December 2014–January 2015 13 HISTORICA L PERSPECTIVE Bomber school During WWII, Boeing trained thousands of mechanics by michael j. lombardi The story of how Boeing overcame the awesome challenge of increasing production rates after America’s entry into World War II— from a handful of airplanes a month to hundreds—is well-known. But another emergency task handed to the company at that time is one largely lost in history. On Feb. 19, 1942, just two and half months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Gen. Walter Reed Weaver, acting chief of the U.S. Army Air Force, contacted Boeing President Phil Johnson. Wrote Weaver in his letter to Johnson: “Fifty enlisted men will be sent to your factory at the earliest predictable date to pursue a four-week course of familiarization of airplanes built by you.” Boeing’s assignment: Create a training school for Army Air Force mechanics. What began as a command from an Air Force general within a matter of months grew into a school complete with hangars, barracks and its own airplanes. Boeing leaders from various organizations worked together quickly to create a training program. A curriculum was built around existing Boeing Field Service B-17 customer training, and classrooms for students were set up at a Boeing office in downtown Seattle. Everything appeared to be manageable—until those 50 students turned out to be 500. To accommodate that many students, Boeing worked with the city to house them at Seattle’s Civic Auditorium, which today is the city’s opera house, known as McCaw Hall. Students were bused to Boeing Field for training that, due to the numbers, consisted of spending time touring the B-17 production line. Those tours were not adequate, so Boeing’s motion picture department developed a number of training films, and the field service department developed training mock-ups that consisted of actual parts and systems mounted on plywood boards—an innovative concept that became popular throughout the aviation industry. Soon, a training program was in place that, while somewhat cumbersome, was economic and viable. On April 23, 1942, it earned an official name: the Flying Fortress School, named after the B-17 that Boeing was producing. Douglas and North American, which later became Boeing heritage companies, were developing similar schools in California, and in early May, Army Air Force Commanding Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold instructed all manufacturers to provide housing as well as classrooms for the airmen. Following that directive, Boeing committed half a million dollars to constructing and equipping the school, located at the north end of Boeing Field. It included barracks, three hangars, classrooms, a dispensary and a theater. Construction and management of the school progressed on verbal requests from the government—there was no contract until November 1942. Along with the basic necessities of the school, Boeing added another innovative training aid: a two-story blockhouse with a pair of B-17 wings attached so that the mechanics could go through their actual daily maintenance routine. This test rig was called “Joe’s Duck,” and later a B-29 test rig called the “Unknown Angel” replaced it. The school also had its own fleet of 14 flying B-17s and B-29s to assist with hands-on training. In February 1943, the school began to run classes day and night with the addition of B-29 training. In 1944, when Boeing changed its production over to B-29s, the Flying Fortress classes were moved to Lockheed Vega in California, where production of B-17s continued. The Boeing school then became the Superfortress School. The Boeing school continued until the war ended. It closed in October 1945. By then Boeing had trained 30,000 mechanics and flight engineers as well as pilots and navigators on how to maintain Boeing bombers. In 1947, the school barracks were taken over by the National Guard and Boeing retained the three hangars and a school building. It became the Boeing Stratocruiser School, which offered maintenance training on the Model 377 Stratocruiser to airline personnel. One building that was part of the original Flying Fortress School remains and is still in use—historic “Hangar 1.” Originally built to house a B-29 Superfortress, it recently was restored and now is home to the Boeing Test & Evaluation’s fleet of chase planes. Today, Boeing’s Commercial Aviation Services and Global Services & Support organizations continue the legacy of customer responsiveness and support exhibited by their predecessors in Boeing Field Service and Boeing Training during that time of national emergency 70 years ago. n michael.j.lombardi@boeing.com Photo: U.S. Air Force mechanics study a B-29’s R-3350 engine at the Boeing Superfortress School. Boe inG ARCHIVES
Frontiers December 2014–January 2015 Issue
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