Everyone with a social media account knows the importance of having a perfect background for your photo. For Boeing photographers based in the Pacific Northwest, its natural wonder provides a spectacular fit as a beloved backdrop for the company’s many aircraft.
As the tallest and most picturesque peak in the Cascade Range, Mount Rainier has provided a majestic photo finish for Boeing’s air-to-air test flights since the 1920s.
1920: The first Boeing airplane to fly over Mount Rainier was the BB-L6 (Model 8). It was a special touring plane built for Boeing’s first test pilot, Herb Munter, who had a sightseeing business flying people over Mount Rainier. He flew from Munter Field in Kent, one of the first airfields in Washington State. Only one BB-L6 was ever built, and it was destroyed when Munter’s hangar burned down in 1923.
1932: The oldest known air-to-air photo with Mount Rainier was the Boeing B-9, the first all-metal bomber. Only seven of these airplanes were produced for the U.S. Army Air Corps, the predecessor of the U.S. Air Force. (See cover photo)
1938: In this photo, the Boeing Model 314 Clipper is seen flying over the Port of Tacoma. Boeing built 12 Clippers between 1938 and 1941 — no surviving examples exist.
1940: As the age of commercial air travel blossomed, Boeing altered the design of the B-17 Flying Fortress to produce the Boeing Model 307 Stratoliner, the first passenger airplane with a pressurized cabin. Seen here is one of only 10 that were ever built.
1941: With as many as 15 B-17s rolling off the assembly line per day at Seattle’s famous “Plant 2” during World War II, the Rainier tradition continued with this B-17E model flyby. Boeing produced nearly 7,000 B-17s in Seattle during the war.
1953: The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress was the country’s first long-range, swept-wing bomber. Boeing built two prototypes, the YB-52 (pictured) and the XB-52. By the 21st century, it was in its fifth decade of operational service. Boeing built a total of 744 B-52s in all versions between 1952 and 1962.
1954: The prototype Boeing 367-80, known as the “Dash 80,” is pictured here during a test flight. The aircraft led to the 707 airliner, the first commercially successful passenger jet, as well as the KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft.
1969: The prototype is seen here during one of its air-to-air test flights. The 747 Jumbo Jet made its maiden voyage on Feb. 9, 1969. It was the first airplane produced in Boeing’s Everett factory and was produced there until 2023.
1988: Boeing’s first 747-100 accompanies the first 747-400 for the 20th anniversary of the rollout of the first 747.
2009: The Boeing P-8A Poseidon, a maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft and a derivative of the 737 Next Generation, is seen here on a test flight.
2013: On its maiden voyage, Sept. 17, 2013, the innovative 787-9 Dreamliner flies past Mount Rainier, the most iconic photo backdrop in the Pacific Northwest.
