Product Review

In 1916, an airplane company was established in the previous Heath shipyard along the Duwamish River, situated a short distance south of Seattle’s Elliott Bay. Work on the first two airplanes was already well underway as the articles of incorporation for Pacific Aero Products Company established three Seattle residents as the principals, William E. Boeing, James Foley, and Edgar Gott. The company’s diverse crew included men with woodworking skills, women with expertise in sewing fabric, and an American-educated Chinese aeronautical engineer named Wong Tsu. A century later, Boeing is synonymous with commercial aviation, military products, and feats in space.