• A Gift of Flight: The William E. Boeing Story

  • America Through Time
  • By: David Williams
  • Narrated by: Brian Callanan
  • Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (12 ratings)

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A Gift of Flight: The William E. Boeing Story  By  cover art

A Gift of Flight: The William E. Boeing Story

By: David Williams
Narrated by: Brian Callanan
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Publisher's summary

The William E. Boeing Story: A Gift of Flight is the first ever full-length biography of William E. Boeing, the father of commercial aviation. Boeing's story is an exciting one, complete with bootleggers, kidnappers, and disastrous run-ins with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and future Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black. Boeing's story covers every aspect of early aviation, starting with his first ride in a balloon in 1896 to the christening of the revolutionary jet-powered Dash-80/707 in 1955. Along the way Boeing developed some of the world's most iconic airplanes including the P-26 Peashooter, the Boeing 247, the B-17 Flying Fortress and the mighty B-29 Superfortress.

The Boeing family have given author David D. Williams unprecedented access to the Boeing family archives which contain thousands of never- before-seen photos, diaries, and personal letters. This treasure trove of primary sources has allowed Williams to create an extraordinarily vivid and accurate portrait of this influential yet private man.

©2023 David D. Williams (P)2023 David D. Williams

What listeners say about A Gift of Flight: The William E. Boeing Story

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Absolutely a great story and excellent narration.

I can never look at a Boeing made airplane the same way. What an amazing story of business and personal lives that shaped the iconic American company.

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Interesting story

Mostly correct, oh Audible wants 18 words I’m not gonna counties, so I’ll guess I’ve set 18 words right now.

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Amazing story well told

Listen up carefully. Lots of good life and business lessons about development of one of the formative business of 20th century.

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Remarkable character

A remarkable man in modern times.
Boeing changed civil aviation. His is a remarkable story.
This audio book is an insight into a little known piece of history.
Well written and superbly narrated.

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Excellent story, research, and dialogue. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Excellent story, research, and dialogue. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Would certainly like to read more like this.

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Swell. An excellent book !

So much of this book hits home with me.Having grown up in Spokane near Felts Field and moved to Puget Sound area in the early 70’s, I remember so much of reference’s.My brother worked at Boeing and I knew one of the Boeing “girls” on Bainbridge Island. Just a great read !
xoxoxoo

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