The Story Behind Boeing's 747 Airborne Aircraft Carrier
Story by Eli Shayotovich • 22h
In the 1970s, the U.S. Air Force asked Boeing, a leading defense contractor of military aircraft (then and now), to build a bird that could not only carry and launch "micro-fighters" but also retrieve, rearm, and refuel them. The USAF was basically asking for something similar to the fictional Helicarrier used by SHIELD in several Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. But before we dive into that futuristic science-fiction ship, let's take a trip to the past to see what led to even wanting such a machine.
In the early 1900s, the Navy tasked Captain Washington Chambers with finding how these newly developed winged vehicles called planes would impact naval warfare. At this time, it had been less than a decade since the Wright Brothers took to the sky aboard the Wright Flyer I (a chunk of which is now on Mars). This relatively new invention had major naval potential, but in order to test whether planes could be launched from boats, the team would need a pilot. So, Chambers tracked down a man by the name of Eugene Burton Fly for the task.
As a mechanic and race car driver, Ely was a self-taught pilot who had more experience with automobiles. Nevertheless, he showed such aptitude that he soon became part of the Curtiss Exhibition flying team. In 1910, a 50-horsepower Curtiss Pusher aircraft fitted with floats was lifted aboard the USS Birmingham docked in Norfolk, Virginia. The ship maneuvered out to open water, and Ely began his experiment.
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