When a Test Pilot Barrel-Rolled a 4-Engine Jet Airliner. How Boeing Won the Jet Race

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Dive into the fascinating history of early Cold War aviation and discover how a single aircraft revolutionized both military and commercial flight. In the early nineteen fifties, facing a complete lack of interest from the Air Force and commercial airlines, the Boeing company took an unprecedented risk. They built a jet transport demonstrator entirely at their own expense, gambling sixteen million dollars—a quarter of the company's net worth—on a project that could have bankrupted them. This remarkable machine, officially designated the 367-80 to mislead competitors into thinking it was merely an upgrade to an older piston-engine tanker, became affectionately known as the Dash 80. The aircraft was designed with a dual purpose: to show the military that a jet-powered airborne tanker was the best vehicle to refuel a new generation of fast jet bombers, and to prove to airlines that the future of passenger travel lay in swept-wing jets. Through an intensive flight test program led by chief test pilot Tex Johnston, the Dash 80 proved its incredible capabilities. It successfully tested a specialized rear pod equipped with a refueling boom and ruddervators, allowing operators to precisely fly the boom into receiving bombers like the B-52 at high altitudes and speeds. Despite early setbacks, including a landing gear collapse due to flawed metal and a dramatic runway overrun caused by a faulty brake valve, the aircraft's performance was undeniable. Its legacy was cemented when Tex Johnston shocked crowds by executing a flawless one-G barrel roll over Lake Washington in 1955, instantly proving the structural integrity and agility of large jet aircraft to the world To support/join the channel ➤ https://www.youtube.com/@Dronescapes/join ➤ More aircraft and history videos: https://www.youtube.com/@Dronescapes ➤ Join the channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Dronescapes/join ➤ THREADS: https://www.threads.net/@dronescapesvideos ➤ FB: https://www.facebook.com/Dronescapesvideos ➤ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/Atellani/ ➤ IG: https://www.instagram.com/dronescapesvideos ➤ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/dronescapes.bsky.social ➤ Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/dronescapesvideos ➤ X/Twitter: https://dronescapes.video/2p89vedj VIDEO SERIES: 🎥U.S. AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/US 🎥AVIATION VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/aviation 🎥GERMAN AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/WWIIGermany 🎥BRITISH AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/British 🎥ERIC BROWN VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/EricBrown 🎥B-29 VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/B29 🎥VIETNAM AND KOREA: https://dronescapes.video/Vietnam 🎥TURBOJET VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Turbojet 🎥SUPERSONIC VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/fastest 🎥EXTREME AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Extreme 🎥STRANGE PLANES VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Extreme 🎥COLD WAR ERA VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/ColdWar 🎥 WW2 VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/WW2 ##AviationHistory #ColdWarAircraft #JetAge