Description

Boeing 707 that Tex Johnson rolled


In July 1948, Johnston accepted a test pilot position with Boeing. He flew the Boeing B-47 Stratojet, and piloted the first flight of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress prototype.

Johnston is best known for performing a barnstormer-style barrel roll maneuver with Boeing's pioneering 367-80 jet in a demonstration flight over Lake Washington outside Seattle, on August 7, 1955. Bill Allen, the then-president of Boeing, had invited many aero-space and airline executives to enjoy Seattle's Seafair aboard his yacht. Allen had asked Johnston to make a fly-by over Seafair to show off Boeing's new airliner. Johnston performed the barrel roll during the fly-by, reversed course with a chandelle, and performed a second barrel roll on the way back. The following Monday, Allen called Johnston to his office and asked what he thought he was doing, to which he responded with "I was selling airplanes," and explained the maneuver was not hazardous. He kept his position as a test pilot, and did not get in legal trouble for his actions on the condition that he did not do it again.