How a Boeing test pilot barrel-rolled a 4-engine jet airliner as part of a $16,000,000 gamble that could have bankrupted the company

Boeing as we know it today stands tall on the wings of one very specific plane, as it nearly wagered everything it had on whether a test pilot could perform a barrel roll in a four-engine jet known as the Dash-80.

Having become renowned for its tanker planes throughout the the second World War, providing military aircraft, Boeing faced a difficult decision in the 1950s.

The company believed that it could create a jet-powered aircraft that suited both military and commercial aviation, but had no customers willing to listen.

Still, it went ahead and poured 25 percent of its net worth into developing one single plane, and on its maiden flight, the test pilot struck fear into the company higher-ups by performing a risky barrel roll.

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Boeing once risked everything with this one-off plane design

Known as the Boeing 367-80 – or ‘Dash 80’ for those who liked to avoid number spaghetti – the one-off model was built to prove that jet transport was the way forward.

Despite having jet bombers, such as the B-47 and B-52, the aviation world was skeptical that this type of tech could pivot into commercial use.

So in 1952, the company commissioned a $16 million (equivalent to $192 million today) project to build the Dash 80 simply to prove the doubters wrong.

The $16 million was over a quarter of Boeing’s entire net worth, but the experts believed so strongly in the Dash 80 that the one-off was worth every cent.

Two years after entering production, the jet was primed and ready for testing.

On taxiway tests, Boeing had its heart in its proverbial mouth as the landing gear failed, putting its capabilities into question.

However, on its first flight, the jet appeared to be as smooth as any other aircraft, and a month later, it was showcased at the Seattle Seafair and Gold Cup Hydroplane Races.

Although, had things gone differently, that could have been its first and last public appearance.

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How Tex Johnston sold the Dash 80 with two barrel rolls

Planning to do a simple flyover, the Boeing Dash 80 test pilot, Tex Johnston, found that the plane was so smooth that he could treat it like a fighter jet.

With Boeing President Bill Allen and a range of governing bodies in attendance, the ambitious pilot decided that a simple flyover wasn’t enough and decided to take it up a notch.

Flying over Lake Washington, the pilot put the $16 million plane into a spin and completed two barrel rolls in front of a crowd that held its breath in anticipation.

While Allen was aghast at the risk, Johnston claimed that he was simply ‘selling airplanes’, and the move turned out to be the biggest success story in Boeing’s history.

With the Dash 80 showing that these jets can be versatile, the one-off unit proved to be the inspiration for the magnificent Boeing 707, which entered production four years later.

The 707 sold over 1,000 units and catapulted Boeing to be the colossal aviation brand it is today.

All because one Kansas pilot couldn’t resist the urge to show off.

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