1998 q1-boeing and douglas -a history of customer service

8/13/2019 1998 Q1-Boeing and Douglas -A History of Customer Service

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Boeing & Douglas: A History of Customer Service

The history of The Boeing Company and the Douglas Aircraft Companyis, in essence, the history of commercial aviation. Founded in 1916 and

19!, respectively, the t"o companies led America and the "orld inairplane development, challenging each other decade #y decade, andmar$ing the progress of flight from open%coc$pit #iplanes to &um#o &ets.The uni'uely American spirit evinced #y the t"o companies %% a senseof imagination and daring com#ined "ith (an$ee ingenuity %% is no"heremore clearly illustrated than in the history of their customer serviceachievements from the early years of this century.

The principle of customer service )the idea that selling an airplane involves morethan simply an e*change of hard"are for cash+ dates from the earliest days of

#oth companies. The first such activity at Boeing too$ place in 191, &ust prior tothe company-s first sale. The nited /tates had recently entered 0orld 0ar ,and the ./. 2avy "as interested in the Boeing 3odel C seaplane. 0ith flighttests scheduled across the country in 4ensacola, Florida, the company "asforced to #rea$ do"n, crate, and ship t"o of the 3odel Cs #y rail %% sending alongspare parts, a factory engineer, and a pilot to complete the pac$age. Thefollo"ing year, "hen the 2e" 5ealand Flying Clu# purchased the company-soriginal B 0 seaplanes, training and spares "ere made part of the deal.

/imilarly, the first transactions of the fledgling Douglas Aircraft Company virtuallyassumed customer service. The company-s first airplane, the Douglas

7Cloudster,7 "as successively refitted #y Douglas engineers as its o"nershippassed to various commercial firms in /outhern California. 3ore%over, the round%the%"orld flight accomplished #y the Douglas 0orld Cruisers in 198 %%esta#lishing the company-s reputation in a single stro$e %% necessitated thestrategic placement of company engineers and spare parts at different locationsaround the glo#e, anticipating the modern arrangement years #efore it too$shape.

4assenger service, as such, did not e*ist in the early 19!s rather, it gre" out ofthe development of air#orne mail service. n 19:, 4resident Calvin Coolidgesigned legislation forcing the 4ost ;ffice to transfer esta#lished routes to private

operators. Douglas capitali


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caught on in America, and passengers had #ecome an important source ofrevenue. The Boeing Company e*panded, setting up a holding company thatincluded airplane manufacturing, airmail contracts, and a passenger service$no"n as nited Air >ines. The corporation also opened The Boeing /chool of

Aeronautics in ;a$land, California, a program aimed at raising the standards of

flying and ground%school instruction, and providing nited Air >ines "ith capa#lepilots.

n 19??, The Boeing Company introduced the "orld-s first modern passengertransport, the 3odel 8. A slee$, all%metal transport "ith an enclosed coc$pit,the 8 contained seats for 1! passengers and featured thic$ upholstered chairs,an insulated ca#in, a lavatory, and individual overhead lighting. The phenomenonof the 3odel 8 caught the attention of America-s young airline companies.0hen its commitment to nited prevented Boeing from filling orders fast enough,Transcontinental 0estern Air )T0A+ turned to Donald Douglas.

Douglas offered to #uild something similar to the Boeing 8 %% only faster andlarger. T0A 'uic$ly accepted the proposal. The Douglas DC%1, "hich "ouldeventually #e refined as the legendary DC%?, immediately attracted ne"customers, ma$ing the 8 o#solete less than a year after its first flight. n 19?8,the @oosevelt administration ordered the annulment of all airmail contracts,effectively divorcing The Boeing Company and nited, and restricting the formerto the manufacture of airplanes. 0ith the advent of the 3odel 8 and the DC%1,, ? series, ho"ever, the competition to supply the "orld "ith aircraft had "elland truly #egun %% "ith Boeing and Douglas facing off on the "estern coast of thenited /tates and spurring each other to ne" levels of innovation, decade #ydecade.

The Douglas Aircraft Company "as the first to formally esta#lish a 7/erviceDepartment,7 an organiima, 4eru.

The Boeing Company follo"ed suit in 19?6 "ith the #irth of its 7/ervice nit,7headed #y engineer 0ell"ood Beall. Dou#ling as the company-s 7Far astern/ales @epresentative,7 Beall had traveled to China the previous year, concludinga successful sale of Boeing 4%6 74eashooter7 pursuit planes to the Chinesegovernment. Accordingly, Beall found it necessary to esta#lish a fieldrepresentative in Canton to oversee airplane maintenance and the training ofChinese pilots. 0ith this si


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#ecame a functional necessity for the company, providing a critical lin$ #et"een/eattle and its distant customers.

The 19?!s sa" the rapid gro"th of #oth companies. The rest of the country had#een mired in the Depression for several years, and the mid%?!s mar$ed the

#eginning of America-s financial recovery. /u#stantial orders flo"ed into Douglasand Boeing. 4an American Air"ays placed an order "ith Boeing for si* 3odel?18 Clippers, the long%range flying #oats that provided lu*uriousaccommodations, including sleeping room for 8! passengers. At Douglas, ne"airplane construction "as already ta$ing place at a record pace. The enormoussuccess of the Douglas DC%?, com#ining passenger comfort "ith a utilitariandesign, made it the "orld"ide standard for commercial air travel.

The year 19? sa" urope plunge into the /econd 0orld 0ar %% "ith importantramifications for the service organi


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"ar. n California, each of the ma&or Douglas sites set up training facilities for themilitary.

The /econd 0orld 0ar thus "rought several important changes in the servicedepartments of #oth companies. The rapid gro"th in the num#er of field

representatives, the esta#lishment of permanent training facilities, and theincreasing comple*ity of aircraft systems spurred departmental reorgani


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and "omen "ho helped to #uild the t"o great companies %% can ta$e pride in thee*traordinary heritage "rought #y their fore#ears. The Boeing B 0, theDouglas Cloudster, the 0orld Cruiser, the 3odel 8, the DC%?, the /tratoliner,the B%1, the /BD Dauntless, the DC%6, the Dash ! %% the litany of history%ma$ing airplanes reminds us that Boeing and Douglas didn-t &ust ta$e part in the

evolution of flight, they literally "rote the defining chapters.

ach chapter of the story #ears the same essential theme %% that of rising to aparticular challenge, overcoming great o#stacles, and stepping for"ard into thefuture. And despite the vast technological changes that have ta$en place in theairplane industry, the Customer /upport mission has remained the same Toassist the operators of Boeing and Douglas planes to the greatest possi#lee*tent, delivering total satisfaction and lifetime support.

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0>>A3 B;2H D;2A>D D;H>A/ A@;2ATCA> 4;2@/The year "as 191: %% America had not yet entered 0orld 0ar , 4rohi#ition "asstill four years a"ay, and a significant #ut unremar$ed event "as ta$ing place insu#ur#an >os Angeles

0illiam Boeing &ourneyed from /eattle for flight instruction at the Hlenn 3artinflying school, and Donald Douglas arrived from the ast to &oin the 3artinCompany as chief aeronautical engineer.

0ithin five years, the t"o men had formed their o"n companies and "ere sooncompeting head%to%head in one of the most significant #usiness rivalries of the

!th century %% leading America and the rest of the "orld into the Aerospace Age.

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0>>A3 B;2H0illiam d"ard Boeing, #orn in 11 and christened 70ilhelm,7 "as one of threechildren, the son of an educated Herman immigrant. >ittle is $no"n of 0illiamBoeing-s early life apart from the fact that he "as &ust eight "hen his father died,that he "as sent to /"itos Angeles to "itness the first

American air meet, featuring the French ace >ouis 4aulhan. Fascinated, Boeingtried to o#tain a ride in one of the planes, #ut circumstances prevented it.


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By 1918, he "as 'uartered in /eattle, "here he fre'uented the niversity Clu#,smo$ing cigars and discussing the issues of the day. There he met Conrad0estervelt, a 2aval engineer "ith a strong interest in aviation "ho "astemporarily assigned in the 2orth"est.

According to an intervie" "ith its founder, The Boeing Company #egan as aholiday lar$ on a hot Fourth of uly morning in 1918. Boeing and 0esterveltcele#rated ndependence Day #y purchasing rides in a seaplane flo"n #y a#arnstorming pilot off >a$e 0ashington. Flying machines "ere still a novelty in1918, and their design had advanced very little from the #o* $ite prototype the0right #rothers had launched from Gitty =a"$ 11 years earlier.

Bill Boeing "ent first %% e*changing his rimless eyeglasses for a set of gogglesand ta$ing his position #eside the pilot. The t"o sat on the front edge of the lo"er"ing, in front of a #ac$"ard%facing pusher propeller. Boeing #raced his feetagainst the footrests, his hands gripping the edge of the "ing. There "ere no

seat #elts.

The pilot revved the engine, the frail craft raced across >a$e 0ashington %% thenlifted off into the air. Boeing "as a#solutely thrilled #y the e*perience. The planetouched do"n, he e*changed places "ith 0estervelt, then immediately "ent#ac$ up again "hen 0estervelt landed. The t"o men spent the rest of the dayrepeating the e*perience. Bet"een flights, they closely e*amined theconstruction of the ric$ety airplane. By mid%afternoon, they "ere already planningho" to design a #etter craft.

A reserved man "ith a strong sense of privacy, Boeing "as nonetheless

possessed of great foresight and daring, and #elieved utterly in the future ofaviation. n 1916, "hen the company-s first test flight "as scheduled and the pilot"as ine*plica#ly late, Boeing clim#ed into the coc$pit and too$ the plane uphimself %% e*plaining later that he 7did not "ant to endanger anyone else.7 0hena glut of e*%military planes forced a slump in the mar$et follo"ing the close of0orld 0ar , he depleted his personal fortune to $eep Boeing "or$ers employed.

The Boeing Company "as parted from its founder in 19?8, "hen the @ooseveltadministration dictated the divestiture of aircraft companies and airline carriers.But the company retained his stamp %% daring to ma$e great leaps for"ard "henit introduced &etliners in the 19:!s and #ecoming a pillar of American

technological leadership in the process.

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D;2A>D D;H>A/Born in Broo$lyn, 2e" (or$, in 19, Donald 0ills Douglas "as the younger sonof 0illiam and Dorothy =agen%>ocher Douglas. As a young man, his interestscentered on "riting verse poetry, ocean sailing, and the ne" science of aviation.


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n 19!, only five years after Gitty =a"$, 0il#ur and ;rville 0right announcedthe trial demonstration of a flying machine #uilt to the ./. Army-s specification atFort 3eyers, Iirginia. Captivated #y the ne"s, the 16%year%old Douglaspersuaded his mother to accompany him to Iirginia to "itness the trials. Thisevent appears to have cemented his desire to #ecome involved in aviation.

A #an$er #y profession, ho"ever, 0illiam Douglas insisted on a rigid, formaleducation for #oth his sons. Accordingly, Douglas enrolled in the 2aval Academyin 19!9, follo"ing his #rother, =arold, "ho "as already a sophomore. Theyounger Douglas spent much of his free time #uilding airplane models po"ered#y ru##er%#anded propellers. n one instance, he attempted to #uild a roc$et%po"ered model %% the resulting smo$e causing a panic "hen he launched it fromthe "indo" of his room.

After three years at Annapolis, Douglas resigned as a midshipman, see$ing tocontinue his studies at an institution "ith a greater emphasis on aero%nautical

engineering. =e enrolled at 3T, finishing the four%year mechanical engineeringcourse in t"o years and graduating in 1918. =e remained at 3T the follo"ingyear as an assistant in aeronautical engineering, "or$ing on "ind tunnel designand consulting on a dirigi#le for the ./. 2avy.

n August 191:, at the recommendation of his instructors at 3T, Douglasaccepted the position of chief engineer for the Hlenn >. 3artin Company in >os

Angeles. =e "as ? years of age.

n 1916, Douglas accepted a position "ith the 0ar Department as the head ofthe Aeronautical Branch of the ./. Army /ignal Corps. By 19!, he had

esta#lished his o"n company. n 198, the ./. Army Aviation /ervice mountedthe first around%the%"orld flight, commissioning Douglas #iplanes for the &ourney.pon the successful completion of this feat, Douglas united his /cottish familycrest %% the "inged heart %% "ith a glo#e%encircling design to form the Douglas

Aircraft Company logo.

A man of many interests, Donald Douglas "on the silver medal in sailing )si*%meter class+ at the 19? ;lympics. t "as his passion for flight that #urned the#rightest, though he led his company #y e*ample, inspiring all "ho "or$ed "ithhim. pon the death of company vice president =arry 0etD @4@/2TATIDuring the 19?!s, Boeing service representatives 'uic$ly esta#lished areputation for resourcefulness in the field. The author of this reputation "as, ingreat part, the company-s first field rep %% =er#ert 72emo7 4oncetti.By the earlypart of the decade, military pursuit planes had #ecame The Boeing Company-s


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#read and #utter. Follo"ing the success of the 4%6 4eashooter "ith the ./.Armed Forces, the company decided to mar$et an e*port version of thediminutive pursuit plane.

n the late summer of 19?8, 0ell"ood Beall, the company-s Far astern /ales

@epresentative, sailed to Canton, "here he concluded a sale of eleven4eashooters to the Chinese Air Force. Coming off the production line in /eattle,the planes "ould #e torn do"n, crated, and shipped to the Far ast.

t "ould #e necessary, Beall reali


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4@;CT 19During the /econd 0orld 0ar, customer service too$ on an entirely ne" level ofmeaning %% as illustrated #y the Douglas and Boeing machinists "ho too$ part in

the top%secret mission referred to as 74ro&ect 19.7

By the summer of 1981, the British "ere facing disaster in 2orth Africa. HermanField 3arshall @ommel-s armored divisions "ere #esieging To#ru$, threateningto gain control of the /ue< Canal. A #attle%damaged @oyal Air Force urgentlyneeded a repair #ase in the region. Desperate for aid, Britain called upon

America %% "ho, as yet, had not entered the "ar.

By 4residential directive, a secret meeting "as convened "ith representatives ofthe nation-s top planema$ers. The upshot a top%secret repair #ase, designated74ro&ect 19,7 "ould #e esta#lished at Hura in the ritrean hills, 6! miles from the

@ed /ea port of 3assa"a. =igh on the mountain plateau lay an a#andonedtalian airplane plant, complete "ith lu*ury #arrac$s, "ell%e'uipped machineshops, and ne" hangars.

@ecruitment and management "ere assigned to Douglas Aircraft. nder an oathof strictest secrecy, volunteers "ere dra"n from the principal ./. airplanemanufacturing centers %% /eattle, the 3id"est, and /outhern California.

The Boeing and Douglas men "ho rode the first truc$s from 3assa"a, "indingup hundreds of curves to Hura, sa" a mile%high desert valley that remindedCalifornians of the upper 3o&ave. They also sa" a pitted airstrip, surrounded #y a

ru##le of #om#ed%out #arrac$s and shop #uildings %% the remains of the talianplant, #lasted #y Allied #om#ers months earlier.

A"aiting them "as a field littered "ith ruined aircraft, along "ith crates of#attered "ings, fuselages, empennages, and engines. The Americans regardedthem "ith dismay. Their tas$ "as to ma$e these aircraft #attle"orthy. But ho",they as$ed themselves. And "ith "hat toolsJ Bereft of even the #arestnecessities, they responded "ith the only resource availa#le to them %% (an$eeingenuity.

Tools "ere improvised and salvaged from ship cargoes. Barrac$ "alls and roofs

"ere patched, #om# craters filled in. There "ere forests of propellers to #estraightened, #ut no hydraulic press to do the &o#. The machinists contrived asimple vice to hold the #ent props, then proceeded to un#end them manually "iththe longest availa#le t"o%#y%four.

They made a crude #ut accurate level steel ta#le and a homemade protractor tochec$ the pitch and curve of the #lades. They improvised a #alancing stand and


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pit. From &un$ steel, aluminum, and ru##er, they #uilt a "or$ing #ench to test theflo" of oil through pitch controls.

;ne day on the doc$s of 3assa"a, the Americans discovered a ne" Hermanmilling machine, crated and #ound for apan. 0ith part of the group creating a

suita#le diversion, the milling machine "as gleefully li#erated, then truc$ed overthe hills to Hura. As the days "ent #y, proper machine tools arrived, one #y one,to replace the original ma$eshifts.

/oon, the mem#ers of 4ro&ect 19 "ere fi*ing every $ind of American plane thatlimped or "as hauled in from near#y 2orth African fighting fronts. They servicedand assem#led 4%8!s, C%8 /$ytrains, C%:8 /$ymasters, B%8 >i#erators, B%1Flying Fortresses, =avocs, =udsons, and a host of others. Those that couldn-t #erepaired "ere dismantled for spare parts.

;n ;cto#er ?, 198, the third and final #attle of l Alamein commenced "ith

continuous attac$s from @AF aircraft. 3any of the Allied planes had #eenpatched together #y 4ro&ect 19. By 2ovem#er 8, the A*is forces in the 0esternDesert "ere in full retreat. 2o fuel had succeeded in reaching @ommel-s forcesfor si* "ee$s. Air interdiction %% made possi#le #y 4ro&ect 19-s field maintenanceand repair %% had tipped the #alance in the Allies favor.

;n 3arch 9, 198?, a group hanging around the "ireless heard the ne"s first@ommel had a#andoned 2orth Africa. /oon after, in groups large and small, thee*odus #ac$ to the ./. #egan %% some #y airplane, some a#oard ship #y "ay of

Australia. ;ne day in late 198?, a small group of machinists %% the last remnant of,:!! civilians and :!! soldiers %% nailed the final crate, heaved it on the #ed of

the last truc$, and rode the si*%"heeler do"n the escarpment road to the @ed/ea.

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T= DC%The DC% %% or the 7Di


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The plane-s captain, =.>. 0oods, radioed #ac$ to the C2AC #ase. 7The plane-s a"rec$,7 0oods reported, 7#ut if "e can get a ne" "ing, thin$ can fly her out ofhere.7 Captain Charlie /harp, another American pilot flying for the C2AC, ta$esup the story from there

7The hell of it "as, "e didn-t have a spare DC%? "ing, and "e didn-t $no" "hereto get one. 0e did, ho"ever, have a spare DC% "ing. t "as five feet shorter,and it "asn-t designed to support the loads of the DC%? %% #ut "e thought it &ustmight "or$. And "e needed that airplane in the "orst "ay.7

0ith the help of Douglas field representatives, they #olted the DC% "ing toanother DC%?-s under#elly and fle" it across the 9!! miles of mountainousterrain to Giuchuan. There, a ground cre" #olted the DC% "ing to the fuselageof the damaged airliner. Astonishing every "itness on the ground, the plane#umped across the field and lifted off "ithout a hitch. Concluded /harp, 70ecalled her the DC%.7

During the "ar years of the ?!s and 8!s, there "ere so many in%the%fieldmodifications that even Douglas field representatives couldn-t $eep trac$ of themall. The DC%? )or C%8+ served as an aerial pac$%horse in a multitude of roles %%#ecoming, in turn, an am#ulance plane fitted for litter patients a 7flying tan$ car7hauling gasoline, mil$, or "ater to stranded ground forces an air#orne photo la#used #y reconnaissance groups and a 7flying "rec$er,7 refitted as a completeair#orne machine shop.

William Winship0riter0riting diting @esources

Boeing /hared /ervices Hroup

1998 q1-boeing and douglas -a history of customer service

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