247d The Queen Mother of Modern Airliners

The story of the 247 is a historically accurate tale of the early days of flying and the evolution of commercial aviation. How the 247, the first of modern airliners was rescued, restored and preserved. Written for children ages 6 to 13. About the Author: Gerald Swearingen was born in Dayton Ohio, (the birth place of Aviation) in 1932. He graduated from High School in 1950 and in January The Air Force joined the U S Air Force influenced by the fact that his Great Uncle Charles Furnas as a mechanic for the Wright Brothers, became the first passenger on a heavier than air aircraft on May 14, 1908. The Air Force assigned him to the 84th Fighter Squadron then to Aircraft and Engine School at Shepard AFB and subsequently to several aircraft schools including F-86D, F-94 C and F89 B. He was transferred to McChord AFB in 1953 as Line Chief for 6 T-33's and 2 f-80's.He was Honorably Discharged in January 1955 and had attained the rank of Staff Sgt. He joined Honeywell as Field Service Technician and supported NASA Gemini and Apollo Programs at the Kennedy Space Center. After 13years with Honeywell he moved to Seattle. for Applied Power and assisted in the development of a computer controlled system for the main fuel tank transporter dolly and was able to film the launch of one of the Shuttle launches from the press site. He joined the Museum of Flight and became a Docent and a restoration volunteer on the Boeing model 247.