How Boeing's Supersonic Dream Jet Spent Years In A Florida Swamp

Bettmann/Getty Images

The lights were still disconnected extracurricular erstwhile I reached nan Museum of Flight's Restoration Center and Reserve Collection successful Everett, Washington, an hr extracurricular Seattle. The dense overcast matched nan gloom of nan fundamentally abandoned craft conscionable down nan restoration halfway connected nan formation line. Austin Ballard, nan restoration center's supervisor, told maine really fewer visitors nan depository has had since it closed its doors to nan nationalist early successful nan pandemic; successful fact, it has yet to reopen them. But pinch a lukewarm smile, he fto maine successful and showed maine astir nan museum's land of misfit planes.

It didn't return agelong to find what I was looking for. Crammed into nan hangar, surrounded by aviation relics spanning galore eras, was nan amended half of a plane. It surely wasn't airworthy — successful fact, it was ne'er meant to fly. Despite this, however, this timeworn artifact erstwhile represented hopes of a supersonic early for some Boeing and America. 

As nan victor of nan Supersonic Transport (SST) project, nan Boeing 2707 promised to outrun and outcarry nan British-French Concorde (you tin watch workers build nan past Concorde here), and bring faster-than-sound recreation to nan mundane American. But it wasn't to be. With sonic booms proving excessively large for onshore routes, mixed pinch an ongoing litany of developmental setbacks, nan SST programme was canned, and each that was near was nan jet's full-sized mockup.

Today, 54 years later, only nan plane's beforehand half remains. But aft serving respective decades arsenic a depository piece, evangelical religion decoration, and roadside attraction, nan truth that thing of nan SST remains is thing short of a miracle. And successful fact, though nan mockup returned to adjacent its birthplace a decade ago, its early remains successful jeopardy.

Bettmann/Getty Images

The first domino was knocked successful 1962, erstwhile a business betwixt France and nan U.K. was announced to build a supersonic commercialized aircraft — 1 that could situation America's world power of nan aviation industry. The Concorde was group successful motion, and President John F. Kennedy responded pinch nan SST program, successful which national backing would spell to immoderate institution that could build a level capable to surpass the European opposition's capacity and speed.

With an all-titanium assemblage and fighter-like plaything wings, Boeing's 2707 mockup promised to transportation 250 to 300 passengers astatine speeds nearing Mach 3. The institution won nan contest, but ran into contiguous issues during its development.  Specifically, the plane's projected swing-wing creation proved to beryllium excessively dense and, for illustration galore of its projected features, excessively blase for precocious '60s technology.

The task had besides begun losing nationalist support. In 1964, a planned six-month trial for sonic booms successful Oklahoma City had to beryllium trim short after 15,000 residents listed sound complaints, and astir 150 windows shattered successful 2 of nan city's tallest buildings. Other biology concerns entered nan fray, too, pinch fears of the plane's effect connected nan ozone layer. Ultimately, nan rising scrutiny from nan nationalist would beryllium nan last nail successful nan project's coffin. The SST programme was canceled successful 1971, and each that remained of nan task was nan full-sized mockup.

Boeing sold nan mockup successful a sealed auction nan pursuing year. Nebraska-based millionaire Mark Morrison bought it for $31,119, pinch ambitions to usage it arsenic nan centerpiece of a caller aviation museum. In January of 1973, nan level was disassembled and loaded onto 7 railroad cars, journeying from Seattle to nan caller SST Air Museum successful Kissimmee, Florida, not acold from Walt Disney World.

The depository opened later that year, but grounded to tie capable attendance and closed successful 1981. Several years and a fistful of lawsuits later, nan onshore was sold to nan Faith World church, which utilized nan erstwhile depository tract until 1988. It was bought by a 2nd church, nan New Life Assembly of God, nan pursuing year. With nan level being excessively large and costly to move without demolishing nan depository building, nan SST someway stayed. For astir a year, nan mockup served arsenic nan backdrop of services until description plans yet forced nan level out.

The wayfaring mockup was astir sold to beryllium scrapped, but was saved by a erstwhile NASA worker turned collector, Charles Bell. The mockup was disassembled and transported to Merritt Island, wherever it became a roadside attraction of sorts, pinch visitors stopping to return pictures of nan chopped-up plane. This wasn't nan only relic of supersonic recreation abandoned successful nan Sunshine State, but for astir a decade, nan ill-fated craft was near to rot successful nan Florida sun.

Hiller Aviation Museum

Salvation came for nan SST astir May of 1998, erstwhile Stan Hiller purchased nan remains from Bell for $50,000. One of nan pioneering developers of nan helicopter, Hiller was mounting things successful mobility for his ain aviation depository successful San Carlos, California, group to unfastened successful June of that year. However, abstraction was constricted astatine nan plane's caller home, and aft 8 relentless years exposed to Florida's blistering sun and salty air, overmuch of nan craft was beyond nan constituent of restoration.

"It was successful beautiful deteriorated style erstwhile we sewage it," Willie Turner said successful a telephone question and reply pinch Jalopnik. Turner, Hiller Museum's vice president of operations, is 1 of those who worked for nan depository erstwhile nan SST was around. "We were offered, I guess, nan full aircraft, and we didn't person immoderate spot to put it, truthful we conscionable took nan chemoreceptor section."

Turner told Jalopnik that Hiller upgraded nan mockup, pinch additions including a full-fidelity cockpit donated by Boeing and a functioning droop snoot strategy installed by nan museum. Made to thief aviator visibility during takeoff and landing, nan chemoreceptor of nan craft could beryllium manually raised and lowered.

After nan mockup had been treated to a comparatively serene 15 years successful California, nan Hiller Museum decided to fto it spell arsenic portion of a awesome revamp.  A woody was struck pinch nan Museum of Flight successful Seattle, and successful April of 2013, nan level was traded, loaded onto a truck, and transported backmost location for nan first clip successful complete 40 years.

Jackson Lambros/Jalopnik

Now astatine nan Museum of Flight's restoration halfway astatine Paine Field, nan fuselage has shared a location pinch nan analyzable that erstwhile could person served arsenic its accumulation line. Here, nan relic has sat gathering particulate for nan past 12 years. Little activity has been done connected it since it returned home. Its cockpit has been removed, and its droop snoot separated from nan remainder of nan craft to prevention space. The SST has seen amended days, but complete nan past 50 years, I tin guarantee it's besides had acold worse.

Being put connected show would beryllium a full-circle infinitesimal for nan SST, but Austin Ballard has his doubts. "I'd emotion to spot it, but I'm not truthful judge if it will ever make it into Seattle," he said. "You gotta retrieve that this level really is simply a achromatic oculus for Boeing."

He's right. The cancellation of nan SST connected March 24, 1971, led to 7,000 workers being laid disconnected immediately, arsenic good arsenic an further 60,000 Boeing labor being fto spell complete nan pursuing 2 years. What was yet dubbed nan "Boeing Bust" brought astir devastating shockwaves that rippled done Seattle and Washington's economy, causing unemployment to skyrocket each complete nan Evergreen State. Had it not been for nan 747 (now, decades later, reaching nan extremity of nan line) and nan 707, nan SST could person been nan task that put Boeing successful nan grave. Although nan 2707 would surely service arsenic a one-of-a-kind accumulation piece, putting it connected show successful Seattle would beryllium a reminder of a high-profile missed opportunity for nan city, Boeing, and American aviation.

Jackson Lambros/Jalopnik

While nan SST programme will stay an unpleasant representation for Boeing and nan Puget Sound area, its bequest still deserves to beryllium celebrated. Riding nan coattails of unthinkable advancement, nan SST is simply a relic of an era that exuded endless optimism for nan future. By nan precocious 1960s, humans had gone from propeller-driven airliners to swift, silent jetliners. And successful a decade wherever nan world was introduced to specified marvels arsenic satellites and satellite landings, it's nary astonishment that nan sky — and beyond — felt for illustration nan limit. 

But nan 2707 doesn't conscionable guidelines arsenic a monument to what has been, but besides arsenic a imagination of what perfectly could still be. Boom Supersonic's "boomless" XB-1 prototype successfully flew supersonic earlier this twelvemonth without a azygous sound being heard connected nan ground. And pinch NASA promising quiet booms successful nan adjacent early via its X-59 project, supersonic formation whitethorn beryllium backmost connected nan paper for mundane aerial travel. None of those lessons could person been learned had it not been for nan illustration group by nan SST.

To opportunity nan SST was arguable is simply a immense understatement, but pinch countless lessons learned successful its wake, it laid nan groundwork for supersonic airliners successful nan 21st century. Aside from what nan conception stood for, nan mockup whitethorn beryllium nan only level to spell from nan Atlantic to nan Pacific without ever leaving nan ground. Cheating decease and having a much colorful resume than galore different grounded aircraft, nan Boeing 2707 deserves its clip successful nan spotlight erstwhile much ... arsenic nan level it was expected to be, and nan resounding precedent it set.