Boeing Dash-80

The Hangar Nov 3, 2026

Tex Johnston, the Barrel Roll Over Lake Washington, and the Boeing Dash-Eighty Demo That Sold the Jet Age

On August 7, 1955, Boeing test pilot Tex Johnston barrel-rolled the company's $200M prototype jet transport twice over Lake Washington - a calculated act that helped sell the jet age.

Taildragger

The Hangar Oct 15, 2026

Tex Johnston, the Barrel Roll Over Lake Washington, and the Day Boeing's Chief Test Pilot Sold an Airplane the Only Way He Knew How

On August 7, 1955, Boeing test pilot Tex Johnston rolled the 707 prototype twice over Lake Washington - a calculated gamble that may have sold the jet age.

Taildragger

The Hangar Aug 10, 2026

Tex Johnston, the Dash Eighty, and the August Afternoon in Nineteen Fifty-Five He Rolled a Jetliner Over Lake Washington in Front of Everybody Who Could Fire Him

How Boeing test pilot Tex Johnston barrel-rolled the Dash 80 prototype over Lake Washington in 1955 and helped launch the jet age.

Taildragger