40 BOEING FRONTIERS Innovation oppor Germany is a leader in technology and innovation— and a key market for Boeing BY ASHLEY JOHNSON It was the kind of innovation and engineering that can change the world. And did. All commercial jetliners—whether a 747-8 Intercontinental operated by Lufthansa or an Air Berlin Next-Generation 737—have their roots in an aircraft design breakthrough that underscores the ties between Boeing and Germany. In the spring of 1945, Boeing aerodynamicist George Schairer entered Germany just before the war ended as part of a fact-finding mission with other scientists. Inside a research center they found wind-tunnel data confirming the advantages of airplane wings that were swept back rather than straight. Schairer shared the findings with his Boeing colleagues, aiding the company in designing the B-47 Stratojet, the world’s first large swept-wing jet. Combined with engines mounted in pods under the wings, the innovations propelled Boeing into the jet age with the subsequent development of the 707 commercial jetliner. Some 70 years later, German
Frontiers December 2015 - January 2016 Issue
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