A model of a Boeing & Westervelt (B&W) Seaplane that famed aeronautic engineer Wong Tsu (王助) helped design in 1916 at Boeing is on display at the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), marking a century since its successful test flight.
Born in 1893 in Hebei, China, Wong played a major role in the development of the aviation industry in China and Taiwan. After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Wong worked briefly in 1916 under William Boeing, the founder of the US aircraft maker.
The functional reproduction on display is a Boeing Model 1 and was the product of the collaboration between Wong, Boeing and another engineer, George Conrad Westervel.
Photo: Liu Wan-chun, Taipei Times
Tang Ke (唐克), a senior engineer at Boeing, said that the Boeing Model 1 was the first airplane to be designed and built by the US firm. It was also the first by the company to win a government contract, paving way for the industrial giant’s later success.
Wong returned to China later in 1916 and was involved in various efforts by both the public and private sector to develop the domestic aviation industry.
While Boeing and Westervelt laid the groundwork for the Boeing Model 1’s basic design, Wong’s many improvements were crucial in elevating its performance to levels that far excelled the US Navy’s expectations of what was possible for a seaplane, Tang said.
To convince skeptical naval procurement officers, Wong flew the plane himself — a demonstration that convinced the US Navy to place an order for 50 planes, Tang said.
The Boeing Model 1’s extra buoyancy is provided by its underwing flotation tanks, which made for a shorter takeoff and landing range on water than its contemporaries.
Data provided by the university showed that the US Navy bought a total of 56 Model C planes.
Wong spent the later part of his life teaching at the university. He passed away in 1965.
The exhibition opened on Wednesday last week to mark the centennial of the demonstration flight on Nov. 16, the university’s department of aeronautics and astronautics chair Lai Wei-hsiang (賴維祥) said.
The Boeing Model 1 was a plane built to specification by the Lichao Air Museum in Chengdu, China, and is on loan to the university until the end of the exhibition on Dec. 10, Lai said.
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