A heartfelt salute to a Boeing Incredible

Alexis Fecteau believes that the history of Boeing (the company) is filled with countless fascinating milestones and breakthroughs. He also believes that none of these milestones and breakthroughs would have ever been possible without the participation of people who figure in as the backbone of the company.

For today’s blog, Alexis Fecteau wishes to give a heartfelt salute to Desi Evans, one of the “Incredibles” in the 747 program.

Desi started in Boeing near the end of the ‘50s after ending his tour of duty with the U.S. Army. He was part of the B-52 program before going to the 707 commercial jet, the KC-135 tankers, and the 727 program of the Renton Division in 1963.

However, it wasn’t until 1967 that Desi was assigned to Everett to work on the Jumbo Jet program of Boeing. Filled with excitement, he knew working in the largest factory in the world with one of the largest airliners at the time was going to be an endeavor he would never forget.

Desi started out in the Systems Planning department as a first-line supervisor. There he bore witness to Joe Sutter (chief engineer) and other engineers who had drawn up over 75,000 sketches on new 747 designs.

Even with the constant, heavy downpour that wouldn’t seem to end, Desi and the rest of the Incredibles soldiered on to build the world’s first Boeing 747 in just 16 months.

What a story.

Aside from being a pilot and engineer, Alexis Fecteau is the Director of Marketing for Boeing Business Jets. For similar updates, visit this blog.