James S. McDonnell (2 of 4)
A Record-Making Touchdown
Mr. Mac's foresight and early work in jet-propelled aircraft was rewarded in 1943 when the U.S. Navy awarded the company a contract to develop a jet-powered, carrier-based fighter. The one-seat, twin-engine FH-1 Phantom became the first Navy plane to fly at 500 miles an hour and was the first jet to take off and land on a U.S. carrier. Today, Boeing is the largest aerospace contractor for the U.S. Navy.
To The Stars . . . and Beyond
Pictured here with the original seven Mercury astronauts, Mr. Mac once described space exploration as an excellent outlet "for the creative, restless, adventurous, competitive souls of mankind." Anticipating that the U.S. would accelerate its space program, he invested funds into research that positioned the company to be selected to develop and build Mercury, America's first manned orbital spacecraft. McDonnell also built the two-man Gemini space capsules. Today, Boeing is NASA's largest contractor with a rich heritage of space systems.
A Phabulous Idea
Known for his frugality, the man who described himself as a "practicing Scotsman" thought taxpayers ought to get their money's worth. Tactical aircraft, he believed, should be able to do a variety of missions for a variety of services. His idea sparked the development of the F-4 Phantom II. Although designed for carrier operations, the aircraft was selected by the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Air Force and 11 other nations. When production ended in 1979, more than 20 years after first flight - over 5,000 F-4s had been built.