor in commer-cial aviation, Airbus, is based in France. This makes the French aerospace market challenging for foreign companies. Yet, Boeing has been very successful in selling commercial airplanes to French airlines and forming partnerships with French companies. “France is often referred to as the home of our primary commercial competitor, but in truth it’s a country that is the home to some great Boeing industrial partners and longtime customers,” said Shep Hill, president, Boeing International, and senior PHOTOS: (Far left) A view of Paris from above the Eiffel Tower looking across the Seine River. ALAIN ERNOULT (Above) Pilot Louis Paulhan is carried on the shoulders of supporters at the 1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet, where his flights impressed Boeing founder Bill Boeing. MUSEUM OF FLIGHT COLLECTION (Left) A period poster publicizing the 1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet. SEAVER CENTER FOR WESTERN HISTORY RESEARCH, LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY BOEING FRONTIERS / JUNE 2013 31
Frontiers June 2013 Issue
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