Legend & Legacy (Review and Analysis of Serling's Book)

By BusinessNews Publishing

The must-read summary of Robert J. Serling's book: "Legend & Legacy: The Story of Boeing and Its People".

This complete summary of the ideas from Robert J. Serling's book "Legend & Legacy" charts the fascinating journey of Boeing, highlighting successes, near-disasters, and strategic wins. In his book, the author explains how Boeing took risks at crucial times, such as into the commercial airline business, and in the late twentieth century with the 747. Even its own pilots took risks: they sold new models on the back of daring demonstrations. However, it was these risks that paid off and led to its ultimate success. This summary provides a valuable insight into the innovation, courage and mistakes that led to Boeing becoming a multi-billion dollar success.

Added-value of this summary:
• Save time
• Understand key concepts
• Expand your knowledge

To learn more, read "Legend & Legacy" and discover the compelling and inspiring tale behind Boeing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Business Book Summaries
• Release date: Oct 14, 2014
• ISBN: 9782511017913

Book preview

Book Presentation

Legend & Legacy by Robert J. Serling

Important Note About This Ebook

Summary of Legend & Legacy (Robert J. Serling)

1. The Early Years

2. Transition

3. The War Years

4. The First Jets

5. The 707 Jet Airliner

6. Missiles, Aerospace and the Moon

7. The 727

8. The 737

9. Supersonic And The C-5

10. The 747 Jumbo Jet

11. The 757/767 Jetliners

12. Looking To The Future

Important Note About This Ebook

This is a summary and not a critique or a review of the book. It does not offer judgment or opinion on the content of the book. This summary may not be organized chapter-wise but is an overview of the main ideas, viewpoints and arguments from the book as a whole. This means that the organization of this summary is not a representation of the book.

1. The Early Years

The founder of the aircraft company which would bear his name was William Edward Boeing, born on 1 October 1881 in Detroit, Michigan. His father was very wealthy from a timber and iron ore project, so Boeing was sent away to a private school in Switzerland and then to Yale to study engineering. While in his first year at Yale, his father died and Boeing’s mother remarried. Unfortunately, William didn’t get along with his new stepfather so he decided to move to the other side of the United States to be as far away as possible. Therefore, Boeing set up a lumber business near Seattle in the Pacific Northwest section of the United States.

Boeing set up his new business in 1903, the same year that the Wright brothers made aviation history at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. However, Boeing didn’t see an airplane until the 1910 Los Angeles air show. He took his first ride with a barnstormer in 1915, along with a friend, Conrad Westervelt, a young Navy officer.

Boeing and Westervelt loved flying, but were not impressed with the Curtiss seaplane. In fact, they felt together they could build a better airplane, so they purchased a Martin seaplane and began building their own. Boeing was the financier and test pilot, Westervelt designed the new plane and they hired Herb Munter as a mechanic and pilot.

When Westervelt transferred back east with the Navy, Boeing hired an engineer to keep working on improving the design of their plane. On 15 July 1916, William Boeing incorporated the Pacific Aero Products Company, with himself as President, his cousin as Vice-President and a friend as Secretary.

Fortunately, the new company was formed just as America entered World War I,