Boeing 80

Model 80
275px
Type	Airliner
Manufacturer	Boeing
Maiden flight	27 July 1928

The Boeing 80 was an early United States airliner. It was the first purpose-built airliner for the Washington aircraft company Boeing. A biplane like its predecessor, the Model 40A, it was significantly larger, with three radial engines, an enclosed flight deck for 2 pilots, and a cabin for 12 passengers. A larger model, the 80A, increased passenger capacity to 18, making its first flight on September 12, 1929. Ten Model 80A aircraft flew for the Boeing airlines.

Despite complaints by pilots accustomed to flying in an open cockpit, the size of the Model 80 required a separate, enclosed flight deck. The Model 80 carried passengers in a spacious cabin appointed with leather upholstery, reading lamps, forced-air ventilation, and hot and cold running water.

The 80A also introduced aviation's first female flight attendants, when registered nurse Ellen Church convinced managers at Boeing women registered as nurses would be a useful part of an aircraft's crew.

Variants

• Model 80 - original production version with Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines (4 built)
• Model 80A - improved aerodynamics and Pratt & Whitney Hornet engines (10 built)
  • Model 80A-1 - version with revised empennage; all 10 Model 80As converted to this standard
• Model 80B-1 - single Model 80A built with open flight deck. Later modified to Model 80A-1 standard
• Model 226 - one-off Model 80A converted to executive transport for Standard Oil. Modified tail surfaces later adopted on all Model 80As (see Model 80A-1)

References

• Boeing History - Boeing Model 80 Commercial Transport Retrieved June 17, 2006.

See also

Comparable aircraft

• Fokker F.VIII
• Ford Trimotor
• Junkers Ju 52/3m

Related lists

• List of airliners

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Boeing 80".