Mount Rainier: Our Beloved Backdrop
Washington’s iconic mountain has played a supporting role in many of the company’s most memorable flight-test images.
Mount Rainier makes a cameo appearance during the first flight of the 777-200LR on March 8, 2005. All photos courtesy of the Boeing Archives.
Since the earliest days of Boeing, Washington state’s Mount Rainier has been making regular guest appearances during air-to-air test flights in the Puget Sound region.
- As the tallest peak in the Cascade Range, Mount Rainier rises 14,410 feet (4,392 meters) above sea level and sits 70 miles (113 kilometers) south of Seattle.
- It was named by British Capt. George Vancouver in honor of his friend, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier.
- In the indigenous Salish language, Lushootseed, it is known as “Tahoma,” which means “snow-covered mountain.” The Salish also called it “the sky wiper” or “one who touches the sky.”
The Boeing Company was born in the shadow of Mount Rainier. In 1916, William Boeing and Conrad Westervelt decided to go into the aviation business on the shores of the Duwamish River, buying the former Heath Shipyard as their first business venture in what later became known as the Boeing Airplane Co.
Virtually every new airplane built there does a flyby photo with Mount Rainier. The following is a selection of highlights from throughout the years.
1920: This is where the tradition began. While this photo doesn’t show Mount Rainier, the first Boeing airplane to fly over Mount Rainier was the BB-L6 (Model 8). It was a special touring plane built for Boeing’s first test pilot, Herb Munter, who had a sightseeing business from 1920 to 1923 and flew people over Mount Rainier. He flew from Munter Field in Kent, one of the first airfields in Washington state. Only one BB-L6 was built, and it was destroyed when Munter’s hangar burned down in 1923.
1932: The oldest known air-to-air photo with Mount Rainier was the first all-metal bomber, the Boeing B-9. Only seven of these airplanes were produced for the U.S. Army Air Corps, the predecessor of the U.S. Air Force.
1938: The tradition continued with the Boeing Model 314 Clipper flying over the Port of Tacoma with our old friend saying ‘hello’ in the background. Boeing built 12 Clippers between 1938 and 1941, and no surviving examples exist.
1940: As the age of commercial air travel blossomed, Boeing altered the design of the B-17 to produce the Boeing Model 307 Stratoliner, the first passenger airplane with a pressurized cabin. There is our regular guest making an appearance during the test flight. Only 10 were built.
1941: With as many as 15 B-17s rolling off the assembly line per day at Seattle’s venerable “Plant 2” during World War II, the Rainier tradition continued with this E model flyby. In all, Boeing produced nearly 7,000 B-17s in Seattle during the war.
1953: The Boeing B-52 was the country’s first long-range, swept-wing bomber. Boeing built two prototypes, the YB-52 (pictured) and the XB-52. By the 21st century, it was in its fifth decade of operational service. Boeing built a total of 744 B-52s in all versions between 1952 and 1962.
1954: Our old friend appears with the prototype Boeing 367-80, known as the “Dash 80,” which led to the 707, the first commercially successful passenger jet, and the aerial refueling aircraft, the KC-135.
1969: The prototype 747 (RA001) says hello to Mount Rainier. The 747 made its maiden voyage, Feb. 9, 1969, and was the first airplane produced in Boeing’s Everett factory and would enjoy a long production run that ended in 2023 with the delivery of LN 1574 for Atlas Air. This photo was a favorite of Joe Sutter, who led the 747 design team.
1988: Boeing’s first 747-100 accompanies the first 747-400 for the 20th anniversary of the rollout of the first 747.
2009: The Boeing P-8A Poseidon, a maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft and a derivative of the 737 Next Generation, does a flyby of our old friend on a test flight.
2013: On its maiden voyage, Sept. 17, 2013, the innovative 787-9 visits our ever-present, ancient friend.