Great Planes — Season 1, Episode 1: Boeing B-29 Superfortress

About Great Planes

In 1903, not only did the Wright brothers ’plane soar, but a young man named William Boeing stepped out of the Yale University gates. 13 years later, using wood, canvas and wire, the first "Boeing model", the B&W, was born. Boeing has since grown into a huge company and developed countless models, including the 1957-92 passenger jet, the 707. Later, we learn about the Constellation designed by Lockheed in the early 1940s. The fuselage of the machine evokes the graceful form of a dolphin, no wonder that with its beauty it also won the title of "Queen of Heaven". The C-69 was the first model to cross non-stop America, covering the Los Angeles-Washington DC distance in record time of 7 hours and 3 minutes. Connies were used for both military and civilian purposes until the early 1960s. This and many more stories are recounted here in Great Planes.

More episodes from Season 1

• E2General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark
• E3Grumman F-14 Tomcat
• E4Convair B-36 Peacemaker
• E5North American XB-70 Valkyrie
• E6General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
• E7Consolidated B-24 Liberator
• E8Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
• E9Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
• E10Lockheed P-38 Lightning
• E11Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota
• E12North American F-86 Sabre
• E13British Aerospace/McDonnell Douglas Harrier