Boeing 707 (Boeing 367-80) "Dash 80" completes a Barrel Roll circa 1954

[Marc]

From Aviation Explorer.com

Boeing aircraft company 707 "Dash 80" in a barrel roll.

Boeing_367-80

Originally Posted by AviationExplorer.com

The story after the 707 (367) "DASH 80" Barrel roll...

The plane lands at Boeing field and Tex gets out and starts to walk away from the plane. A Boeing official runs over to Tex and tells him Mr. Allen wants to see him now. Mr. Allen is the president of Boeing.

So Tex heads off across the street to the Boeing Exec offices and into Mr. Allens office.

Tex walks in. Mr Allen from behind his desk says "How are Tex...Hows the family"? Tex answers the boss.

Mr Allen the says "I hear you rolled the plane today, Tex".
Tex says quietly....."Yes sir I did".
Mr Allen answers..."Don't do it again.......Bye Tex..say hello to the wife..".

About the Aircraft...

The Boeing 367-80 was the name of the "prototype" of both the 707/720 commercial transport/military transport/military tanker/military communications plane and the 717/739 (KC-135 etc) military transport/tanker. It was called the "Dash-80" and although 707 was eventually written on the tail (and it was registered N70700), it wasn't really a 707 so much as a pre-aircraft, a basic-built demonstrator.

-The 707 and KC-135 look similar but beside different lengths, have different upper fuselage lobe dimensions (ditto for the Dash-80) and different alloys.

-The Dash-80 was flown in August 2003 to Washington, where it has been permanently retired to the big new annex of the Smithsonian's museum of air and space. Here it resides with Concorde and many other important aircraft.

-Tex Johnston did the barrel roll and even if test pilots back then were different, the company was stunned by it and whatever the exact conversation was like, he apparently came close to losing his job. But the roll seems to have impressed the military and to have gotten Boeing the large contract for the KC-135.

[andygr]

Marc
Since it looks as if you have been intrested in aircraft "happenings" here are some of my favorites
An air cooled engine on a A320
Fire supression after a "hot" landing

[Benjamin28]

I like this site for some of their interesting pictures and movies the airliner ditching wmv gives a good idea of why "in case of a water landing" you'll need more than a floating seat cushion. Also, women live longer series of pictures just cracks me up, especially number 2, even tho they aren't aircraft related.

[Steve Prevette]

One thing that I've heard from pilots, especially those involved with areobatics, is that the maneuvers are chosen in order to be very safe, but look very cool to the people standing on the ground.

A "Barrel Roll" is not what most people think it is. It is not a plane spinning about its horizontal access. The true spin does put a lot of stress on the plane. A barrell roll puts a lot less stress on the wings, as the plane actually makes a corkscrew pattern through the air, rather than a spin.

I feel confident the engineers and the test pilot knew what stresses the plane could handle.

There is a story that the first B-17 bomber got caught in a storm, and they determined following the flight it had actually made a full loop.

[Randy]

I've been in a CH-53, OH-6 and AH-64 that have "rolled". Tricky with rotary-wings, but it can be done.

[Jeff Frost]

The actual 707 involved in the barrel roll was at one time (late 1990’s) located at the Davis Monthan Air Force Base Bone yards in Tucson AZ.