Growing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter - Paperback

by Rebecca Wallick (Author)

Part memoir, part biography, Growing Up Boeing tells the story of the pioneers of the Golden Age of commercial jet transports from an insider's perspective. Take a nostalgic flight back in time to the dawn of the jet age-1950s through 1980s-when the best experimental test pilots flew by the seat of their pants, putting new commercial jets through tests that stressed and pushed the edge of performance envelopes, discovering their limits and tolerances. Fly along on demonstration and proving flights as the test pilots help Boeing sell the airplanes to airlines around the world, meeting a few celebrities along the way. See how they lived their lives in the air and on the ground-their adventurous spirits, need for speed, leisure activities and families. Secrets big and small are revealed, as are hair-raising moments when the hazards, the incidents, near accidents, and tragic events inherent in exploring the limits of aeronautical technology and new airplane designs are described. This artfully narrated account breathes life into the extremely personal and human experiences that have, in some magical way, been shared at some level by so many, and provides more than a hint of what has made this aircraft manufacturer legendary.

Author Biography

Rebecca Wallick is the daughter of legendary Boeing test pilot S. L. "Lew" Wallick. While not a pilot herself (despite her father's best efforts), she has always had a keen interest in collecting and preserving the aviation history she witnessed growing up. Rebecca earned a degree in history at the University of Washington and law degree at Seattle University. After thirty years of practicing law and writing on the side, she is finally flipping the tables and writing full time (with a little law on the side). Rebecca resides in Kirkland, Washington with her dog Finn MacCool.