《知識》見證航空巨擘的百年發展 - 波音的紅色穀倉 The Boeing Red Barn


波音的紅色穀倉(Red Barn)是航空巨擘波音公司最初的誕生地,也是早期的生產廠房。

紅色穀倉正式名稱是「波音飛機公司105號廠房」,最初是由波音創辦人威廉.波音於1910年購買用於打造遊艇,但後來公司發展從航海轉向航空,在1916年成立太平洋航空產品公司的時候,紅色穀倉也成為辦公室與製造廠房,並且打造出波音首架水上飛機:波音Model 1。波音Model 1不只用於遞送航空郵件,還獲得美國海軍50架教練機訂單,公司也正式更名為波音公司。

在航空郵務的巨大需求下,波音公司快速成長,除原本飛機製造,也跨足運輸,因此在1935年遭美國政府指控壟斷,迫其拆分成3家公司(聯合技術、波音飛機與聯合航空),紅色穀倉則被列為波音飛機公司的產業繼續保存,在此工作的設計師還設計了美軍獲得二戰勝利的關鍵轟炸機:B-17與B-29。

波音公司最後在1970年將紅色穀倉出售給西雅圖港,隨後被位於西雅圖南郊、全球規模最大的私人航太博物館(The Museum of Flight)買下移至現址,公開展出。紅色穀倉現在變成了博物館,展示了波音公司從創立至今的發展歷程,包含飛機模型、原型機、生產設備以及歷史文獻等。紅色穀倉不僅是波音公司歷史的見證,也是航空愛好者的必訪之地。


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The Boeing Red Barn

The Boeing Red Barn is the birthplace of the aviation giant Boeing, and its early production factory.

Officially known as Boeing Airplane Company Factory No. 105, the Red Barn was originally purchased by Boeing founder William Boeing in 1910 to build yachts. However, the company later shifted its focus to aviation, and in 1916, when the Pacific Aero Products Company was founded, the Red Barn became an office and manufacturing plant. It produced Boeing's first seaplane, the Boeing Model 1, which was used to deliver airmail and received an order for 50 trainers from the United States Navy. The company also officially changed its name to Boeing Company.

Fueled by the huge demand for airmail, Boeing Company grew rapidly and expanded into transportation in addition to aircraft manufacturing. As a result, in 1935, the United States government accused the company of monopoly and forced it to split into three companies: United Technologies, Boeing Airplane, and United Airlines. The Red Barn was listed as a Boeing Airplane Company industrial heritage and continued to be preserved. The designers who worked there also designed the B-17 and B-29 bombers, which were key to the US military's victory in World War II.

Boeing Company sold the Red Barn to the Port of Seattle in 1970. The Museum of Flight, the world's largest private aerospace museum located in the southern suburbs of Seattle, then bought and moved it to its current location for public exhibition. Today, the Red Barn is a museum that showcases the development of Boeing Company from its founding to the present day, including aircraft models, prototypes, production equipment, and historical documents. It is not only a witness to the history of Boeing Company, but also a must-visit destination for aviation enthusiasts.