Boeing 707: The Plane that Shrank the World

How did a company that failed three times in the commercial airliner business build the plane that defined the jet age?

By the time the 707 took flight in 1958, it had cut transatlantic ticket prices by 59%. And, for the first time in history, more people crossed the Atlantic by plane than by ship.

In this episode of Project Blueprint, discover how Boeing reinvented itself after WWII, outmaneuvered its rival Douglas, and launched the jet age. It’s a story of bold engineering, corporate rivalry, secret research labs, and the struggle to change a company’s culture. Along the way, you’ll hear leadership lessons from legendary Boeing president Bill Allen, the man who bet the company on the 707.

What You’ll Learn:

• How a lawyer-turned-executive pivoted Boeing from military contracts to commercial aviation
• How a tax loophole helped kickstart the jet age
• When to listen to customers vs when to build something no one’s asked for

0:00:00 — Introduction

0:03:14 — Boeing prior to the Jet Age

0:32:30 — The -80 Prototype

1:21:29 — Battle with Douglas

1:52:46 — Analysis

Links:

• -80 Barrel Roll Video
• Sources
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