In the 1950s, the American Boeing aircraft company
wanted to pioneer civilian jet aircraft with its innovative Boeing 707.
As part of its prototype demonstration program, the President of Boeing invited representatives
for aircraft manufacturers to Seattle's 1955 Gold Cup Hydroplane Races to see the 707 in action.
Boeing test pilot Alvin “Tex” Johnston was meant to perform a simple flyover,
but he had a trick up his sleeve. As the massive aircraft flew over Lake Washington,
the more than 200,000 spectators were left in awe when Johnston performed not one
but two consecutive barrel rolls. The feat was caught on camera,
and nobody could believe that the 248,000-pound colossus was capable of such a maneuver.
Only Tex Johnston could pull it off.
A Cowboy Pilot
Tex was born in August of 1914 in Admire, Kansas, and fell in love with aviation
during his childhood. At 11 years old, Tex witnessed how a biplane landed close to his
house and knew he was destined to be a pilot. Tex made his first solo flight at the age of 15
and earned his license after four intensive years of learning the basics of aircraft mechanics.
When he graduated from high school, Tex went to college to study Engineering but dropped out to
barnstorm with Inman Brothers Flying Circus. He then married his sweetheart in 1935, and by 1939
he had already become an instructor at the Civilian Pilot Training Program.
When World War 2 broke out after France and Britain declared war on the Third Reich,
Tex immediately joined the US Army Air Corps Ferry Command to train pilots.
Then, in 1942, Tex became a flight test engineer at the Bell Aircraft company
to fly prototype aircraft such as the XP63, the P39 Airacobra, and the XP59 jet.
Despite growing up in Kansas, Johnston actually earned his nickname Tex because of wearing cowboy
boots and a Stetson hat during test flights. In 1946, after the war had ended, Tex bought
two Airacobras and modified them to win the Thompson Trophy at the National Air Races.
He then went on to help design the Bell X1 and test it.
Two years later, Tex joined Boeing as a test pilot, and his fame continued to grow.
As part of his new position, Tex flew legendary aircraft such as the B47
Stratojet and B52 Stratofortress prototypes. And for every new prototype that he flew,
Tex got himself a new pair of personalized cowboy boots to celebrate the occasion.
The pilot’s unique personality, bravery, and peculiar way of dressing would inspire
the character of Major TJ "King" Kong in the classic 1964 film ‘Dr. Strangelove or:
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.’ As the 1950s approached, Boeing unfolded a master
plan that would change aviation history. And Tex was going to become a part of it.
The company planned to launch the first commercial jet, and its warhorse was Dash 80, the codename
for the first prototype of the Boeing 707. Dash 80
Although the British paved the way for commercial jets with their De Havilland Comet,
Boeing truly embraced the idea to its greatest extent in proud American fashion.
Boeing President William Allen convinced the company’s board to put 16 million dollars of
the company's money to build a single prototype of the first American commercial jet. To put it
in perspective, Boeing stated that this amount of money represented most of the profits the company
had earned since the last days of the Cold War. It was a dangerous gamble, but the board finally
agreed. This led to the immediate construction of Dash 80, the prototype of the Boeing 707.
The company made a very effective propaganda campaign to convince the public that a jet
aircraft was not just revolutionary but safe and luxurious for traveling.
Dash 80 was 127 feet long, it had a wingspan of 129 feet and a height of 38 feet. Its gross weight
was 248,000 pounds, and it was equipped with four Pratt & Whitney JT3 turbojets
that provided over 40,000 pounds of thrust. The prototype was finished on May 15, 1954,
and its first flight was on July 15, 1954. After that, Tex began to travel the country
to show off the impressive new aircraft and draw attention to it to secure potential sales.
Boeing was already using 400-, 500-, and 600-series for missiles and other products,
so they went for 700-series numbers for the jets. However, instead of starting with 700,
the marketing department settled in for 707 because it had a better ring to it.
A Barrel Roll
As part of the company's demonstration and marketing program, President Bill Allen
decided to invite personnel from several American aircraft associations to witness the potential of
the new jet during Seattle's 1955 Seafair and Gold Cup Hydroplane Races in Lake Washington.
Tex Johnston was asked to perform a simple flyover
to show the aircraft to the more than 250,000 people gathered at the event.
Still, he had other plans to demonstrate the Dash 80's capabilities. No one knew his intentions
except the men on board with him, co-pilot Jim Gannett and a Boeing engineer with a camera.
On August 6, 1955, Tex took to the skies wearing his traditional flight suit and cowboy boots.
As the aircraft flew over the racecourse at 490 miles per hour, Tex put Dash 80 into a barrel
roll. The more than 200,000-ton colossus then smoothly began to turn 360 degrees.
As Dash 80 rolled, the crowd held its breath. It could not be true; such a massive airliner could
not possibly do it. But Tex pulled it off in front of the astonished crowd, and the feat was caught
on camera from the audience’s perspective. Inside the cabin, Boeing's engineer also
took some photographs while placing his camera near the windshield.
Bill Allen was on a yacht with Larry Bell from Bell Aircraft, who had a heart condition, and
turned around to tell him: (QUOTE) "Give me one of those damned pills. I need it worse than you do."
Allen thought that either Tex had gone crazy or something was terribly wrong with the aircraft.
To make matters worse, Tex then made a wide turn, returned to the racecourse,
and performed another barrel roll. The crowd cheered, except Allen,
who claimed to have already fired Tex many times before in his imagination.
The following day, Tex was called into Allen's office for an explanation.
When Allen asked him why he had done such a dangerous thing, Tex simply replied: (QUOTE)
"Doing my job. Selling airplanes."
Boeing would go on to sell more than 1,000 Boeing 707s during the following decades.
The aircraft became so successful that it became the first Jet Air Force One,
and it is regarded as one of the top 10 most essential airplanes in aviation history.
In his own book titled ‘Jet Age Test Pilot,’ Tex explained why he was not afraid to perform
this legendary maneuver: (QUOTE) "The airplane does not recognize attitude,
providing a maneuver is conducted at one G.
It knows only positive and negative imposed loads and variations in thrust and drag. The barrel
roll is a one G maneuver and quite impressive, but the airplane never knows it's inverted."
Decades later, when test pilot John Cashman was about to test the Boeing 777 on June 12,
1994, Boeing President Phil Condit told him: (QUOTE) "No rolls."
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