Pursuits
In Boeing’s Attic, a Century of History Spans Seaplanes to 787s
- Treasures from Lindbergh to 787 can guide modern engineers
- Coke, Harley also safeguard past as archivist ranks triple
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Most Boeing Co. employees help build jetliners laden with futuristic technology. Then there’s Michael Lombardi, whose work encompasses not just carbon-fiber 787 Dreamliners but also World War II bombers and antique wood-and-linen seaplanes.
From a basement near the planemaker’s Seattle-area industrial hub, Lombardi tends to shelves full of old engineering drawings, priceless airplane models and 50,000 cans of motion-picture films documenting the evolution of flight. He’s the chief company historian. And as Boeing turns 100 on July 15, he’s never been busier sifting through boxes of donated artifacts, dredging up historic memorabilia and helping plan the centennial events.