Few names in the history of aviation carry the weight of Boeing. Founded in Seattle in 1916 by William E. Boeing, the company has grown from a small wooden biplane manufacturer into one of the world's largest aerospace and defence corporations — shaping the course of commercial aviation, strategic bombing, aerial refuelling, airborne command and control, and space exploration across more than a century of continuous innovation.
At Online Aviation Library, we preserve the original technical documentation — flight manuals, maintenance handbooks, structural repair manuals, and systems descriptions — that underpins the operational history of Boeing's extraordinary aircraft portfolio. From the earliest biplanes of the 1920s through the iconic B-17 and B-29 of the Second World War, the jet age pioneers of the 1950s, and the wide-body revolution of the 1970s, these primary sources offer an authoritative window into a century of aerospace engineering excellence.
How to Use This Guide
Boeing's aircraft portfolio spans over a century and encompasses commercial airliners, strategic bombers, fighters, tankers, transports, maritime patrol aircraft, airborne command posts, and experimental types. Use the category sections and aircraft table below to navigate this extensive catalogue and find the documentation relevant to your research or restoration project.
▶ Early Boeing Aircraft (1916–1939)
| Model | Type | First Flight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing NB | Primary trainer | 1924 | US Navy biplane trainer |
| Boeing PW-9 (FB-5 / Model 15) | Fighter | 1923 | US Army / Navy pursuit biplane |
| Boeing F2B | Carrier fighter | 1926 | US Navy single-seat biplane fighter |
| Boeing F3B | Carrier fighter | 1927 | US Navy biplane, successor to F2B |
| Boeing GA-1 | Ground attack | 1921 | Experimental armoured triplane |
| Boeing XP-4 | Experimental fighter | 1926 | Supercharged pursuit prototype |
| Boeing XPB | Experimental patrol bomber | 1925 | Single prototype flying boat |
| Boeing XPBB Sea Ranger | Patrol flying boat | 1942 | Large patrol bomber, cancelled after prototype |
| Boeing XF6B | Experimental carrier fighter | 1933 | Biplane dive bomber prototype |
| Boeing XF8B | Experimental fighter | 1944 | Long-range single-seat fighter prototype |
| Boeing P-12 | Fighter | 1929 | US Army / Navy biplane fighter, 586 built |
| Boeing F4B | Carrier fighter | 1928 | US Navy export version of P-12 |
| Boeing P-26 Peashooter | Fighter | 1932 | First all-metal monoplane fighter, 151 built |
| Boeing YB-9 | Bomber | 1931 | Early monoplane bomber prototype |
| Boeing 80 | Commercial airliner | 1928 | Trimotor biplane, 16 built |
| Boeing 95 | Mail / cargo biplane | 1928 | Open-cockpit mail carrier |
| Boeing 247 | Commercial airliner | 1933 | First modern airliner, 75 built |
| Boeing XB-15 | Experimental heavy bomber | 1937 | Largest US aircraft of its era, 1 built |
| Boeing-Stearman Model 70/71/73/75/76 | Primary trainer | 1934 | Iconic WWII biplane trainer, 10,000+ built |
▶ World War II Aircraft (1939–1945)
| Model | Type | First Flight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress | Heavy bomber | 1935 | 12,731 built; backbone of USAAF strategic bombing |
| Boeing XB-38 Flying Fortress | Experimental bomber | 1942 | Allison-engined B-17 variant, 1 converted |
| Boeing YB-40 Flying Fortress | Escort gunship | 1943 | Heavily armed B-17 escort variant |
| Boeing B-29 Superfortress | Very heavy bomber | 1942 | 3,970 built; dropped atomic bombs on Japan |
| Boeing XB-39 Superfortress | Experimental bomber | 1944 | Allison-engined B-29 variant, 1 converted |
| Boeing KB-29 Superfortress | Aerial tanker | 1948 | B-29 converted for aerial refuelling |
| Boeing 307 Stratoliner | Commercial airliner | 1938 | First pressurised airliner, 10 built |
| Boeing 314 Clipper | Flying boat airliner | 1938 | Transatlantic flying boat, 12 built |
| Boeing PB2B | Patrol flying boat | 1942 | Canadian-built Catalina variant for RCAF/RNZAF |
▶ Post-War Piston & Early Jet Era (1945–1960)
| Model | Type | First Flight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing B-50 Superfortress | Strategic bomber | 1947 | Upgraded B-29, 371 built |
| Boeing KB-50 | Aerial tanker | 1950s | B-50 converted for three-point refuelling |
| Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter | Strategic transport | 1944 | 888 built; military transport / tanker |
| Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter | Aerial tanker | 1950 | Primary USAF tanker of the 1950s |
| Boeing 377 Stratocruiser | Commercial airliner | 1947 | Double-deck airliner, 56 built |
| Boeing B-47 Stratojet | Strategic jet bomber | 1947 | 2,032 built; first swept-wing jet bomber |
| Boeing YC-14 | STOL transport prototype | 1976 | Upper-surface blowing STOL demonstrator |
| Boeing YL-15 Scout | Liaison aircraft | 1947 | Light observation prototype |
| Boeing QSRA | Quiet STOL research aircraft | 1978 | NASA-funded quiet approach research |
▶ Jet Age Bombers & Tankers (1950s–2020s)
| Model | Type | First Flight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing B-52 Stratofortress | Strategic bomber | 1952 | 744 built; still in active USAF service |
| Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker | Aerial tanker | 1956 | 732 built; primary USAF tanker |
| Boeing EC-135 | Airborne command post | 1960s | Airborne command and control variant |
| Boeing RC-135 | Reconnaissance | 1960s | Strategic reconnaissance platform |
| Boeing C-135 Stratolifter | Strategic transport | 1961 | Cargo transport variant of 707 airframe |
| Boeing CC-137 | Transport / tanker | 1970s | Canadian Armed Forces 707 variant |
| Boeing KC-10 | Aerial tanker / transport | 1980 | DC-10 based tanker, 60 built |
| Boeing KC-46 Pegasus | Aerial tanker | 2015 | 767-based next-generation USAF tanker |
▶ Commercial Jet Airliners (1958–Present)
| Model | Type | First Flight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 707 | Narrow-body jet airliner | 1957 | 1,010 built; launched the jet age |
| Boeing 720 | Narrow-body jet airliner | 1959 | Lighter short/medium-range 707 variant |
| Boeing 727 | Narrow-body jet airliner | 1963 | 1,832 built; trijet workhorse |
| Boeing 757 | Narrow-body jet airliner | 1982 | 1,050 built; medium-range twin |
| Boeing 717 | Narrow-body jet airliner | 1998 | 156 built; MD-95 derivative |
▶ Military Transports (1960s–2020s)
| Model | Type | First Flight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing C-17 Globemaster III | Strategic / tactical transport | 1991 | 279 built; primary USAF heavy lifter |
| Boeing T-43 | Navigation trainer | 1973 | 737-based USAF navigator trainer |
▶ Airborne Command, Control & Surveillance (1960s–2020s)
| Model | Type | First Flight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing E-3 Sentry | Airborne early warning | 1972 | 707-based AWACS platform |
| Boeing E-4 | Airborne command post | 1973 | 747-based National Airborne Operations Center |
| Boeing E-6 Mercury | Airborne command post | 1987 | 707-based US Navy TACAMO platform |
| Boeing / Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS | Ground surveillance | 1988 | 707-based battlefield surveillance |
| Boeing E-767 | Airborne early warning | 1996 | 767-based AWACS for Japan Air Self-Defense Force |
| Boeing P-8 Poseidon | Maritime patrol | 2009 | 737-based anti-submarine warfare aircraft |
A Legacy Without Parallel
Boeing's contribution to aviation history is without parallel in scope or duration. From the fabric-covered biplanes of the 1920s through the pressurised stratospheric airliners of the 1940s, the swept-wing jet bombers of the 1950s, the wide-body revolution of the 1970s, and the advanced composite airliners of the 21st century, Boeing has been present at every major inflection point in the development of powered flight.
The technical documentation that underpins this history — the flight manuals, maintenance handbooks, structural repair manuals, wiring diagrams, and illustrated parts catalogues produced across more than a century of Boeing production — represents an invaluable resource for the aviation community. At Online Aviation Library, we are committed to preserving and making accessible these primary sources for the researchers, operators, historians, and enthusiasts who need them.