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Until the mid-1920s, American commercial airplanes were built for mail, not people. A passenger flying in Boeing's earlier Model 40 was in for an uncomfortable trip. People were a secondary consideration, packed like sardines into the cold and noisy fuselage. Nevertheless, the Model 40 demonstrated that carrying a passenger or two in addition to mail could be profitable. Boeing thus turned its attention to its first aircraft specifically designed for passenger operations, the Model 80. The 80 first flew in August 1928 and was working along Boeing Air Transport's route two weeks later. The 12-passenger Model 80 and the more-powerful 18-passenger 80A (re-designated 80A-1s when the tail surfaces were modified in 1930) stayed in service until 1934, when they were replaced by the all-metal Boeing Model 247. A total of 16 of the Model 80 series were produced.
Along with the Ford, Fokker, and Stinson Tri-Motors, the 80 was a new breed of passenger aircraft, introducing some comfort to travel. The 80A had room for 18, a heated cabin, and leather seats. There were individual reading lights and the lavatory featured hot and cold running water. Although the 80 had a relatively luxurious interior, flying was tough by today's standards: the cabin wasn't pressurized, flights occurred in the turbulent lower atmosphere, engine noise made conversation difficult, and despite heaters, the cabin was sometimes very cold.
In 1930, Ellen Church, a student pilot and registered nurse, convinced Boeing management to hire female cabin attendants for their Model 80 flights. Until then, it had been the co-pilot's duty to pass out box lunches, serve coffee, and tend to the passenger's needs. Church reasoned that the sight of women working aboard the Boeing 80s would alleviate the passenger's fear of air travel. She and seven others, all registered nurses, became America's first "stewardesses." Serving on a trial basis, they were very popular and became a permanent part of commercial aviation.
The Museum's Model 80A-1, equipped with three Pratt & Whitney 525-horsepower "Hornet" engines, was the last 80 retired from service with United in 1934. The airplane was later privately owned for several years, barnstorming and conducting joy rides in the Pacific Northwest. It was also used as a flying electric billboard for night advertising in Southern California. In 1941, it became a cargo aircraft with a construction firm in Alaska. To carry large equipment, including a massive 11,000-pound (4,950 kg) boiler, a cargo door was cut into the plane's side and structural reinforcements added.
After the war, the hard-working 80 was stored and then discarded. It was recovered from an Anchorage dump in 1960 and eventually brought to Seattle for restoration via a U.S. Air Force C-124. The Model 80A-1 restoration project served as a catalyst for establishment of the Pacific Northwest Aviation Historical Foundation, which later became The Museum of Flight. It is the only surviving example of the Boeing Model 80 series, and is now a centerpiece of the Museum’s collection in the Great Gallery.
Until the mid-1920s, American commercial airplanes were built for mail, not people. A passenger flying in Boeing's earlier Model 40 was in for an uncomfortable trip. People were a secondary consideration, packed like sardines into the cold and noisy fuselage. Nevertheless, the Model 40 demonstrated that carrying a passenger or two in addition to mail could be profitable. Boeing thus turned its attention to its first aircraft specifically designed for passenger operations, the Model 80. The 80 first flew in August 1928 and was working along Boeing Air Transport's route two weeks later. The 12-passenger Model 80 and the more-powerful 18-passenger 80A (re-designated 80A-1s when the tail surfaces were modified in 1930) stayed in service until 1934, when they were replaced by the all-metal Boeing Model 247. A total of 16 of the Model 80 series were produced.
Along with the Ford, Fokker, and Stinson Tri-Motors, the 80 was a new breed of passenger aircraft, introducing some comfort to travel. The 80A had room for 18, a heated cabin, and leather seats. There were individual reading lights and the lavatory featured hot and cold running water. Although the 80 had a relatively luxurious interior, flying was tough by today's standards: the cabin wasn't pressurized, flights occurred in the turbulent lower atmosphere, engine noise made conversation difficult, and despite heaters, the cabin was sometimes very cold.
In 1930, Ellen Church, a student pilot and registered nurse, convinced Boeing management to hire female cabin attendants for their Model 80 flights. Until then, it had been the co-pilot's duty to pass out box lunches, serve coffee, and tend to the passenger's needs. Church reasoned that the sight of women working aboard the Boeing 80s would alleviate the passenger's fear of air travel. She and seven others, all registered nurses, became America's first "stewardesses." Serving on a trial basis, they were very popular and became a permanent part of commercial aviation.
The Museum's Model 80A-1, equipped with three Pratt & Whitney 525-horsepower "Hornet" engines, was the last 80 retired from service with United in 1934. The airplane was later privately owned for several years, barnstorming and conducting joy rides in the Pacific Northwest. It was also used as a flying electric billboard for night advertising in Southern California. In 1941, it became a cargo aircraft with a construction firm in Alaska. To carry large equipment, including a massive 11,000-pound (4,950 kg) boiler, a cargo door was cut into the plane's side and structural reinforcements added.
After the war, the hard-working 80 was stored and then discarded. It was recovered from an Anchorage dump in 1960 and eventually brought to Seattle for restoration via a U.S. Air Force C-124. The Model 80A-1 restoration project served as a catalyst for establishment of the Pacific Northwest Aviation Historical Foundation, which later became The Museum of Flight. It is the only surviving example of the Boeing Model 80 series, and is now a centerpiece of the Museum’s collection in the Great Gallery.
