1916 BOEING 1ST TEST PILOT AVIATION PHOTO ALBUM HERB MUNTER SEATTLE WA AIRCRAFT

Description

[BOEING, EARLY AVIATION, FLIGHT, AIRPLANES]
PIONEER AVIATOR HERB MUNTER'S PERSONAL PHOTO ALBUM -
Offered here is an
AMAZING & HISTORIC PHOTO ALBUM
previously owned by
PIONEER AVIATOR HERBERT A. MUNTER (1895 - 1970)
.
Munter's love for aviation became ignited when he watched early aviator, Charles K. Hamilton fly during his exhibition tour in 1910.  Munter then designed his own airplane (1912) and flew it in around Seattle. This early and unique experience in aviation garnered him notice by Boeing founder
William Boeing who along with Boeing co-founder George Westervelt, decided to hire Munter to help build and test their first aircraft, the Boeing B-1
(1916).
Years later, Munter then went on to start his own air freight business, '
Air Craft Charter Service'
in Ketchikan, Alaska (1935).  Munter then sold his business and entered the U.S. Navy (1941) for WWII during which time he sadly lost his son, Herbert Munter Jr, who was also a pilot. After the war, Munter then founded '
West Coast Air Lines
'  and operated that airline until his retirement in 1958.
This leather covered album measures 7.25 in x 12 in x 1.5 in. and has
50 leaves comprising some 335 photos
.
Appx. 63 of the photos are directly aviation related
with the balance being scenic, family related or otherwise vernacular. Please see the additional photos linked to below for a more complete idea of the album contents. It's also worth noting the photos aren't necessarily in chronological order. In addition, some photos (as shown) are laid in loose as found.
We believe this album shows several important aircraft
:
- Munter's 'homebuilt' airplane (several shots of him flying it - the only known images of it in flight we could locate)
- The Boeing B-1 - Boeing's first aircraft
- Another early seaplane we haven't been able to identify
- Possibly the early aircraft version of the Boeing plane they were able to sell to the Navy.
- Munter's 'Air Craft Charter Service' aircraft.
W
Photo gallery
click to enlarge
All in all a rare, early and important Seattle area aviation artifact documenting founding aircraft for all of Seattle aviation including the very beginning of the world's largest aviation manufacturer, the Boeing Company.
The winner of the auction will be contacted for bank wire payment instructions as we are not desirous of using PayPal for this listing.
Please email any questions  -