Boeing B&W / Model 1

The Boeing Model 1, also known as the B & W Seaplane, was a United States single-engine biplane seaplane aircraft.

It was Boeing’s first home grown product and carried the initials of its designers, William Boeing and Lt. Conrad Westervelt USN.

The first B & W was completed in June 1916 at Boeing’s boathouse hangar on Lake Union in Seattle, Washington.

It was made of wood, with wire bracing, and was linen-covered.

It was similar to the Martin trainer aircraft that Boeing owned, but the B & W had better pontoons and a more powerful engine.

The first B & W was named Bluebill, and the second was named Mallard.

The first flew on 15 June 1916, and the second in November of the same year.

The two B & Ws were offered to the United States Navy.

When the Navy did not buy them, they were sold to the New Zealand Flying School and became the company’s first international sale.

On June 25, 1919, the B&W set a New Zealand altitude record of 6,500 feet.

The B & Ws were later used for express and airmail deliveries, making New Zealand’s first official airmail flight on December 16, 1919.

Specifications

Crew

2

Length

27 ft 6 in (8.38 m)

Wingspan

52 ft 0 in (15.86 m)

Wing area

580 sq ft (53.9 m2)

Empty weight

2,100 lb (953 kg)

Gross weight

2,800 lb (1,272 kg)

Powerplant

1 × Hall-Scott A-5 Straight-6 piston engine,

125 hp (93 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed

75 mph (121 km/h, 65 kn)

Cruise speed

67 mph (109 km/h, 58 kn)

Range

320 mi (518 km, 280 nmi)

Rate of climb

00 ft/min (3.56 m/s).