The procedure of following a preflight checklist for aircrews originated in 1935 when the prototype for the B-17 bomber (known as at the time as the Boeing Model 299) crashed after the pilot failed to disengage the "gust lock." The gust lock holds the control surfaces of a plane in a static position so that the plane does not get damaged by wind when the aircraft is parked on the ground. As the accident occurred when Boeing was demonstrating the plane for the Army Air Corps, the Army, following its long-standing policy of not purchasing aircraft which could not take off without crashing, awarded its contract for 200 bombers to a competitor.
However, some of the brass were still impressed enough by an earlier performance of the prototype that they used a legal loophole to buy 13 examples nonetheless. This purchase led to further acquisitions until over 12,700 B-17s were sold to the Army by the end of World War II, resulting in the devastation of much of Germany and constituting a major factor in the winning of the war.
However, some of the brass were still impressed enough by an earlier performance of the prototype that they used a legal loophole to buy 13 examples nonetheless. This purchase led to further acquisitions until over 12,700 B-17s were sold to the Army by the end of World War II, resulting in the devastation of much of Germany and constituting a major factor in the winning of the war.
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| By U.S. Air Force [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
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